Making it easier for women to stay in STEM is even more pressing, as jobs held mainly by women are three times more likely to be lost to AI [ix] than those of men in high-income countries. Many are currently in clerical and administrative roles, which are the most vulnerable to AI. But it is vital that women and girls are trained and encouraged to grow in AI – instead of being replaced by it. 

Finally, we must also change the “pattern” from the bottom up – giving women and girls more opportunities to study and work in AI. Policymakers can incentivize academic institutions and employers to train and recruit more women in AI. Schools can boost their early exposure, by developing courses and activities that engage girls to explore AI. 

UNDP hopes to collaborate further to close STEM education and employment gender gaps. In China, we have partnered with Technovation, as well as NGOs and UNV, on the digital education bootcamp, HER Digital Future since 2023 [x]. So far, over 5,000 girls in more than 90 rural schools across the country were able to learn about emerging technologies. It also taught them to design digital solutions to challenges, like waste management. 

Minds must also shift at home. How parents talk to daughters; the kinds of books and activities they introduce to them, and the responsibilities they entrust to them, can profoundly shape their curiosity and confidence – key for any future tech leader. 

In fact, the world’s first computer programmer was a woman [xi], whose parents did just that. Ada Lovelace, encouraged by her parents, studied maths. She put forward an idea that changed the world: that a number could represent something other than quantity. This sparked the revolution from calculation to computation. Every year, on October 15th, just days ago, her work is recognised on Ada Lovelace Day, celebrating overlooked achievements of women in STEM, with the hope of inspiring more.

This month, we also celebrated 30 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on Women, at a meeting of Global Leaders. As the Deputy UN Secretary General put it, women and girls must be at the heart of green and digital transitions. So algorithms must not undermine women, or their potential in this new era. 

We need all the STEM leaders we can get. Because science and technology must solve our planet’s most complex challenges. We have only have five years left to avert the worst effects of climate change and meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 – including Goal 9, Innovation, and Goal 5, Gender Equality. Empowering women and girls in STEM would accelerate them all – by ensuring the technology that defines our future truly represents, and reaches, everyone. 

祝大家身体健康，工作顺利！ (I wish everyone health and success!)

谢谢！ (Thank you)