KATHMANDU: The International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGS) is being observed across the globe today.

The Day underscores the urgency of increasing participation of women and girls in science and technology to close the gender gap and spur inclusive development.

The United Nations had passed a resolution on December 22, 2015 to mark the IDWGS every year on February 11. The Day is being marked since 2016. The theme of the Day for this year is, ‘Synergizing AI, Social Science, STEM and Finance: Building Inclusive Futures for Women and Girls’.

Giving a message on this occasion, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres underlined, “We must ensure that every girl can imagine a future in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and that every woman can thrive in her scientific career.”

According to UNESCO, women, however, comprise less than one third of the world’s researchers.