Bridging the Gender Digital Gap: Rwanda's Leadership in Technology & Innovation for Gender Equality
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The digital revolution is one of the major shifts that have taken place since the Beijing Conference 29 years ago. In July 2021, the world’s political leaders, youth activists, corporate executives, and development agencies gathered in Paris for the Generation Equality Forum (GEF) to lay the foundation for a new agenda to tackle the unfinished business of implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action by adopting a series of concrete, ambitious and transformative actions to achieve immediate and irreversible progress towards gender equality. To achieve that, six related Action Coalitions were created to catalyze collective action in key areas including 1) Gender-based violence 2) Economic justice and rights 3) Bodily autonomy and Sexual and Reproductive health and rights 4) Feminist action for climate justice 5) Technology and innovation for Gender Equality 6) Feminist movements and leadership.
In November 2020, the Government of Rwanda under the leadership of H.E Paul Kagame joined other leaders to co-lead on the Action Coalition for Technology and Innovation and declared Rwanda’s GEF commitments towards bridging the gender digital divide in three specific areas including ownership of smartphones, access to digital financial services, and Science, Technology and Mathematics studies at the upper secondary level. In addition to these, the president committed to ensuring that the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem is fully inclusive by doubling the number of women and girls supported by innovation centres. In addition, Rwanda also engaged the East African Community in pursuit of possible joint commitments in these domains.
On 28 March 2024 UN Women Rwanda, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, convened over 40 stakeholders from government, development agencies, civil society, media and private sector at Ubumwe Grande hotel to move towards the implementation and realization of Generation Equality Forum commitments. The comprehensive second bi-annual reflection roundtable captured and deliberated the progress made by partners directly contributing to Rwanda’s GEF commitments, specifically by showcasing progress on their targets through interactive focus groups and together established timelines, targets, resources, and assigned clear responsibilities to accelerate implementation by 2026.
The event brought together representatives from science and gender themed institutions, led by the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Chief Gender Monitor, Executive Secretary of the National Council for Science and Technology, representatives from the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, Rwanda Information Society Authority, Ministry of Education, Finance and Economic Planning, Commerce, and Industry etc.
Opening the event, the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Dr. Valentine Uwamariya, applauded UN Women's steadfast support and efforts to create a space for reflection, highlighting the importance of collaboration in this endeavour. She also acknowledged partners for their full participation, stating, “This is a testament to your commitment to ensure that women everywhere have the skills, resources, and support they need to thrive in the digital age. It’s now been two and a half years down the road, and we are gathered here to discuss the achievements, plan together the next steps, and possibly bring on board additional commitment makers who would contribute to achieving our targets.’’
Dr. Valentine reiterated the Government of Rwanda’s commitment within the Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation, emphasizing that Rwanda believes that equipping women with the knowledge and tools to leverage ICT effectively will unlock new pathways to empowerment, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
“Rwanda's commitment to gender equality is evident in our participation in the Generation Equality Forum. Through the Action Coalition of Technology & Innovation, we aim to address gender disparities in tech for inclusive solutions for all women and girls." she said.
Following the Minister's resolute remarks on Rwanda's commitment to advancing gender equality through tech and innovation, UN Women Country Representative, Ms. Jennet Kem unpacked the concept of the Generation Equality Forum and commended Rwanda's leading role in bridging the gender digital divide.
She highlighted Rwanda's dedication to the global women's movement, stating, "Technology is the new way of life. The digital age is what drives our lives today and we cannot fly progress on one wing. We cannot succeed without men and women working together to drive this technological revolution."
Sharing the global landscape of UN Women’s GEF commitments, Communications and Knowledge Management Officer, Ms. Pearl Karungi, shared best practices on how stakeholders worldwide are fulfilling their commitments. She highlighted some of the recommendations from UN Women`s Global Digital Compact paper to partners to help build political momentum and advocate for gender perspectives to be at the core of a new digital governance framework.
This set the pace for all stakeholders to provide a snapshot of GEF commitments, showcasing achievements in critical areas like digital access, financial services, and private sector involvement.
The Ministry of ICT and Innovation (MINICT) and the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) presented on advances in digital devices, broadband connectivity, and basic digital literacy. While the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) highlighted progress in digital financial services, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MINICOM) unpacked achievements in private sector engagement.
In addition, the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) shared progress in integrating technology within the education system. Each presentation was followed by a Q&A session to foster deeper discussions and concrete actionable recommendations with reference to existing implementation plans. This interactive session concluded with establishing timelines, targets, resources, and assigning clear responsibilities to propel Rwanda's GEF commitments forward. Representatives from lead institutions and participants in attendance recommended a consolidated one-year joint action plan for each intervention area, outlining a clear path forward.