Deputy Secretary General underlines NATO’s commitment to promoting women and girls in science
Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană emphasised NATO’s commitment to promoting the interests of women and girls in defence and security at an event organised by the NATO Science and Technology Organization on Wednesday (8 February 2023). In a keynote speech marking the United Nations’ 8th International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February), Mr Geoană stressed that the traditional barriers facing women and girls in science and technology had to change. He said that “in today’s more competitive and very dangerous world, technology is moving at a dizzying pace,” adding that we cannot afford to leave half of the population behind.
The NATO conference consisted of three all-female panel discussions focused on girls in science, winning stories to inspire future generations, and looking to the future. It was chaired by Dr Catherine Warner, the Director of NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation in La Spezia, Italy, and featured a video message from Vanessa E. Wyche, the Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas. The event concluded with remarks by NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Ambassador Baiba Braže.
NATO is taking steps to integrate gender perspectives across all of its work, including missions and operations, strategic intelligence requirements, counter terrorism, defence planning and developing new capabilities. NATO’s new Strategic Concept defines women, peace and security and human security as key cross-cutting priorities.