PRESS RELEASE
As we enter the UN’s Decade of Action for the SDGs, Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives push for Action at STEM and arts event at Microsoft
United Nations Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives left their scripts behind to rally support for Women in STEM at the Aspire Artemis Foundation event hosted at the Microsoft NYC Campus on 22, January 2020. More than nine Ambassadors, along with other diplomats, TV executives, philanthropists, activists, NGOs, Microsoft employees, media and senior representatives from United Nations organizations, gathered at the Microsoft Times Square offices, all eager to ensure that the upcoming decade is filled with more action than talk when it comes to leveling the playing field for women pursuing careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields.
Her Excellency Ms. Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Malta to the United Nations, spoke about how women are a force for change. This event was her first speaking engagement after officially starting her duties at the UN in New York, a testament to the importance Malta gives to advancing the rights of women and girls, especially in the technology and innovation fields.
His Excellency Mr. Marc-André Blanchard, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, stressed that women are not sufficiently represented in STEM and observed that not enough is being done to train more young women and girls in the STEM areas. He gave his full support to Ms. Hermina Johnny, Founder of The Aspire Artemis Foundation, and the work of the Foundation in creating opportunity pipelines to leave no one behind. Highlighting the importance of events such as these, Dr. Chantal Line Carpentier, Chief, New York Office of the Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), highlighted a personal story of a young woman who was inspired to pursue a career in the arts after attending a conference, having experienced a difficult life. “Let’s ensure that we do not lose any women to poverty, lack of education, human trafficking or war,” Dr. Carpentier pleaded.
Ms. Ursula Wynhoven, United Nations specialized agency for information and communications technologies (ITU) Representative to the United Nations, said “business as usual is not working to increase the participation of women and girls in STEM. What we need is more cooperation, collaboration and coordination to connect and scale up successful efforts. Together with EQUALS (equals.org), we look forward to building on our collaboration with Aspire Artemis Foundation to help bring more young women to tech and tech to more young women.” ITU is the oldest global international organization where the “T” used to signify Telegraph. In 2019, for the first time in its 153-year history, ITU elected Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin asDirector of the Telecommunication Development Bureau. She is the first woman to serve as one of ITU’s top elected officials.
Ms. Hermina Johnny, Founder of The Aspire Artemis Foundation noted that “women and girls have for so long been told that STEM is not for them; society continues to associate science and innovation fields with boys. This problem is even more amplified in developing societies and rural communities. When we excluded women and girls from STEM - education and employment opportunities - we continue to overlook HALF of the population. We limit our ideas, we limit innovation, we limit our potential.”
The Aspire Artemis Foundation is an organization that is thoroughly committed to improving the lives of girls and women from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds through innovative early interventions, education, information sharing, research, and training by working to create an inclusive environment. The activities of the Foundation strive to bridge the gaps between theory, policy, and practice.
Ms. Johnny went on to say, “we have talked and talked and talked about the need to increase women and girls’ engagement in STEM, and we cannot stop talking about this, implementing action, fighting for change to achieve through gender parity in the STEM field...simply because IT MAKES SENSE. So there is no time like the present to encourage women and girls to be equal participants of this movement for more people in STEM. We cannot do this alone and we call on the entire community to support us in our drive to create sustainable career opportunities for young people.”
His Excellency, Mr. Cosmos Richardson, Permanent Representative and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Saint Lucia to the United Nations, announced that the Government of Saint Lucia is in full support of the work of the Foundation and the Global Innovation and Digital Transformation symposia set to launch in his country on 10-12, February 2020. Ambassador Richardson thanked Ms. Johnny for the honor of choosing his nation as one of the countries to benefit from her joint Microsoft training program. The program he stressed is not about having a one-time event, but to set up a sustainable path forward for young women and girls. The commitment from Microsoft to continue to virtually mentor the participants in the program is a testament of a truly sustainable action.
Mr. Youssouf Aden Moussa, Counselor and diplomat in the Permanent Mission of Djibouti to the United Nations, echoed that sentiment saying, “The Aspire Artemis Foundation has created a programme that helps us achieve our equal-opportunity vision. These programmes do not just describe to girls and young women the opportunities available in the sciences or technology or engineering. These programmes strive to inspire these young people. To help them see how much they can change their world by pursuing careers in these fields. Even though education is a key element of any initiative to create equality, the Foundation goes further by bringing mentorship and internships to our young innovators through partnerships with companies like Microsoft.”
Ms. Harsha Bennur, head of Public Sector Partner Tech Strategy at Microsoft, talked about the importance of diversity and inclusion as we go about empowering every person and every organization to achieve more. "The key phrase here is every", she said, "and this includes not just inclusion of women, but also inclusion of differently abled people. When we are out there to solve some of the problems that affect everyone, then how can we solve those effectively if the team solving it is not representative of the population we are solving it for?"
Ms. Xian Horn, Disability Activist, ForbesWomen and Thrive Contributor, Founder of Give Beauty Wings,’ a Self-Esteem program at NYU's Initiative for Women with Disabilities, stressed the importance of making sure that all people, including the disability community, are taken into account and included as part of processes when programs, projects, fashion, etc. are designed.
Ms. Angel Pai, PBS host, Actress and model, emphasized the importance of the arts to STEM. As she started her path as a medical student and then went on to become an actress, a model, a Taekwondo champion, and then a TV host, she underlined how all of the disciplines she studied has shaped her into the creative powerhouse she is. She has recently launched a jewelry business, ILLUMIN designs, where she utilizes her science background to craft pieces that are not only beautifully designed, but are also purpose driven to support the causes she cares deeply about.
In its programmes, The Aspire Artemis Foundation integrates arts and culture into the STEM curriculum, creating STEAM, as a way to drive creativity and innovation. The Foundation takes on an inclusive approach creating opportunity pipelines to leave no one behind. The Foundation’s approach to bringing STEAM to communities in need includes two-day events. Early in 2020, the Foundation will convene two-plus days of events in Saint Lucia and Djibouti, with programmes that bring together regional and international specialists in the entire STEAM universe.
All of the sessions allow for, and indeed encourage, interaction by all the participants.
The programme does not stop at the technical level since the Foundation believes that in order to succeed, young innovators require skills like entrepreneurship, partnership and advocacy. These are areas included in the symposium.
A key feature of the symposium is the voice it offers to the young people attending. They have a session to present their achievements, participate in the panel discussions and provide the policy-makers with the necessary input during executive sessions.
More information about the activities of The Aspire Artemis Foundation, along with a channel for contributions, can be found on its web site: https://www.aspireartemis.org
Speakers included: Vanne Paige Padgett, Director of Girls Initiatives, YWCA NYC, Halaa Menassy, Cloud Solutions Architecht at Microsoft, Ifeoma Ike Esq, Social Impact Strategist and Founding Partner - Think Rubix LLC, Angel Pai, PBS host, Actress, Model, Entrepreneur, Humanitarian, Sade Lythcott, CEO, The National Black Theatre, Janira Obregon, Beauty Queen and Disability Activist, Xian Horn, Disability Activist, Forbes and Thrive Contributor, Founder of Give Beauty Wings,’ a Self-Esteem program at NYU's Initiative for Women with Disabilities, Dr. Chantal Line Carpentier, Chief, New York Office of the Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Bisila Bokoko, Entrepreneur, speaker and philanthropist, Harsha Bennur, Director of Partner Technology US OCP, Microsoft , Ursula Wynhoven, ITU Representative to the United Nations, Patti Cataldi, New York CityDirector, Women in Technology Network. Taj Weekes, UNICEF Champion for Children and Founder of “They Often Cry Outreach” played impactful music to complement the night’s engaging conversations. The event was followed by an after party for Social Good at the Iconic Bryant Park Hotel’s Celon Lounge. You can indeed party and save the world at the same time.
