Finland supports gender equality in technology

Finland supports development cooperation projects aiming to promote gender equality in technology around the world.

During the high-level week of the UN General Assembly, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari emphasised Finland’s commitments to promote gender equality in technology.

“Digitalisation can significantly advance the realisation of gender equality and other human rights. By bridging digital divides, by preventing gender-based online violence and by integrating gender in technology development, we can strengthen the opportunities for participation, challenge stereotypes and help shape a more sustainable future."

Gender equality and digitalisation are key themes in Finland’s development policy. Finland is one of the leaders of the Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality, which is part of the Generation Equality campaign promoting gender equality globally.

Generation Equality (2022–2026) is a ground-breaking international initiative mobilising governments, businesses, foundations, UN agencies and civil society. 

A High-Level Side Event hosted by the Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality launched a year of action around the theme of gender and technological change. The year 2023 is significant for the Action Coalition and especially for the building of inclusive digital ecosystems.

Innovation and technological change is the priority theme of the annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 2023.

In the Action Coalition, Finland is committed to promoting the prevention and eradication of gender-based online violence and abuse, to correcting the gender imbalance in science and technology, to integrating gender in technology investment, and to bridging the digital gender divide, among other objectives. 

Finland’s funding is used to promote gender equality with concrete action, such as creating decent work for women based on new technologies and advocating digital mediation, digital safety of women human rights defenders and digital literacy of women and girls in developing countries.

Finland has raised the issue of gender-based online violence both in the EU and in the UN. Promoting a safe internet for all, women and girls included, was one of Finland’s priorities as chair of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) in 2020–2021. 

During the high-level week of the UN General Assembly, UN Women, the UN agency coordinating the Generation Equality campaign, will publish a report of the global progress on the campaign objectives.