On 11 February, HAF, the United Nations, partners worldwide, women and girls will mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. 

With Sustainable Development Goal 9, countries around the world have pledged to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.” HAF joins the global community in uplifting women and girls through sustainable agriculture initiatives, Farmer-to-Farming pairings, and empowerment workshops.

Over the past decade or two, the global community has made many strides in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science. Yet women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science. Often, long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are steering girls and women away from science-related fields.

At present, less than 30 percent of researchers worldwide are women. According to UNESCO data (2014 – 2016), only around 30 percent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrolment is particularly low in ICT (3 percent), natural science, mathematics, and statistics (5 percent), and in engineering, manufacturing, and construction (8 percent).

This International Day of Women and Girls in Science, let’s change this narrative. Join us in celebrating women and girls, who are leading innovation and call for actions to remove all barriers that hold them back.

Our future will be marked by scientific and technological progress, which can only be achieved when women and girls are creators, owners, and leaders of science, technology, and innovation. Bridging the gender gap in STEM is vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and for creating infrastructure, services, and solutions that work for all people.