9th International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2024
8-9th February 2024
Excellencies,
It is an honour for me to address this Assembly here today.
This international day provides us with an opportunity to recognise not only the sterling work done by women scientists across different fields world-wide, but also to renew our commitment to empower the young generations of women and girls to join the sciences. This is investing in our future!
Malta is proud to have been nominated as the inaugural World Capital for Women and Girls in Science for 2023-2024.
Throughout this year, various stakeholders came together from the fields of education and the sciences in order to highlight the importance of women and girls in science. They have done so through different media and various events. The goal of these events was also to further encourage the youth of today to take the lead through their active and meaningful engagement in these fields.
Taking Ada Lovelace, a Victorian pioneering woman mathematician as an inspiration, we can easily recognise the importance of empowering girls at a young age to be creative, be confident, and to strive to leave their mark, including in the various fields of STEM, especially when it comes to digital technologies and cyber security. Ada Lovelace was Lord Byron’s only legitimate daughter, and close associate with Charles Babbage, who was known as the ‘father of computers’. Closer to our times another inspirational woman was Madame Curie.
Today is also an opportunity and a good occasion to underline the crucial link between the sciences, peace and security.
STEM is a key to enable us to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, and to create a safer and more stable world. In line with the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, it is important that women are fully, equally and meaningfully present in the field of science, as leaders in their own right.
In conclusion, as we look towards the 10th annual International Day for Women and Girls in Science, we must all contribute towards encouraging and empowering more women and girls to find their own path and navigate in the fields of STEM for the benefit of both current and future generations.
Thank you.