The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization will revitalize all its efforts and use all its resources to empower women in the fields of science, technology, education and culture, ICESCO Director-General, Salem Ben Mohamed El Malek said on Thursday in Rabat.
Speaking at a meeting held on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, El Malek said that this event is part of ICESCO’s program and activities dedicated to the Year of Women 2021 which benefits from the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
He also stressed that the implementation of the Program for Sustainable Development to 2030, particularly the segment related to the empowerment of women requires the participation of everyone in order to reduce gender gaps in the areas of technology and innovation.
Despite the efforts made to strengthen the education of women and girls in the field of science and the increase in the number of women and girls who continue their education in this field, many of them drop out before reaching distinguished levels in scientific research, ICESCO Director-General deplored.
El Malek recalled in this sense that the share of women researchers in the world does not exceed 28.8% and only 27% countries in the world have achieved parity in 2016. According to him that this state of affairs is due to inappropriate policies and social and cultural factors.
The event is marked with the participation of Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice President of Azerbaijan, H.R.H. Princess Somaya bint Al-Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan (RSS), and Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Former President of Mauritius.
The event tales place face-to-face and through video-conference under the theme “Narrowing the Gender Gap Starts with Science.” It is being conducted in collaboration with the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) of the Leibniz Association in Germany and Space Foundation in the United States.
The conference features three sessions devoted to topics such as “Reducing Gender Gaps through Work”, “Achieving Gender Parity through Science and Technology,” and “Ensuring Valuable Education for Women and Girls”. The meeting also includes a round table on “Empowering Women and Girls: A Prelude to Eliminating Gender Gaps in Science.”
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