UNESCO

According to UIS’s
Women in Science
interactive tool,
while more Indian
women are enrolling
in university,
relatively few pursue
careers in research.
The reasons range
from stereotypes
encountered by girls
to the family-caring
responsibilities and
bias women may
face when choosing
a career. Woman
scientist at the Indian
Agricultural Research
Institute in Pusa,
New Delhi (India).
122
entitled ‘Gender Mainstreaming in
Decision-Making on Water Governance’,
organized by the International Hydrological
Programme (IHP) and the Ibero-American
Water Directors Conference (CODIA). It
was designed to enhance water security
and sustainability by improving gender
equality in water access, management
and governance. Twenty-eight water
professionals, governmental representatives
and members of NGOs reflected on the
importance of gender mainstreaming
in the water sector; assessed progress
in the institutionalization of gender
mainstreaming in public institutions;
and addressed how to integrate a gender
approach in management throughout
the project cycle. The workshop, which
focused on good practices, provided an
opportunity for exchanging experiences
while facilitating the collective construction
of knowledge and the establishment of
future collaborations.
In Africa and across the world,
the shortage of engineers is even greater
than the shortage of scientists, and
a major concern is the declining interest
and enrolment of young people, especially
women, in engineering courses. UNESCO’s
Scientific Camp of Excellence concept
aims to increase female enrolment into
engineering and applied science courses,
and to encourage women to take up
science-based professions. In the camps,
students are introduced to women
scientists and engineers who serve as
role models. Kenya’s work in this field has
focused on secondary schoolgirls. In May, it
hosted camps which mentored pupils from
343 secondary schools from six counties in
the North Rift Region. In November, over
100 students were mentored at Kisumu
Girls High School. A total of 20 teachers
were also mentored on gender equality
issues and the teaching STEM from a
gender-responsive perspective. The
reaction from the participating students
and schools has been very encouraging.
In October, Professors Shobhana
Narasimhan and Elizabeth Simmons, two
distinguished physicists and teachers,
directed a workshop to teach career skills for
women in physics, organized by the Abdus
Salam International Centre for Theoretical
© FAO/Jon Spaull
Physics (ICTP), a UNESCO Category I Institute.
Fifty women physicists from 26 countries
shared their thoughts and learned from one
another. Women lack access to careeradvancing
resources and opportunities
equivalent to those of their male colleagues,
and having children tends to slow their
career progress. Professor Narasimhan said,
‘Physics suffers from gender stereotyping
more than other fields. People are OK with
the idea of women doing biology, but at
some deep visceral level there is something
weird about a woman doing physics.’
Professor Simmons added, ‘One thing that
women from developing countries have
pointed out as a challenge is the lack of
equipment and the lack of resources that
makes their work that much harder.’
Ethics in science
and technology
Political choices regarding progress in
the fields of science and technology
need to be guided by sound reflection
on ethical implications. Since the 1970s,
UNESCO stimulates and promotes this
international and transcultural debate,
and tries to involve all countries.
The 22nd ordinary session of
the International Bioethics Committee (IBC)
and the ninth ordinary session of the World
Commission on the Ethics of Scientific
Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) were
held jointly for the first time at UNESCO
Headquarters in October. Members of both
advisory bodies had the opportunity to
discuss draft reports and possible future
collaboration. This innovative approach
of bringing together experts on bioethics
and the ethics of science was aimed at
raising visibility, strengthening synergies