United NationsOffice for Outer Space Affairs

Important updates

• The call for speakers and in-person participants is now closed. The evaluation of applications is ongoing.
• The Programme at a Glance is available here.

Documents and Links

• Read all about the Space4Women Initiative here.
• Contact details: space4women[@]un.org

Background

The Space for Women (Space4Women) Expert Meeting series, a capacity-building initiative of the United Nations Office for Outer Spacer Affairs (UNOOSA), is a pivotal annual gathering aimed at advancing gender equality and empowering women's participation in space-related fields. The initiative encourages women and girls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and raises awareness about career opportunities in the space sector.

The fifth edition of the Space4Women Expert Meeting will be held in Nairobi, Kenya from 27 to 29 November 2024. The meeting will build upon and advance the results of previous meetings held in the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea and Canada. 

Theme and Target Audience

The event will gather experts and decision-makers from national space agencies, government entities, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, United Nations entities, the private sector, academia, and civil society leaders. Women from the African continent are highly encouraged to participate.

UNOOSA invites Member States/dedicated entities to consider acting as champions for gender mainstreaming. The champion stakeholders would contribute to the Expert Meeting by mobilizing participation and presenting and facilitating discussions around actionable solutions, such as concrete measures and policies tackling the gender gap within their specific organization, related to the implementation of the Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit. The Toolkit is one of the key outcomes of the 4th Space4Women Expert Meeting hosted in Canada in 2023.

Limited funding is available to support the attendance at the 5th Space4Women Expert Meeting. Please indicate your interest in applying for funding in the application form.

The Expert Meeting will be held in English.

General Objectives

Expected outcomes

The meeting is expected to realize the following outcomes:

• Recommend concrete policies and actions towards gender equality and women empowerment in space science, technologies, innovation and exploration.
• Recommend a roadmap for implementation of the Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit by national space entities and other relevant organizations.
• Increased engagement and advocacy on gender equality in the space sector.
• Equip participants with scalable skills and knowledge on gender mainstreaming in the space sector.
• Increased active participation of women in space activities.
• Identification of capacity-building and entrepreneurship opportunities for women in space.

Partners