How might we use #tech4good to include more women in the digital economy?
A better future for all depends on economies built on gender equality, social justice, and environmental sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed critical gains in women’s labor force participation and poverty reduction, exacerbating pre-existing structural inequalities. UNDP believes this will be one of the biggest challenges of our generation, and we have to build back better for the sake of generations of women to come. Through the new Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025, UNDP will continue contributing to women’s economic empowerment, employment, and access to resources; and supporting countries to bridge the structural barriers in economics that keep women from their full potential. Harnessing the potential of digital technologies for gender equality can be a powerful way to achieve both purposes.
The #WomenEconomicCatalyst Challenge
This Digital X Open Challenge is calling for ‘ready-to-scale’ digital solutions that UNDP can use to support women’s economic empowerment and address structural barriers preventing it, as well as increase women’s income, promote sustainable livelihoods for women, strengthen women-owned MSMEs impacted by the crisis, and boost female-led start-ups. We are looking to put together a portfolio of solutions leveraging digital technologies to boost women’s economic empowerment and generate sustainable livelihoods in order to address gender inequalities in various development and crisis contexts.
The Global #WomenEconomicCatalyst Challenge is seeking ‘ready-to-scale’ digital solutions that can be used by UNDP and its partners to accelerate women’s economic empowerment and generate sustainable livelihoods and try to answer the broad question: How might we use#tech4good to include more women in the digital economy?
Types of digital solutions we are looking for:
Equip women and girls with skills to compete in the digital economy (e.g. foundational digital skills training and/or support to female digital entrepreneurs and IT professionals).
Expand women’s access to new markets such as e-markets, traceability blockchain technologies, digital branding, social media uptake, etc.
Boost women-led digital start-ups with incubation, acceleration, mentorship, access to capital, and business development services.
Amplify women’s access to financing and accelerate digital finance innovations that help unlock, align, or redirect financial flows toward women’s economic empowerment such as digital identity to access financial services, electronic payments, financial e-literacy, mobile money, and wallets, etc.
Increase women’s access to decent work opportunities in the gig economy, securing access to social protection, formalized contracts, and fair wages.
Foster the digital transformation of women-led MSMEs, leveraging digital technologies for a more efficient administration/operation, and/or the development of improved products or service delivery, including those aimed at supporting the digitalization and automation of processes and operations, manufacturing techniques, etc.
Boost rural business endeavors and rural value chain development, including solutions to improve the administration/operation of rural associations/cooperatives (e.g. digitally enabled agriculture precision, traceability blockchain technologies, data applications).
Expand women’s access to digitally enabled clean energy solutions or develop women-led business endeavors connected to energy supply.
Amplify the access of women to internet connectivity, including mobile connectivity, WiFi hotspots, broadband, satellite, ISDN and others.
Tackle structural inequalities preventing women’s economic empowerment, including the unequal distribution of unpaid care work, gender-based violence, discriminatory social norms, and more.
Learn more about the selection criteria, timeline, eligibility and application process on our FAQ here.
