Young Azerbaijani women with an interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) celebrated their achievements at a special conference in Baku on April 25th, entitled “Girls in ICT Day”.
Hosted by IREX, with a keynote speech from a representative of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Education, the conference highlighted the contribution of young women working in the ICT field and awarded prizes for the winners of Tech Age Girls project. The event was supported by the United States Agency for International Development [6] (USAID). Delegates from local NGOs working in gender issues were among the guests.
The Tech Age Girls (TAG) program [7] encourages young women to develop their ICT skills by providing them with specialized technology, media training and opportunities to engage in public discussion.
As part of the TAG program, 110 girls from 10 regions of Azerbaijan have attended “Camera as Voice” [8] training, implemented by IREX with support from USAID since 2011. It helps to empower women to express their views and to promote discussion of topical issues through multimedia. Angela Nicoara [9], IREX Chief of Party says, “The young women who attended our training are talented. Some of the stories they have created, using just a camera and their IT skills, are very moving. We were amazed.”
International Girls’ in ICT Day is an initiative backed by UN Member States to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the growing field of information and communication technologies.
Girls in ICT Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in April every year. This is the second year running that IREX celebrated the day in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan New Media Project is a 3 year program implemented by IREX and funded by USAID.