Scientific Secretary of the DonSUIA Academic Council Secretariat, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor Olha Kuzmenko joined the third series of working meetings «Action Groups for Women in Science».
The event was held within the framework of UNESCO global initiative «Closing the Gender Gap in Science». The international event brought together more than 1,000 participants from different parts of the world. Among them are representatives of higher education institutions, scientific institutions, educational organizations, as well as experts in the field of science, technology and innovation (STI).
During the working meeting, UNESCO’s Head of Research, Governance and Science Diplomacy, Ezra Clark, delivered a welcome speech. In the course of event, the participants were presented with UNESCO’s key initiatives under Pillar 1 and Pillar 2, aimed at supporting women in science and developing STEM education. The presentations were made by UNESCO Associate International Project Manager Laura Haley, UNESCO Project Coordinator Thea Stuebener, L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Program Coordinator Annapaola Coppola, For Girls in Science Program Manager and Social Impact Manager of Fondation L’Oréal Chloe Bennejean, UNESCO International Programme Expert Feng Yang, UNESCO Education Programme Coordinator Indira Ashwini Madanaiake and Senior International Projects Manager of UNESCO Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality Section, Una McCarthy-Fakhri.
Discussions during the networking focused on two key areas: increasing the visibility of women in science as role models for society and strengthening educational trajectories in STEM to encourage girls to pursue research careers and ensure equal opportunities in the scientific and educational environment.
In the course of the conference, the participants discussed modern approaches to overcoming the gender gap in science, exchanged best practices and experience in implementing inclusive educational initiatives. The organizers also presented a number of UNESCO programs aimed at supporting female researchers. In particular, a media coaching project to increase the visibility of female scientists and the international program «For Girls in Science», which is being implemented in partnership with the Fondation L’Oréal.
The DonSUIA representative participation in this large-scale event demonstrated active integration of the University into the global scientific and educational space.
