ITU and partners annually encourage girls to pursue ICT careers, aiming to bridge the gender digital divide. Girls in ICT Day promotes studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), helping young women achieve their dreams and fostering digital gender equality.

This year’s theme is ‘Digital Skills for Life’. The global Girls in ICT event will be celebrated on April 27 in Zimbabwe, as part of the Transform Africa Summit 2023 (#TAS2023). Coordinated with POTRAZ and Smart Africa, the celebration will address digital skills topics like role models, education, mentorship, and youth participation.

Girls in ICT Day is now a global movement, with ITU partners and other organizations conducting events throughout the year. Learn more at itu.int/girlsinict.

Building on Generation Connect's participation in the LDC5 Youth Forum and Youth Track in Qatar, this session highlights the crucial role of young people in driving SDG implementation and digital transformation within Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

With a thematic focus on SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), young speakers will discuss how to ensure an enabling digital environment and meaningful connectivity for LDC youth. The goal is to create genuine opportunities for them to lead, thrive, and prosper in our shared digital future.

CISL hosted a webinar exploring how organizations can leverage Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to protect and restore biodiversity while achieving climate, social, and other strategic targets. The discussion centered on transitioning from initial scoping to practical implementation.

Panelists, comprising senior business and NGO leaders, addressed common barriers to NbS adoption and strategies for overcoming them. They emphasized the critical role of partnerships and collaboration in maximizing impact. The session also included an audience Q&A.

Wildchoir, formerly Thrive Choir, is an Oakland, CA-based ensemble of diverse vocalists, artists, and activists. This politically and socially engaged group unites in harmony.

They have performed with acclaimed artists like Rising Appalachia, Climbing PoeTree, and MaMuse, and shared stages with leaders such as Bernie Sanders, Ericka Huggins, and Joanna Macy. Their music inspires thousands at events across California.

After years as the musical voice of the Thrive Network, Wildchoir is now an independent ensemble, grateful for past collaboration and excited for its new journey. Learn more at Bioneers.org.

Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage, Director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley, and founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Center, is a leading labor organizer. Author of four books, including *One Fair Wage: Ending All Sub-minimum Pay in America*, she is recognized for her creative and effective work.

Jayaraman discusses her two decades organizing restaurant and low-wage workers. She highlights the current historic worker revolt in the U.S., exploring its significant implications for climate justice and democracy.

Learn more at www.bioneers.org

Indigenous Peoples, comprising 5% of the global population, safeguard 80% of the world's biodiversity. This fact underscores their critical role as experts in resource management and climate action, yet their knowledge is often undervalued in institutional spaces.

To move beyond mere acknowledgment, we must center and strengthen Indigenous rights in climate initiatives. Indigenous Rights activist Jade Begay will share insights on the progress of Indigenous leadership and how to empower it—a necessity for planetary survival.

This keynote was presented at the Bioneers 2023 Conference. Learn more at http://www.bioneers.org.

Kim Stanley Robinson is an acclaimed science fiction writer, celebrated for over 20 award-winning books translated into 26 languages. His influential works, notably *Ministry for the Future*, brilliantly explore global ecological, economic, and socio-political crises, offering visionary solutions for a climate-disrupted future. He was a featured speaker at COP-26.

Robinson's extensive accolades include the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. In 2016, asteroid 72432 was named "Kimrobinson" in his honor.

Learn more at www.bioneers.org.

The energy transition is critical, with the 2020s marking a decisive decade for climate justice. As fossil fuels peak, we must rapidly scale renewables, ensuring an equitable new energy economy. Visionary "green" entrepreneur Danny Kennedy, founder of New Energy Nexus, proposes a "3D" clean energy future: distributed, decentralized in ownership, and democratized in control, driven by global grassroots entrepreneurship.

Kennedy, a seasoned eco-activist and clean-tech leader, co-founded Sungevity and Powerhouse. He now serves as CEO of New Energy Nexus, a global nonprofit providing funds, accelerators, and networks to advance clean energy innovation and adoption worldwide.

Learn more at bioneers.org.

Massive clean energy investments are poised to transform the American economy, with opportunities to reach 80% clean power by 2030 and achieve deep decarbonization across sectors. Success, however, requires widespread action.

Join award-winning author, political scientist, and climate expert Dr. Leah Stokes for a deep dive into clean energy policy. She will explore how American households and businesses can leverage new climate incentives to realize our electric future.

Dr. Stokes, a leading expert and author of "Short Circuiting Policy," is an Anton Vonk Associate Professor at UC Santa Barbara and co-host of "A Matter of Degrees." Learn more at http://www.bioneers.org.

The 1980s ushered in an era of "neo-liberal" economics, granting markets and corporations vast power, which led to escalating wealth inequality. A new global movement, Community Wealth Building, is now pushing back, fighting to democratize the economy and build wealth for the many. This movement is taking hold in diverse locations worldwide.

Renowned journalist Laura Flanders, host of The Laura Flanders Show on public television, will explain why this growing movement for a democratic economy may be the most important economic movement of our time. Flanders is an Izzy-Award winning independent journalist and bestselling author.

Learn more at http://www.bioneers.org

Bioneers' co-founder and Chief Relationship Strategist Nina Simons traditionally opens each conference. With clarity and passion, she outlines Bioneers' history and core values, emphasizing reverence for nature, biological, and human diversity.

Simons stresses the importance of balancing our inner and outer worlds. This balance is crucial for fostering a new civilization built on relationships, rather than material possessions.

Learn more at http://www.bioneers.org

Third Act empowers people over 60 to drive social change, leveraging their wisdom and energy to support younger generations in building a healthy, equitable world. Co-founded by Bill McKibben, this vital movement is explained by renowned activist and leadership educator Akaya Windwood.

Akaya, an award-winning transformation facilitator and author, brings extensive experience from various leadership roles to her work as Lead Advisor for Third Act. Her insights guide how we can participate in this exciting new movement.

Learn more at bioneers.org.

Human-designed products often involve unsustainable processes, creating materials incompatible with living systems. John Warner, a co-founder of green chemistry, offers a solution: by embracing nature's "materials metabolism," we can design and build products that are truly in harmony with the environment.

Dr. Warner's extensive career includes over 300 patents and 100 publications. He co-founded the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry and Beyond Benign, a non-profit dedicated to green chemistry education. An award-winning researcher and advisor, he has significantly advanced sustainable design.

Learn more at www.bioneers.org

The climate crisis has crucial cultural aspects. Rebecca Solnit, co-editor of *Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility*, highlights new narratives emerging from science, Indigenous leadership, and organizing. These stories offer grounds for hope, envisioning an age of abundance rather than austerity.

Solnit, a renowned author of over 20 books including *Hope in the Dark*, is an influential writer and activist. She regularly contributes to The Guardian and launched the Not Too Late project.

Learn more at Bioneers.org.

At 14, Amara Ifeji mobilized a grassroots effort against racism in her high school. She initially viewed her love for nature and racial justice as distinct, until youth of color revealed their complete intertwining. This awakening profoundly shaped her subsequent work as an effective organizer and advocate, centering storytelling to advance environmental justice, climate education, and outdoor learning for all youth.

Now 21, Amara is an award-winning climate justice activist (2021 National Geographic Young Explorer, 2022 Brower Youth Award) and Director of Policy at the Maine Environmental Education Association. Learn more at http://www.bioneers.org.

Erin Matariki Carr, a Maori lawyer and member of RIVER, is a leader in Aotearoa New Zealand's movement for constitutional transformation, honoring Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840. This movement challenges human superiority over land. A key initiative is the legal personhood granted to Te Urewera rainforest, ancestral homelands of Ngāi Tūhoe. This innovative approach removes human ownership, establishing a new kawa (law) focused on management for the land's benefit.

Carr previously helped implement policies for Te Urewera's legal personhood. As a project lead at RIVER, she continues to advance constitutional transformation, collaborating with groups like Tūmanako Consultants and Te Kuaka NZA.

Learn more at http://www.bioneers.org.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a former Bioneers participant, organizer, and activist, shares her "inside-outside" theory of change in a personal video. This approach, developed as an organizer and employed as a legislator, aims to build power and enact policy shifts. She chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, representing Washington's 7th District.

As the first South Asian American woman elected to the House, Rep. Jayapal is a highly influential leader on progressive policies, including immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate. Her work builds on decades of advocacy for women's, immigrant, and human rights. She authored "Use the Power You Have." Learn more at Bioneers.org.

This episode explores how resetting systems empowers better choices. We examine ReLondon's circular economy initiatives, Barcelona's superblocks creating pedestrian spaces, and Sao Paulo's efforts to redesign the food system. The discussion also covers the circular economy's first principle—eliminating waste and pollution—and addresses key fashion questions.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a UK charity, champions a circular economy that eliminates waste, circulates products, and regenerates nature. For more insights, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Discover our work at ellenmacarthurfoundation.org and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

The Roundtable on SDG 9 and 17, "Partnerships for inclusive and sustainable digital development," will be held on March 29, 2023 (15:00-18:00 CET). This hybrid event, part of the UNECE Regional Forum, takes place online and at WMO Premises in Geneva. It is co-organized by ITU and WMO, with contributions from UNEP, UNIDO, and UN Women.

Addressing green and digital transitions jointly is crucial for the 2030 Agenda, aligning with the UN Secretary-General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and the proposed Global Digital Compact. The roundtable will share policy recommendations for an inclusive, green digital transformation. It will examine internet connectivity barriers, the importance of robust digital infrastructure for climate action, and review progress on SDG 9 and 17 indicators, emphasizing systemic digital development and ICT-Environment collaboration.

The ITU Secretary-General delivered a special video message for Girls in ICT Day 2023.

This annual observance highlights the critical role of women and girls in the information and communication technologies sector, encouraging their participation and empowerment in digital fields.