Armenia marks international Girls in ICT Day

On April 25, 2013, the American University of Armenia hosted the “Tech Needs Girls” forum, which was organized in celebration of the International Girls in ICT Day. The forum was designed to encourage Armenian girls to choose a career in information and communication technologies (ICT).

A number of successful women from the ICT sector, the government, academia, and public and private sectors shared their knowledge and experience with over 200 participants. The event closed with an award ceremony to acknowledge the high schools students who participated in a recent essay competition. The forum was live-streamed to Armenian high schools in the provinces, allowing young women and girls in rural areas to participate remotely.

USAID Armenia Mission Director Karen Hilliard, AUA President Bruce Boghosian, and  Director of the Women and Information Society NGO Narine Abazyan delivered opening remarks at the forum. Participants also included female leaders from the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, the Union of Information Technology Enterprises, the Microsoft Innovation Center Armenia, the Gyumri Information Technologies Center, Idram LLC, the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, and other institutions. Out of 127 students from 18 schools, 23 received prizes from the USAID Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) project, a second-time supporter of the event.

The forum was organized by the Women and Information Society NGO in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, the USAID/EDMC project, the American University of Armenia, networking leader Cisco, VivaCell-MTS, and the National Center of Educational Technologies, with information support from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative of the International Telecommunication Union, an agency of the United Nations. The day has been celebrated internationally since 2010 to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the growing field of ICT.

Press Release

The USAID-funded Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project seeks to improve Armenia’s business environment and support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This five-year project aims to increase employment and income in Armenia by promoting growth in select value chains that have strong export potential – high technologies, pharmaceuticals/biotechnologies, food processing, and hospitality.

The “Women and Information Society” NGO was established in September 2011 with the mission to contribute to the integration of women and girls in the information society of Armenia. The organization is based on the partnership of many stakeholders, including the private sector, the government, the academia and the non-profit sector, with the goal to leverage resources and research, build awareness, and promote programs, which will remove the barriers .