Remarks of Resident Coordinator Thailand for Girl in ICT Day 2021 Closing Ceremony

I am delighted to be here with all of you again, this time at the Closing Ceremony of the Girls in ICT Day initiative.

Over 100 young women have spent a month investing in their futures, and it is so inspiring to see how you are planning on applying the new STEM skills, enhanced digital skills, and strengthened ability to safely access ICT.

Girls and women on average outperform their male peers in school and higher education in Thailand. These are some of our best people whom we can’t afford to exclude at the table.

We need more women and girls in STEM, to provide equal access to opportunity that is a basic human right, and also to make science, research, and innovation reflect our powerful perspectives and contribute to better decision-making and gender equality.

Over the past week, I had the pleasure of speaking to four young participants of this programme and hear about their experience, what they have learned and how the Girls in ICT day initiative translates practically into their lives.

I would like to relate some of my key takeaways during these conversations, with Grace Numjarun, who is 14 years old, Milk Youngsook and Bambam Jantawang, both 16, and Fai Nudsoongwong, who is 17.

In our conversations, I found a couple of commonalities in what these young women found important and useful from this programme that I want to share with you.

I found it significant that everyone shared their immediate plans for using newly learned skills to improve their lives right now, including for the betterment of their schools and communities.

These young women are confident in their ability to use technology and innovation to create better and successful online content to build businesses, while at the same time promoting and reinforcing the Sustainable Development Goals in those efforts. With more women than men online in Thailand, it is encouraging to hear from young women who are empowered and equipped to navigate the net for the betterment of society.

One young woman told me that she wants to build an online brand, and through her cybersecurity training can do this much more safely. This is training that is both practical and timely, enabling her to apply her cybersecurity knowledge to mobile banking to prevent being defrauded. She is also more aware about what is appropriate to share on social media, and what types of information pose a personal risk.

This knowledge and skill base is important for youth advocacy and leadership, with another participant, who is a member on her school council, saying she would work with her school’s management for them to improve their use of technology and social media to better communicate with students.

She will also deploy ‘design thinking’ to support her school’s waste management programme, based on her ideas about how schools and street food stalls can manage food more effectively. This shows very clearly how ICT training in turn enables critical thinking and problem-solving that is so essential in today’s world.

For this student, design thinking helps her to think systematically and solve problems step by step, which she is sure will help her as she pursues her goal of becoming a doctor.

These ICT skills are complementary to other areas of education, and another point of feedback was that the training over the past month has also been important for learning and practising English.

Talking to these young women, hearing about their determination and really limitless potential, has left a lasting impression on me. I have learned firsthand about these ‘knowledge-seeds’ that have been planted during the Girls in ICT day initiative, which are already sprouting into tangible ideas that improve self-esteem, livelihoods, schools, and communities.

I want to thank all of you here today for participating in this initiative over the past month. I am sure you all have many more takeaways like those I have shared. I would also like to thank Grace, Milk, Bambam and Fai for sharing their experiences with me.

For this initiative and our long-lasting partnership, I would also like to reiterate my thanks to our partners, the NBTC, CISCO, and the Asia Pacific Tele-community, for your support for the UN and our joint projects over the past decade in Thailand and around the world.

Women are at the frontline fighting the COVID pandemic. They are healthcare workers and innovators, vaccine researchers and pioneers. I want girls and young women to see and be inspired by these women. Remember, careers have no gender. Don’t shy away from choosing STEM as your career or your passion or demonstrating your leadership. Together, we will smash the stereotypes that hold back girls in science.

For all the participants, I wish you the very best and brightest in your studies, careers and life pursuits. I also look forward to working with you closely to achieve new milestones and pave the way for more girls and women in the future.

Be passionate, follow your dreams and break new boundaries. Don’t hold yourself back. Each one of you are making a difference in the world that we live in – it is yours to transform to be peaceful, sustainable, and equal. Thank you.