Media Update: United Nations Pakistan, 21 April 2021

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

MESSAGE MARKING INTERNATIONAL GIRLS IN ICT DAY 2021

 22 April 2021

Information and communication technologies have been invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic. They help us to stay connected, and to keep vital services and businesses going.

Yet almost half the world is still offline – and most of those who lack access to digital technology are women and girls in developing countries. Latest figures from the International Telecommunication Union show a 17 per cent gender gap in internet use globally. This is even wider in least developed countries. In some regions, this gender gap is growing, reinforcing gender inequalities by denying women and girls opportunities to access education, find better-paid jobs, and start new businesses.

Making these technologies available to all is an essential part of building back stronger communities and economies, and addressing many of the world’s most pressing challenges. 

International Girls in ICT Day aims to inspire a global movement to increase the representation of girls and women in technology. Today, let’s recommit to the goal of equal access for young women and girls to opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math. 

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THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

MESSAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY

22 April 2021

As we mark International Mother Earth Day, our planet is at a tipping point.

Humanity continues to abuse the natural world.

We heedlessly plunder the Earth’s resources, deplete its wildlife and treat air, land and seas as dumping grounds.

Crucial ecosystems and food chains are being pushed to the brink of collapse.

This is suicidal.

We must end our war on nature and nurse it back to health.

That means bold climate action to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius and adapt to the changes to come.

It means stronger steps to protect biodiversity.

And it means reducing pollution by building circular economies that drive down waste.

These steps will safeguard our only home and create millions of new jobs.

Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is a chance to set the world on a cleaner, greener, more sustainable path.

On International Mother Earth Day, let us all commit to the hard work of restoring our planet and making peace with nature.