To celebrate International Girls in ICT Day on 25 April, the GSMA partnered with Verizon and Globe Telecom for the purpose of delivering EQUALS Her Digital Skills (HDS) workshops targeting women and girls across the Commonwealth (including the UK) and the Philippines respectively. Focusing on an “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence”, the workshops served to provide a basic overview of AI and Chat GPT, as well as inspire over 300 young women to pursue a career in the mobile industry. This included keynote speeches by Anna Joanes Cox, Associate Director, Strategy and Digital Marketing, Verizon Business and Beatriz Carmen Lacson, TM Brand Head, Globe Telecom. The activities in Cebu, Philippines also served to soft launch the EQUALS Badges programmatic element of EQUALS HDS which is a series of self-paced foundational digital skills training courses designed in accordance with the recently published EQUALS gender-transformative digital skills education framework.

The GSMA also took part in a special high level event organised by the ITU Secretary General Doreen Bogdan Martin where Tamara Dancheva, Senior International Relations Manager and Co-Chair of the EQUALS Skills Coalition, presented key policy recommendations from the EQUALS framework before ITU member states, diplomats and special guests. The highlight of the event was the participation of the 12 year old Anisa Zaman: a former EQUALS HDS alumna who provided a first hand testimony as to the importance of introducing digital skills trainings and female role models early on if girls are to see themselves not only a digital users but also as digital innovators and creators.

Last but not least, GSMA Chief Marketing Officer Lara Dewar issued a special video message on the day which highlighted how GSMA is unifying the global mobile industry around the issue of women and girls’ digital inclusion and empowerment.

For more information about the GSMA’s gender equality work click here.