Statement by the Delegation of Thailand

Annual full-day discussion on the human rights of women

Panel 2: Advancing women’s rights in the economic sphere through access and participation in information and communication technologies (ICTs)

38^th session of the Human Rights Council

22 June 2018, 10:00 – 12:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room XX, Geneva

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Mr. President,

         Thailand welcomes the organization of this important panel discussion and appreciates the insights shared by the panelists

Thailand believes that gender equality and women’s economic empowerment are crucial to achieving inclusive, sustainable development. This is why the Thai Government has established the Women Development Fund to support economic activities and capacity building of women across the country.

In this respect, Thailand recognizes the potential of ICTs in creating economic and social opportunities for women, especially in rural areas.

On the occasion of the ITU’s International Girls in ICT Day last year, the Thai Government in partnership with the ITU and FAO launched a capacity building program aimed at imparting agricultural technology and digital skills to female students in rural areas. The goal was to empower rural women to be agents of change who drive the use of ICTs in agriculture.

The program provided training for over 200 female students and community leaders on ICT knowledge and skills that could be used for farming, including the FAO smart farm model and smart organic farming. These young women learned about the use of mobile devices for farming applications and the application of drone technology.

We have continued to invest in broadband infrastructure, internet access and digital skills for young women and people in rural communities.

We are pleased that the ITU has recognized Thailand’s leadership in using the ICTs to empower women and communities.

We would like to ask the panelists to share with us good practices or policies that use ICTs as a means to promote economic empowerment of rural women.

Thank you.