The Republic of Srpska

  The Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior, for the first time, joined the initiative to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Information and Communication Technology Sector, taking the role of organizer and host of an online roundtable on the topic. The International Day of Girls and Women in the Information and Communication Sector is celebrated every year, on the fourth Thursday in April, so this Day was celebrated on April 28 this year. The initiative was launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with the aim of encouraging a reduction in the gap between women and men in the ICT sector and increasing the ICT professionals (currently, there is lack of them) worldwide by encouraging the employment of girls and women. The event was attended by representatives of different institutions of the Republic of Srpska, such as: the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society, the Ministry of the Interior, the Insurance Agency of the Republic of Srpska, the Health Insurance Fund of the Republic of Srpska, and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, as well as private sector representatives such as Lanaco, Prointer, and Euridica.  The main idea of the event was to point out that the status and number of women in this area were improving, and that more and more girls and women were active in ICT sector. In addition, participants emphasised that the presence and popularity of ICT technologies among young people contributed to greater motivation and higher number of young people interested in attending high schools and colleges in the field of ICT, and that women in the ITC had proven to be an equal, reliable, and capable partner.