Despite a shortage of skills in technological fields that are driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women still only account for 28% of engineering graduates and 40% of graduates in computer science and informatics, according to the forthcoming UNESCO Science Report whose chapter on gender in

It will soon be a year since WHO declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. By now, every corner of the world has felt the devastating impact of the pandemic, and women and girls in science are on the front lines of response. They are healthcare workers and innovators. They are researching vaccines and pioneering treatments. They are leading us toward a safer world, and inspiring the next generation of girls to be forces of good in science and tech. This 11 February, we’re celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science by highlighting just some of the women and girls around the world who have made tremendous contributions during the ongoing crisis.

The outbreak of the pandemic has demonstrated the critical role of women researchers in different stages of the fight against COVID-19. At the same time, the pandemic also had a significant negative impact on women scientists, which need to be addressed by new policies, initiatives and mechanisms to support women and girls in science. Against this backdrop, this year’s celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science will address the theme “Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19”. On 11 February, join us online to celebrate the Day’s 6th year.

ITU is inviting contributions for special issues of the ITU Journal on Future and Evolving Technologies, which provides complete coverage of all communications and networking paradigms.

UNIDO has contributed to a series of pilot online training workshops to build national capacity on science, technology and innovation in developing countries.

New technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, big data, and networks are expected to revolutionize production processes, but they could also have a major impact on developing economies. IMF research finds that new technology risks widening the gap between rich and poor countries by shifting more investment to advanced economies where automation is already established.

The UNESCO-Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences aims promotes and honours excellence in science and celebrates its role in the advance of sustainable development.  

World Science Day for Peace and Development (10 November) highlights the important role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives. At a time when the global COVID-19 pandemic further demonstrates the critical role of science in addressing global challenges, the focus of the World Science Day is on science for and with society. To celebrate the 2020 World Science Day, UNESCO organized an online roundtable on the theme of “Science for and with society in dealing with COVID-19.

The annual observance of the International Week of Science and Peace is making an important contribution to the promotion of peace. The Week encourages greater academic exchanges on a subject of universal importance while also generating greater awareness of the relationship of science and peace among the general public. Based on observances of Science and Peace Week to date, participation each year is expected to increase, contributing to greater international understanding and opportunities for co-operation in the applications of science for the promotion of peace throughout the year.

Scientific discoveries and advances must be shared, according to the Declaration in favour of “open science”, science that is unhindered by barriers and frontiers, which was made jointly on 27 October by UNESCO, WHO and OHCHR. The COVID-19 epidemic demonstrates the urgent need to strengthen scientific cooperation and to guarantee the fundamental right of universal access to scientific progress and its applications. The open science movement aims to make science more accessible, more transparent and ultimately more effective.

“As the United Nations marks its seventy-fifth anniversary and the world deploys data to face a common challenge, let us use World Statistics Day to spotlight the role of statistics in advancing sustainable development for all.” With these words Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invites us to celebrate this year’s observance while highlighting the vital role of data in meeting the challenges of our time. This year’s theme “Connecting the world with data we can trust” reflects the importance of trust, authoritative data, innovation and the public good in national statistical systems.

Over 2,000 participants from the data user and producer communities will come together this month to discuss some of the greatest data challenges in our changing world.

UNESCO submitted a draft recommendation on Open Science to its 193 Member States, a major step in facilitating international cooperation and universal access to scientific knowledge. The draft notes the potential of Open Science and highlights its importance in reducing the digital, technological, gender and knowledge divides that separate not only countries but people living in the same place. The successful transition to Open Science, outlined in the preliminary draft requires a change in scientific culture from competition to collaboration.

UNDP reports on how digital finance can be harnessed in ways that empower citizens as taxpayers and investors to better align people’s money with their needs, collectively expressed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the pandemic demonstrates the immediate benefits of digital finance, the disruptive potential of digitalization in transforming finance is immense. Mobile payment technologies have transformed mobile phones into financial tools for more than a billion people.

One of the most striking images of the coronavirus pandemic is the contrast between farmers dumping milk, smashing eggs, and ploughing vegetables back into the soil and consumers facing empty store shelves and long lines at food distribution centres. How is it possible to have over-abundance on one hand and scarcity on the other? The World Bank argues that the digital revolution can accelerate the shift towards a more sustainable food future by collecting, using, and analysing machine-readable data.