Over the last two decades Geo-spatial Information Technology (GIT) has rapidly developed and is now called an “enabling technology” due to the benefit it offers across different application domains. GIT can help us analyze and better understand why and where things have happened in the past and show us how they might happen in the future, allowing us to make informed decision and better use of resources.

The ITU Resolution "Mainstreaming a gender perspective in ITU and promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women through information and communication technologies" recognizes that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are tools through which gender equality and women's empowerment can be advanced, and are integral to the creation of societies in which both women and men can substantively contribute and participate. In addition, according to UNDRR, women are still too often absent from the development of disaster risk reduction strategies and decision-making processes. The global “talent shortage” is currently at 38%, with the top ten hardest jobs to fill in STEM professions (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). There is currently a 200-million-person shortage of ICT-skilled workers around the world. Although more women than men now graduate from tertiary education in some countries (e.g. in many Pacific small island states), this is not resulting in increased economic opportunities. It has been estimated that 90% of future jobs will require ICT skills, and some 2 million new jobs will be created globally in the computer, mathematical, architecture and engineering fields. To bridge this skills gap, it will be vital to impart technical skills to ensure that women of all social classes may to take full advantage of ongoing technological advances.

In this context, UNOSAT together with UNESCAP is organizing a Strengthening capacity of young female professionals in the use of Geospatial Information Technology to reduce disaster risk and strengthen resilience.