This year EQUALS in Tech Awards is celebrating its 10th anniversary. On 12 December 2023, the EQUALS Global Partnership held the 10th edition of the prestigious annual EQUALS in Tech Awards ceremony, celebrating innovative and impactful initiatives with a powerful vision, and global or regional importance in bridging the gender digital divide. The Awards were announced in the context of the Partner2Connect Annual Meeting at ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The panel of judges selected 15 initiatives as finalists in the categories of Access, Skills, Leadership in Tech, Leadership in SMEs, and Research from more than 132 nominated initiatives from 54 countries, Two EQUALS partner initiatives were also nominated for the EQUALS Partner Special Recognition Award.
2023 EQUALS in Tech Awards Winners
ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin presented the opening remarks at the Awards ceremony. She emphasized the excitement of celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the EQUALS in Tech Awards and the urgency of efforts required to bridge the gender digital divide.
The EQUALS partnership was thrilled to have Her Royal Highness, Princess Beatrice of York as the key-note speaker at the EQUALS in Tech Awards ceremony.
With so many amazing initiatives, projects and organizations working to promote digital access and equip girls and women with digital skills around the world, the task of selecting winners from an outstanding field of nominees was, as always, very difficult. Our judges, who are past award winners, EQUALS partners and other experts, chose this year’s winners based on their impact, sustainability and multisectoral partnerships.
Let’s meet the 2023 EQUALS in Tech Award winners!
Access
The Access category recognizes individuals and initiatives working to improve women’s and girls’ access to digital technology, connectivity and security.
James Howe, Head, Digital, Markets and Connectivity at the International Trade Centre, and EQUALS Steering Committee Chair presented the EQUALS in Tech Award in Access category to Thaki: Unlocking Potential.
Unlocking potential through working with the displaced population
Thaki serves as an educational bridge between ed-tech solutions and vulnerable communities, enabling chilkdren and teachers to interact with the virtual world that would otherwise not be available to them.
Skills
The EQUALS in Tech Awards in the Skills category recognizes individuals and initiatives supporting the development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths skills for girls and women, enabling them to participate fully in the digital world. This Award was presented to IT & Entrepreneurial Skills Training, Great Lakes Regions by Tamara Dancheva, Senior International Relations Manager, GSMA.
Training programme by IT & Entrepreneurial Skills Training,
Great Lakes Regions
IT & Entrepreneurial Skills training programme is combined with a community education and awareness programme, targeting both men and women and covering a range of themes related to gender equality. Program participants acquire basic IT skills that will improve their employability or enable them to start or grow their own business.
Research
The Research category recognizes initiatives working to expand digital gender divide knowledge in support of evidence-based decision-making. The EQUALS in Tech Award in Research category was presented to Preventing and Mitigating Gender Bias - AI-based early alert systems to prevent school drop out by Dr Moon Choi, Associate Professor, KAIST.
Development of skills for the deployment of responsible AI in education
The Ministry of Education of Guanajuato, Mexico, has implemented several innovative initiatives such the developing and implementing an AI-driven Early Alert System that allows to identify students at risk of school dropout and informs the personalized design of preventive actions.
Leadership
The Awards in the Leadership category were jointly presented by Lea Sophie Gill, Manager of EY's International Development Hub in Geneva and Adriana Quinones, Head Human Rights and Development, UN Women.
Leadership in Tech
The Leadership in Tech category recognizes individuals and initiatives working to close the gender gap in representation and decision-making roles in the technology sector.
Centro de Géneros en Technología
The Centro de Géneros en Technología or Center for Gender in Technology was created with the aim of contributing to reducing the gender gap in technology. It seeks to generate inclusion policies that help reduce the gender gap in the ICT sector through public-private collaboration.
Leadership in SMEs
The Leadership in SME category recognizes individuals and initiatives that promote women’s leadership and entrepreneurship in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the tech sector.
Working at rebuilding Ukrainian businesses in Poland
(Re)building Ukrainian Businesses puts Ukrainian women back on the road to personal and professional success. They have a chance to reestablish economic livelihoods by getting technical assistance from leading specialists. The programme goes beyond skilling and financing to building a community of Ukrainian entrepreneurs who can learn from each other.
Equals Partner Special Recognition Award
Last year, the EQUALS Global Partnership introduced the EQUALS Partner Special Recognition Award to highlight the work of an outstanding partner in the membership. The finalists in this category are nominated by fellow partners.
Congratulations to the Code for Change for winning the Equals Partner Special Recognition Award!
The Code To Change
The Code To Change is committed to achieving gender equality, decent work, and the economic empowerment of women and underrepresented groups through digital inclusion. They were presented the Award by Her Royal Highness, Princess Beatrice of York.
Congratulations to all the winners!
The EQUALS Global Partnership congratulates this year’s amazing winners and finalists, and commends all nominees for their commitment and tireless work to bridge the gender digital divide.
This year’s inspirational winners join a growing community of EQUALS in Tech Award recipients united in a single goal: to build and support gender equality in the digital age.