Holding the 2nd International Women's Day Forum Participated by Four Female Ambassadors to Korea
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2023-03-09
Celebrating the 115th International Women＇s Day, a global forum was convened to discuss gender equality in the science and technology field with female entrepreneurs and ambassadors from four different nations on March 8.
Sookmyung Women＇s University hosted the 2023 2nd International Women＇s Day Forum on the afternoon at the Snowflake Square Hall.
Under the subject “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” this year＇s forum was participated by about 200 students from Sookmyung Women＇s University. This forum was conducted for the second time following last year.
In a video message of congratulations, Google CMO Lisa Gevelber said, “Universities are leveling the playing field and fostering the next generation of global female leaders. In response, Google is working with universities through the Startup School program, which provides knowledge necessary to start a business such as digital marketing and AI.”
Sookmyung Women＇s University is running the Startup School, a program to support aspiring entrepreneurs in collaboration with Google, for the first time as a university starting this month.
Yvonne Kim, Executive Director of Asia Society＇s Korean branch, chaired the discussion session, participated by four female ambassadors to Korea: Maria Dizon-De Vega, Ambassador of the Philippines; Marcia Donner Abreu, Ambassador of Brazil; Joanne Doornewaard, Ambassador of the Netherlands; and Michelle Winthrop, Ambassador of Ireland.
The event was also attended by CEO Perry Ha, the founder of the global venture capital (VC) firm Draper Athena, Vice President Min Hee-kyung of CJ CheilJedang, and President Jang Yun-keum.
“Different issues in the technology field have had an unequal impact on women. I hope this forum to commemorate the International Women＇s Day becomes an opportunity to gather wisdom toward gender equality,” said President Jang.
The ambassador of the Philippines, Dizon-De Vega, said, “Technology offers women chances, such as online business, but it is also a double-edged weapon as many women and children suffer from online abuse. Science and technology needs to grow in a way that respects women＇s views and experiences.”
Ireland＇s Ambassador Winthrop said, “As female inequality in science and technology has become a new issue, many things need to be supplemented.” She also highlighted the importance of opening up the possibility for women rather than simply offering them access to internet and devices.
In the meantime, Sookmyung Women＇s University was honored in 1998 for its commitment to the advancement of women. It is presently serving as the UNESCO Chair in Communication Technology for Women. The UNESCO-UNITWIN program, which aims to improve the ICT and leadership skills of female university students in developing nations, is another initiative the university has been leading in the development of women＇s capacities in the technology field since 2015.
