Webinar: Women’s and girls’ rights and economic empowerment – role of technology and innovation in wake of the pandemic

Finnish and Canadian ministers and UN Women will organise a webinar on May 18, to seek ways to safeguard the position of women and girls in the post-pandemic reconstruction.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for everyone, and especially for women. However, the economic empowerment of women is a condition for sustainable recovery from the crisis. How to safeguard the rights and economic opportunities of women and girls in the post-pandemic reconstruction?

Finland and Canada are strong advocates of the position of women around the world. Women and girls must have equal opportunities to benefit from the opportunities offered by technology and innovation, and this can be facilitated by supporting female entrepreneurs and girls’ education. Academic research, too, plays an important role in improving the position of women and girls.

On Tuesday 18 May 2021 at 16.00–17.15, Finland’s Embassy in Ottawa, the University of Ottawa and the Canadian Foreign Ministry will co-organise a webinar “Advancing Women and Girls’ rights: Harnessing Technology and Innovation in Support of the Economic Empowerment of Women in the Wake of the Pandemic”.

The webinar will be opened by Roy Eriksson, Ambassador of Finland in Ottawa, and Jacques Frémont, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ottawa. The panellists will be Finland’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, Canada’s Minister of Democratic Institutions Karina Gould, and Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Other participants include Milja Köpsi, Leader of the Mimmit koodaa (women code) programme, and Professor Barbara Orser from the University of Ottawa. The moderator is Martine Lagacé, Associate Vice-President of Research Promotion and Development at the University of Ottawa.

The free webinar will held in English, and it is open to everyone interested in the topic.