Marking the International Day of Girls in ICT

A full day event "Who run BiH? IT Girls!" was held today on the occasion of the International Day of Girls in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector.

The event was opened by Dr. Ingrid Macdonald, UN Resident Coordinator in BiH and Sajra Mušanović, student of 2nd Gymnasium Sarajevo.

The aim of the event was to emphasize the importance of empowering girls through various projects within the IT Girls initiative, which are being implemented by four UN agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women and UNFPA, as well as the necessity of the participation of the ICT sector, both in the process of acquiring skills and education, as well as in creating an attractive and friendly working environment for girls.

Dr. Ingrid Macdonald, Resident Coordinator of UN in Bosnia and Herzegovina, acknowledged the UN agencies that brought together 100 IT girls to mark this important day:



"The IT industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the fastest growing sectors, generating more than 500 million BAM per year with a continuous growth. What we also notice is that only 23 percent of women are in the IT sector and this needs to be changed. The UN supports girls and women in becoming a part of the IT sector, which is very important for the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and within the framework of the IT Girls initiative, more than two thousand young girls and women have been given that opportunity," said Dr. Macdonald, quoting UNICEF's survey, according to which 583 schools in BiH do not have an internet connection, and that this makes it difficult for both boys and girls to enter the IT sector. “Today we are celebrating girls in IT throughout BiH, who will present their innovations, and we are discussing the importance of fighting online violence, given that women and girls are often exposed to this type of violence, which is unacceptable and why it is very important to talk about that,” said Dr. Macdonald.

In addition to the introduction, thematic panels on digital and life skills, workplaces that encourage girls, and presentations of the ICT sector, were held during the day.

During the fair, IT Girls clubs from schools all over BiH presented their projects, and as additional motivation for girls who already see their careers somewhere in the wide spectrum of information and communication technologies, the fair was also attended by representatives of companies from the ICT sector in BiH.

Sajra Mušanović, a student of the third grade of the IT department at 2nd Gymnasium Sarajevo, expressed her satisfaction in seeing a large number of girls and adult women, as well as men, attending this event.

"I would recommend to girls and women who aspire to work in ICT sector not to wait for an opportunity to be offered, but to create opportunities for themselves. IT Girls are very active on social networks, they constantly have workshops in various cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, so I think the opportunities are there. Girls should not hesitate if their friends are not interested in IT. Whatever girls are interested in, they can succeed if they try hard enough", she concluded.

The event was concluded with the art performance "Zea Mays", which is part of the Bodyright campaign about the right to the inviolability of one’s body in the online space, which is a particularly important topic for girls, both in the ICT sector and in everyday life.