To successfully implement the initiative “Women’s Leadership in the Public ICT Sector” (WLICT), Latvian partners began preparatory work in November by conducting exploratory visits to Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The association #esiLV prepared two preliminary reports on the situation in Uzbekistan, established contacts with 24 organizations, and participated in high-level discussions, including the UNDP Digital Economy Forum. Riga TechGirls met with organizations in Ukraine and Uzbekistan, attended TechChill Kyiv, and prepared situation analyses for both countries.
Future directions of the project:
- Establishing political dialogue with the involvement of ICT and AI professionals;
- Adapting leadership and mentoring programs to other countries;
- Developing tools to combat digital violence;
- Organizing ideathons and hackathons.
The initiative will be implemented by a consortium of six EU member state agencies:
Expertise France (France) – lead organization, CFCA (Latvia), ENABEL (Belgium), Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) (Estonia), FIAP (Spain), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) (Germany).
The total budget is €15.1 million, provided by the European Commission, and the project covers 16 priority countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Main objectives of the project:
- Strengthen the capacity of public sector policymakers to develop gender-inclusive digital policies;
- Increase opportunities for young women to access STEM education;
- Create a safer digital environment by combating gender-based cybercrime.
The Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA), as a development cooperation agency, will soon sign an agreement with the European Commission to implement the initiative “Women’s Leadership in the Public ICT Sector” (WLICT). The project aims to reduce the gender gap in digital transformation by promoting inclusive policies and strengthening women’s roles in leadership positions within the ICT sector.
The project implemented by CFCA is part of a strategic initiative of the European Commission that supports the development cooperation priorities of the EU and the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
