Foreign Ministry and UDLAP host international dialogue on inclusive cybersecurity and women’s challenges

Foreign Ministry and UDLAP host international dialogue on inclusive cybersecurity and women's challenges

• A dialogue on "Inclusive Cybersecurity: Towards a Secure Digital Future for Women, Youths, and Girls in the AI Era" took place on September 5-6 at UDLAP

• The meeting aimed to share successful experiences and best practices, and to analyze obstacles and challenges for women, youths, and girls in the emerging digital technologies and human rights

The Foreign Ministry's Directorate General for Human Rights and Democracy and the University of the Americas Puebla (UDLAP) Department of International Relations and Political Science jointly hosted a dialogue on "Inclusive Cybersecurity: Towards a Secure Digital Future for Women, Youths, and Girls in the AI Era" on September 5-6 at UDLAP.

Over 200 high school and university students from central Mexico attended the event to engage with experts on the cybersecurity challenges facing women, youths, and girls in relation to emerging digital technologies and human rights.

At the inauguration, Joel Hernández García, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the Foreign Ministry, stated that the forum fulfills Mexico's commitments made at the 78th UN General Assembly in September 2023, and at the Generation Equality Midpoint Moment event, which followed the Generation Equality Forum.

These commitments aim to establish a platform in Mexico to study how digital technologies and AI impact the wellbeing and security of diverse groups of women, youths, and girls, promoting women's participation in decision-making and the development of public policies, standards, and legislation in this field.

UDLAP Academic Vice President José Daniel Lozada Ramírez emphasized the event's importance in ensuring safety for women and girls, citing UDLAP's School of Engineering as a model for gender balance in education and saying that it could serve as a model for other schools.

In her virtual address, Nadine Gasman Zylbermann, President of the National Women's Institute (Inmujeres), underscored the need to prioritize inclusive cybersecurity on national and international agendas, particularly in forums such as the Summit of the Future.

The event featured contributions from various experts and officials, including Leticia Bonifaz Alfonzo, CEDAW independent expert; a representative from the OAS Inter-American Committee against Terrorism; Rachel Moseley, Australian Ambassador to Mexico; Andrea Cházaro from UN Women Mexico; Víctor Merchand from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Mexico; and Ulises Canchola Gutiérrez, Foreign Ministry Special Envoy for Emerging Technologies. Representatives from civil society organizations GirlUp, Ley Olimpia, and GENDES also participated.