USAID tackles digital inclusion for PH women in time for ICT month
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) led a virtual dialogue about various strategies to boost digital access for Filipino women in commemoration of the National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) month.
More than 300 participants attended the dialogue to discuss issues related to digital inclusion, such as the gender mobile internet adoption and usage gap and key ICT policy challenges and opportunities to increase women’s mobile internet use.
USAID Philippines Regional Office of Acquisition and Assistance Director Jennifer Crow said, “We are at the cusp of a rapid digital transformation where digital devices and the internet have become an integral part of our day-to-day lives.”
Crow added that they will continue to support the Philippine government in building a future where “digital technology promotes inclusive growth, fosters resilient and democratic societies, and empowers all, including the most vulnerable.”
Citing data from the Global Systems of Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), about 52 million Filipinos living in areas already covered by mobile broadband do not use mobile internet. Many of them are women who face barriers in their digital use — such as handset, data cost, limited access to networks, electricity, and security concerns that include online harassment and fraud.
For her part, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Maria Victoria Castro said that they are collaborating with various partners “to ensure that internet connectivity is widely available to every Filipino,” —- particularly women.
