ictQATAR Hosts Women in Technology Workshop
The Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) hosted the "Advancing Arab Women in Technology: Strategy Made Reality" workshop on April 15 and 16 at the Millennium Hotel in Doha. The workshop brought together more than 40 experts on women in technology from the Arab World and the United States and serves as a continuum to the inaugural event held in November 2008 in Dubai. The primary focus of the workshop is to move forward with plans to create the Center for Women and Technology for the Arab Region (CWTAR), a major resource to support women's involvement in the knowledge society.
Opening the workshop, Dr. Hessa Al-Jaber, ictQATAR Secretary General said "Qatar is striving to be a knowledge economy and truly the rest of the world is becoming a knowledge society. ICT allows women to have full access to this knowledge society. At ictQATAR we are working to connect women to the technologies that will enrich their lives and inspire confidence in their future."
"To a greater degree almost every day, ICT empowers us. It enables us. It connects us to one another, to government and to media. It connects us to social causes, to universities, to businesses worldwide. Because of ICT, women can actively participate in every sphere of life, if we choose. Because of ICT, we can change our countries, and the world, if we choose," added Al-Jaber.
CWTAR, which will first exist in a virtual capacity, will focus on the opportunities and contributions of both women and emerging technologies in the global economy. The planned ICT-driven center will build on the current best practices and develop new initiatives in the Arab World to measurably increase economic, social, and educational development to benefit all in the knowledge economy. For two days the working committees will participate in discussions to identify the next steps for strategy mapping, develop marketing strategies, and set timeline for implementation of the business plan.
"Hosting this workshop is a clear example of ictQATAR's commitment to the promotion of socioeconomic development through ICT," said Reem Al-Mansoori, Manager of e-Inclusion Department at ictQATAR. "By ensuring access and connectivity to relevant technologies and increasing women's presence and leadership in ICT we foster innovation and help transform the region into a knowledge based society."
Participants in the workshop include representatives from the business, government, education, and non-government sectors. Key organizations participating include Multinational Development of Women in Technology (MDWIT), Dubai Women's College (DWC), UNESCO, The World Bank, ESCWA, Arab Women Organization, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization, CISCO, and Hewlett Packard.
The first workshop resulted in the development of strategic objectives for the Center in education, workforce, entrepreneurship and leadership. In education, the goal is to ensure that female students recognize the importance of their full participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In terms of workforce, the Center will aim to expand the recruitment and retention of women in technical positions to increase economic development through building informal networks of support. For entrepreneurship, the committee stressed the need to train and develop women in both technology start-ups and technology-enabled businesses to ensure all women benefit from the knowledge society.
For more information and to download Dr. Hessa Al Jaber's speech during the conference, visit:
http://www.ict.gov.qa/output/NewsPage.aspx?PageID=1153
