UN Women and Nokia commit to digital inclusion for women in Córdoba Province, Argentina

Women and girls remain underrepresented in the creation, use, and regulation of technology, and are less likely to pursue careers in this field.

Moreover, online harassment and violence limit their opportunities to access the technological ecosystem.

With the aim of reducing the digital divide, and with the support of the Women’s Secretariat of Córdoba Province (Argentina), UN Women and Nokia launched a new phase of their global partnership to promote women’s empowerment through technology.

The initiative, “Connected to the Future: The Potential of Digital Training to Accelerate Equality”, was implemented throughout 2025 to improve women’s access to employment in key sectors and to foster entrepreneurship through training and the development of local networks.

“Gender inequalities are yet another expression of the structural inequalities that run through our societies. Good intentions are not enough: we need concrete political decisions, sustained over time and coordinated with all sectors,” stated Claudia Martínez, Women’s Secretary of Córdoba Province.

This partnership stands out for its collaborative and innovative approach alongside the private sector, its use of global and local resources, and UN Women’s expertise as a strategic partner.

The project is also aligned with the UN Women Strategic Plan 2022–2025, its digital inclusion strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

A public–private partnership model with local impact

A key element of initiatives such as the one developed by Nokia and UN Women is multi-stakeholder collaboration (governments, companies, civil society, and women’s organisations). This is essential to effectively incorporate a gender and cross-sectoral perspective into digital training policies.

Córdoba Province was selected to implement the Nokia–UN Women programme thanks to its institutional commitment to gender equality and the consolidation of its technological ecosystem.

An example of this consolidation is the Mujeres TEC Space, an initiative of the Women’s Secretariat of the Ministry of Social Development and Employment Production and the Secretariat of Science and Technology of Córdoba Province. It operates as a public–private workspace offering workshops and a meeting place to strengthen the participation of women and young people in the technological ecosystem.

Through coordination with the Women's Assistance Centres for Women (Puntos Mujer) across the province, over 80 women from 52 municipalities took part in training activities.

“Córdoba is not starting from scratch: it is consolidating a model that already functions as a hub for public–private and territorial partnerships, and as an open governance space for companies, universities, local governments, and civil society, with the ambition to expand nationwide,” explained Vanesa López Schaufele, Coordinator of the Mujeres TEC Space.

Employment opportunities for women

To promote digital and labour inclusion, Nokia, the government of Córdoba Province, and UN Women jointly designed and implemented a training programme for women seeking to expand their businesses, access credit, and acquire professional skills.

“Fifty-six women have received certification in digital skills and are already agents of change. We expect them to share their knowledge with other women, to help develop their enterprises and support them in their search for employment, particularly in the technology sector,” said Verónica Baracat, UN Women Country Programme Coordinator in Argentina.

Participants strengthened their capacities in areas such as digital tools, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital marketing on social media, personal finance, digital violence, credit for entrepreneurship financing, and access to the labour market in the technology sector.

“The participants will play a strategic role in their communities as knowledge multipliers. This territorial effect will boost the economic autonomy of other women and the sustainability of the training we deliver,” noted Lourdes Rocío Bustos, UN Women Project Coordinator in Argentina.

A regional initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean

Following its launch in Argentina in 2024, Brazil became the second country in the region to join the alliance in 2025.

“UN Women and Nokia had a successful pilot experience, positioning Argentina as a regional leader and a reference point for this strategic partnership,” added Baracat.

The appeal of this initiative, as highlighted by the International Labour Organization (ILO), lies in the potential of technology to drive economies.

However, many countries still lack the means to benefit from technological progress.

In this regard, the ILO stresses that local productivity can be enhanced if there is investment in training, education, and infrastructure to support economic growth and the creation of strategic opportunities in the labour market.

For this reason, UN Women and Nokia seek to expand a growing network of trained and active women within the digital ecosystem, capable of driving change from their communities.

The Córdoba experience will be key for UN Women to continue broadening women’s access to sustainable livelihoods and stable income generation, thanks to the benefits offered by technological innovation and strategic sectors of the labour market.

Once again, UN Women is promoting women’s economic empowerment in digital environments, a fundamental factor for advancing sustainable economic development in communities.

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