The Time is Now! Current Generation of Girls, Future Leaders in the Digital Era

7th  International Day of the Girl Child Conference, organized by UN Women, UNICEF and UNFPA in Turkey, in partnership with Aydın Doğan Foundation, focused on empowerment of  girls and supporting their leadership in the digital world.

Theme of the 7th International Day of the Girl Child Conference, that took place on 11 October 2021, was “The Time is Now! Girls’ Leadership in the Digital Era”. Distinguished participants underlined the importance of empowerment of girls with high-tech skills and supporting their leadership in this digital era. Through the efforts in collaboration, much progress has been made to overcome several challenges for the girls and this year was the time to address the gender inequality in the digital world.

This year’s event included online participation as well as face-to-face due to pandemic precautions and was live streamed on YouTube. Speakers from UNICEF, UN Women, UNFPA and Aydın Doğan Foundation focused on the current generation of adolescent girls, who can become leaders of the digital age with support and efforts in collaboration.

The keynote speaker of the conference Afshan Khan who is the UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, highlighted the need of encouraging girls and presenting them the opportunity to assume leadership in the digital world through their potential, motivation and skills and said: "We know that by providing girls and women with tools for self-empowerment and equal participation, we invest not only in individuals, but also in building stronger communities. The time is now for all of us – governments, the international community, the private sector, experts, parents, teachers, community members, and girls and boys - to accelerate our support to adolescent girls’ safe and meaningful participation in advancing gender equality. The time is now to support young women and girls to advance their skills, leadership capacity and to become the champions of gender equality, especially in a more digital world future. Together, we can and must continue to work together to achieve gender equality, for every child.” 

At the opening speech of the conference Vuslat Doğan Sabancı, Vice Chairwoman of the Aydın Doğan Foundation, said: “Despite all the positive developments in protecting women’s and girls’ equality rights through the efforts of states, civil society and individuals in recent years, girl children still face gender prejudice and inequalities worldwide. One of the most striking of these areas is 'digital inequality', which is vital for the era we live in. In low- and middle-income countries, three hundred million fewer women than men have access to the internet on a mobile. This is roughly the equivalent of the entire population of the United States. This digital divide increasingly challenges women and girls' access to life-enhancing services such as education, health, and financial inclusion. It is critical to establish strategies that will enable technology to become a great equalizer rather than a destructive one. “

President of Aydın Doğan Foundation, Founder & Chairwoman of Hepsiburada Hanzade Doğan, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore and President and CEO of Nasdaq Inc. Adena Friedman shared their views at the "Conversation with Pioneers in the Leadership of Girls and Women", moderated by Afşin Yurdakul.  

At the opening speech of the panel titled “Girls’ Empowerment in the Digital Age: Opportunities and Challenges" United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Turkey Representative Hassan Mohtashami touched on the importance of raising the awareness of girls about cyberbullying and digital violence and added: “We are all aware that girls are an important part of the online interaction and learning process, since they are active members of the digital world. And psychological impact of the girls’ experiences in their developmental age, which is now more affiliated with online environment, will accompany them throughout their lives. For this reason, it is of much more critical that adolescent girls learn their rights in the digital world, have a voice and leadership in the online environment, and claim their bodily autonomy to make decisions. At UNFPA, we will continue to advocate for the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls, also in the digital age, while leaving no one behind.”

Academicians and activists came together at the "Girls’ Empowerment in the Digital Age: Opportunities and Challenges” panel moderated by Şirin Payzın. Connecting online to the panel from the United Kingdom, London School of Economics, Professor of Social Psychology Sonia Livingstone, Ukrainian activist, Founder of Teenergizer Yana Panfilova,  Gender Equality and HeForShe activist, student Selin Özünaldım and  İlayda Işık, Kız Başına Platform Coordinator, emphasized the challenges and opportunities of the digital world.

UN Women Turkey Country Director Asya Varbanova stated that girls should have access to and use of digital technology not to be left behind in the 21st century and said: “Every girl has a right to be connected and to play her part in shaping a more equal, green and tech-driven future. We need to harness the ideas, the talents and the energy of young people, and particularly of young women and girls, using the advantages of the digital space, in order to deal with the complex challenges of today and realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

The digital sphere and skills for advancing gender equality were discussed in the "Digital Sphere and Skills for Advancing Gender Equality" panel where Doğan Holding and Zorlu Holding Board Member Ayşegül İldeniz, Aydın Doğan Foundation Women Leaders Project Team Member and student at Boğaziçi University Computer Engineering department Buse Tolunay, Co-Founder of Young Feminist Europe (YFE) Xenia Kellner and Research and Development Assistant at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs Elvira Kalmurzaeva are participated. 

As part of the International Day of the Girl Child Conference organized annually by UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women and Aydın Doğan Foundation, 114 children and young people who have been working with the motto "Girls Leading Gender Equality in All Fields" since July, published a statement including their thoughts, criticisms, and suggestions. The statement emphasized the need for gender equality in digital fields as well as everywhere else, also underlined those professions had no gender, and requested that the gender inequality messages in social media, advertisements, TV series, and even schoolbooks should be changed. It was stated that the number of funds in the fields of sports, arts, science, and education for girls could be increased, and everyone was asked to take responsibility for the safe use of online environments by girls and women.

Young leaders Zeynep Betül Demirses and Dominique Ogreanu voiced a call to action at the end of the conference, addressing political leaders, private sector, civil society, families and youth: “Take action now, before one more girl faces abusive content online; before one more young woman is denied a job because of her gender; before one more student gives up on their hopes for their future.  Start an initiative, develop an inclusive policy, build a committee or connect with the civil society this year to address girls’ needs in your community. . Let’s make today, 11 October 2021, the day we all took an important step to advance girls’ empowerment and leadership.  

Those who missed the conference or want to re-watch can visit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48L5k3OiTz0