UN agencies have introduced thousands of girls and women to careers in coding and robotics as part of its annual International Girls in ICT Day celebrations around the world.

The UN agencies said in a joint statement that the measure was meant to encourage girls and women to pursue careers in the field of information and communications technology.

The agencies are the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)  and UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The Secretary-General of  ITU, Houlin Zhao,  expressed the hope  that the day, marked annually on the fourth Thursday in April, “will continue to introduce more girls to ICTs and to the real opportunities that exist for them in this innovative and expanding field.’’

The UN Women, on its part, said:  “The technology sector is one of the fastest growing industries globally, but experiencing skills gap.

“The European Commission, for example, has predicted a skills gap of over 800,000 ICT jobs in Europe by 2020.

“The sector holds enormous opportunities for women with the requisite skills.

“But stereotypes and discrimination continue to deprive girls of the chance to excel in this field.’’

UN Women estimated that women would gain only one science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related (STEM) job for every 20 jobs lost in other areas, whereas men would gain one new job for every four lost elsewhere.

“To tackle these challenges, policy tools and focused programmes are needed to shift priorities and investments  and to change the stereotypes and perceptions of women and girls in STEM fields that begin in early childhood,” UN Women said.