The event, which aims to highlight the role of women and girls in science, will be held for the eighth time this year. Poland has been included in a small group of nine United Nations (UN) member states coordinating this year’s observance.
The first International Day of Women and Girls in Science was observed at the UN in 2016. The legal basis for the observance is resolution of the UN General Assembly no. A/RES/70/212 adopted on 22 December 2015 proclaiming 11 February as the annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The objective of the event is to highlight the crucial role played by women and girls in scientific and technological environments, but also to draw attention to the need to ensure that women have the same opportunities to learn and work on equal terms.
Each edition of the UN observance addresses a different topic. The theme of the 2022 edition was access to water. This year, the focus of the event has been expanded and the observance will be held under the theme: “Innovate. Demonstrate. Elevate. Advance. Sustain. I.D.E.A.S. Bringing Everyone Forward to Sustainable and Equitable Development”. It will involve a discussion on how innovation and science contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the individual Sustainable Development Goals.
Similarly as in previous years, the event will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and coordinated by the Royal Academy of Science International Trust (RASIT) and a group of selected UN Member States. This year, the group consists of: Poland, Portugal, Malta, Slovakia, Spain, Lebanon, Rwanda, Chile, and the Philippines. Moreover, the observance enjoys the political support of further 31 UN Member States as well as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the African Union and the League of Arab States, are co-sponsoring this year’s event. It is also being supported by several United Nations specialized agencies, including UN-Women, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as well as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Poland involved!
The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations in New York has been a sponsor of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science from the outset, and has been involved in its organisation for the last few years. It is not only engaged in the organisational, logistical and promotional aspects of the event, but also makes an important substantive contribution by delegating Polish representatives to participate in thematic panels. This year, Poland has something to boast about. The panel on food security, “Food Business & Industry Communities: Securing Sustainability”, will be chaired by Krzysztof Szczerski, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations in New York, and Justyna Orłowska, Representative of the Prime Minister for GovTech and Representative of the Minister of Education and Science for Digital Transformation, will deliver an online presentation.
NAWA fellowship holder and NAWA expert to speak in discussion panels
There is more good news. A NAWA fellowship holder and a NAWA expert will deliver on-site presentations at two panels, which is a very high international distinction for the Agency as well as for Polish science, and especially its female part. Prof. Maja Kiba-Janiak from Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, a Bekker NAWA fellowship holder, will take part in a panel devoted to sustainable transport titled “The Road to Sustainable Transport”, which will be organised by Lebanon. Prof. Aneta A. Ptaszyńska, NAWA expert in programmes such as Ulam NAWA or Bekker NAWA, beneficiary of the Foreign Promotion Programme, but also one of the persons featured in the publication titled “Poland in 34 snapshots”, will speak in the panel discussion on food security – “Food Business & Industry Communities; Securing Sustainability”. This panel discussion will be chaired by the already mentioned Ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski.
This year’s conference accompanying the observance will be held at UN Headquarters in New York on 10 February 2023.
NAWA supports the international visibility of Polish science
The Agency is an institution that fosters academic and scientific mobility as well as promotes the Polish language and culture. It should be noted that particular emphasis in the day-to-day work of the institution is placed on the promotion of studies and the conduct of research in Poland. In the case of the latter, the “Research in Poland” campaign was launched in 2021 with the aim to promote Poland as a good place to carry out high-level research and to showcase the successes of Polish scientists and international research teams with Polish participants. Moreover, it covers job search engines and information on the research infrastructure available in Poland.
Polish female scientists participate in events to be held in New York on 9 and 10 February, i.e. the observance of the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science and the meeting “Polish Science & International Mobility – Meetup New York”, which is organised in cooperation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York as well as partners: Kosciuszko Foundation, Polish Institute in New York, Polonium Foundation, and Fulbright Poland, as part of the Research in Poland campaign.
