The International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative backed by all ITU Member States in ITU that aims to encourage and empower girls and young women to consider studies and careers in the growing field of ICTs,enabling both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female participation in the ICT sector.
International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of April and will next be observed on 25 April 2019. Over 357,000 girls and young women have already taken part in more than 11,100 celebrations of International Girls in ICT Day in 171 countries worldwide. In 2019, ITU will celebrate the International Girls in ICT Day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
ITU Member States organize events and initiatives not only on the appointed day but also during the whole year in order to attract as many girls and young women as possible in this ever-growing sector.
Although worldwide women are under-represented among technology professionals, Bulgaria ranks first in the EU level with 34 % girls who are studding in ICT specialties and first in the EU with 27.7 % women in ICT sector.
As an ITU Member State, Bulgaria also celebrates the International Girls in ICT Day in different ways. This year on March 22, the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications hosted a Workshop on the theme „Women in ICT“, which was part of the Bulgarian Presidency of the BSEC Organization. The purpose of the workshop was exchange of experiences, sharing ideas, policies and initiatives among experts from the policy-making institutions of the BSEC countries in order to contribute to enriching national policies aiming to attract more women to ICT and to overcome the existing challenges. During the discussions, the positions and the experience of Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Romania and Turkey were presented as well as the views of the business. The EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Maria Gabriel made a video address to the participants.