An opportunity for young women to support the Sustainable Development Goals while building a career in STEM

"STEM Month" in Milan, Italy, held its main event on the 28th of April. On “Girls in ICT” day, many actions were taken to encourage girls in this growing field. This initiative was promoted by the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which aims to change stereotypes and to support young women in STEM courses. For three days, young women were involved in workshops, hackathons and roundtables.

Caroline Petit, Deputy-Director at UNRIC, held a TEDx-style speech on “Women beyond Borders: How to Break Stereotypes”. In her speech, Caroline promoted the importance of “togetherness”, and the inclusion of migrants and refugees in achieving a better world. 

Diversity must be celebrated in all of its forms as it is one of our biggest assets in successfully achieving the SDGs. The examples of women contributing to STEM globally are increasing as we speak! One example is Giuseppina Nicolini, the Mayor of Lampedusa, who recently received the UNESCO Peace Prize for her inclusive work with migrants.