The ‘Fourth International Day of Women and Girls in Science’ was held on 11th &12th February 2019 at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, with the theme ‘Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth’.This two-day programme was attended by officials and delegates from various organisations across the globe indicating the importance given to this event by the UN. Dr Sashikala Chandrasekar, Chair of the ICOH Scientific Committee on Rural Health participated in this program.

This event is testimony to the global community’s ongoing interest and efforts towards achieving equality and parity under UN ‘Sustainable Development Goal 5 SDG 5: Gender Equality’. The event had the participation of dignitaries from high profile organisations, including the Royal Academy of Science International Trust under the leadership of HRH Princess Dr Nisreen El-Hashemite of Jordan, and Minister HE Dr Helena Dalli of Malta, illustrating the commendable contribution that global partnerships are making towards achieving the overarching ‘SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals’.

The Ambassador of Hungary to the UN, HE Katalin Bogyay and HRH Dr Nisreen El-Hashemite signed the outcome document of this international forum, which urged all governments, international organisations and industries to empower women and invest in future generations.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women have always been at the core of the UN agenda; the latter seeks to make a crucial contribution not only to global economic development, but also to achieving the targets of all the SDGs by 2030.

Particularly to achieve SDG 5, it is necessary to adopt and strengthen policies and legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women at all levels. Full implementation of this SDG matters because it has the potential to transform unequal power relations between women and men and address many long-standing barriers.

A significant gender gap has persisted for many years at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, all over the world. Even though women have made tremendous progresses towards increasing their participation in higher education, they continue to be under-represented in these fields. According to a study by the Brookings Institute, in USA women earn 57% of all college degrees, but only 37% of science and allied degrees, thus representing only 22% of the workforce in these sectors (Ref. Hamilton Project, 2018). Therefore, more focus on this aspect of educational development will help considerably in closing the gender gap in STEM careers.

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, addressed the delegates and the following is an excerpt from his video message: “We must promote access to learning opportunities for women and girls, particularly in rural areas. And we must do more to change workplace culture so that girls who dream of being scientists, engineers and mathematicians can enjoy fulfilling careers in these fields. Let us ensure that every girl, everywhere, has the opportunity to realise her dreams, grow into her power and contribute to a sustainable future for all”