The theme for International Women’s Day 2023 is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
Multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination against women and girls, rooted in gender inequality, harm their health and well-being. Women and girls in many parts of the world face the risks of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections including HIV and cervical cancer, malnutrition, depression, and respiratory infections, amongst other risks.
Digital health and information platforms can improve health outcomes for women and girls and enhance their autonomy and privacy – they enable informed health decision-making, improve access to health services, therapies and medicines, and increase awareness about women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights. Self-care interventions, WHO Women’s Health Chatbot on Viber and Florence, WHO’s first virtual health worker are some examples of how WHO harnesses digital technologies to improve women’s health.
Digital education has a transformative part to play in achieving gender equality and inclusion in the health workforce. Although women make 70% of health and care workforce in most countries, they occupy only 1 in 4 global health leadership roles and are paid considerably less for the same work. OpenWHO, a learning platform that offers almost 200 self-paced courses in public health in 65 languages, is an example of how technology breaks down barriers to access to knowledge, and bridges the gender divide in access to training, learning and career-building opportunities for women.
Digital innovation, technology and education can be a game changers in improving health outcomes for women and girls and enhancing their privacy and autonomy. But to fully realize that potential women and girls must be empowered and enabled to be the driving force in innovation and technology development; they must have equal access to education, training and learning; and gender and equity lenses must be applied in designing digital technology policies and programmes in order to reduce gender-related health inequities for long-lasting transformative change.
Event:
- Hidden in plain sight: The increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases among refugees and migrants – a virtual event on 8 March at 14.30 CET to discuss the burden of NCDs on refugees and migrants and the specific challenges that some NCDs pose for refugee and migrant women and girls. More information and registration here.
- Improving the health of women through digital innovation, technology and education - a flagship side event, organized with the support of Chile and Rwanda, will be held at the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), on Tuesday, 7 March at 08.15 EST (14.15 CET) at the UN HQ, Conference Room 8. This will be in-person event (register here), which will be webcast live on UN WebTV
- Gender equity and rights in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases: the role of digital health – a side event at the CSW67, co-organized with Liberia and Gambia, will take place on Monday, 6 March at 18:30 EST (00.30 CET) at the UN HQ, Conference Room 8. This will be in-person event (register here), which will be webcast live on UN WebTV