News

- The Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center at Sookmyung Women’s University co-hosted an international conference as part of the UNESCO UNITWIN program

- The conference invited university presidents and government officials from 13 developing countries to explore solutions for bridging the gap in higher education

- Executive Director Jung-in Jo emphasized the importance of enhancing women's social and economic capacity through digital innovation and technology

The representatives from partner universities attending the 2023 UNESCO UNITWIN conference are taking a group photo.

The Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center at Sookmyung Women's University hosted the '2023 UNESCO UNITWIN International Conference' on November 1st, 2023.

UNESCO UNITWIN is a program aimed at promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration among higher education institutions, and Sookmyung Women's University has been actively participating in since 2016, focusing on enhancing women's capacity through digital and leadership education.

The conference, held under the theme of "A New Horizon in Higher Education through the UNITWIN Project," was attended by approximately 80 participants, including university presidents and government officials from 10 countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, South Korea and many more. The UNESCO UNITWIN domestic coordnating universities namely Sookmyung Women's University, Handong Global University, Korea National Open University, and Korea National University of Education co-hosted the event and it was sponsored by the Ministry of Education, South Korea.

The participants shared the achievements of the program and discussed ways to establish innovative development and collaboration models in higher education in the post COVID-19 era. Particularly, they focused on exploring strategies to bridge the educational gap and direction for the development of higher education in developing countries from the perspective of sustainable development.

The speakers are sharing their views on the role of higher education in preparing for digital innovation and enhancing women's capacity on the stage during the expert panel discussion.

Professors from partner universities of Sookmyung Women's University, such as National University of Laos in Lao PDR, Quy Nhon University in Vietnam, and Udayana University in Indonesia, conducted presentations with a focus on the educational impact and empowerment of women through the UNESCO UNITWIN program.

Dr. Soubin Sisavath, a professor at the National University of Laos, stated, "The UNITWIN program is of great assistance in developing women's employability skills and nurturing leadership and confidence, which are demanded in the digital innovation era."

Dr. Jung in Jo, the Executive Director of the APWINC at Sookmyung Women's University, is presenting as the moderator for the expert panel discussion at the 2023 UNESCO UNITWIN conference.

Executive Director Jung in Jo from the APWINC emphasized the importance of women's digital education, stating that Sookmyung Women's University's UNESCO UNITWIN program focuses on enhancing women's social and economic capacity through digital innovation and technology, contributing to the empowerment and advancement of women's rights. She also highlighted the spread of "STEMinism," a combination of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and feminism, which signifies a movement to increase women's representation in STEM fields.

President Yunkeum Jang from Sookmyung Women's University mentioned that our society is at a turning point in the rapid digital transformation, stating, "Sookmyung Women's University is focusing on digital and leadership education to enhance women's capacity in response to the rapid digital changes in our society, such as digital humanities." She expressed her hope to share experiences and grow together with UNITWIN partner universities towards a better future for higher education through this conference.