International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated worldwide every year on the fourth Thursday of April (28 April 2022). Girls in ICT Day provides an opportunity for girls and young women to see and be exposed to the benefits of ICT in enabling their career and aspiration. To date, over 377,000 girls and young women have taken part in more than 11,400 celebrations of International Girls in ICT Day in 171 countries worldwide. 

The Girls in ICT initiative aims to encourage girls and young women [aged 12-24] to pursue academic and professional careers in STEM, particularly ICTs. Building upon the previous success of this initiative, ITU intends to continue supporting the Girls in ICT agenda not only on the day, but throughout of 2022, marking a launching point for the  new model of Girls in ICT Day year-long activities. 

Girls in ICT Day activities follow the 2022 theme of “Access and Safety." According to ITU's latest data, the proportion of women using the Internet globally amounts to 48 per cent, compared to 55 per cent of men. In relative terms, it means that the global Internet usage gender gap stands at 12.5 per cent. If women are unable to access the internet and feel unsafe online, they are unable to develop digital skills nor participate in digital spaces, which diminish their opportunities to pursue a career in STEM fields. 

In Pakistan, the Girls in ICT Day initiative aims to encourage girls and young women to pursue their study in STEM, enhance their level of digital skills, and raise awareness of meaningful and safe use of ICTs.

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Pakistan and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) continued the collaboration in organizing the Girls in ICT Day Pakistan 2021 in partnership with the government, the United Nations, international organizations, and other stakeholders. The celebration in Pakistan aimed to enhance the digital literacy of girls and young women, particularly in cyber security, ICT applications, and the use of digital technologies. The “EQUALS Tech4Girls" workshops were also organised by GSMA, W4, ITU, CodeGirls and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Pakistan, where more than 200 girls and young women were trained from September to November 2021 on e-commerce and mobile apps development. 

ITU and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Pakistan would like to continue the partnerships to enhance the programme through the activities with deliverables focused on increasing awareness and interest in ICT and STEM subjects amongst the stakeholders, enhancing career progress and opportunities inclusively through digital skills, and strengthening the network of programme beneficiaries in Pakistan and the Asia-Pacific region through the Girls in ICT Day Pakistan celebration this year.