Geneva, 8 November 2024 – UNICEF and the Global Video Game Coalition (GVGC) announce their partnership to equip adolescent girls with the technological and leadership skills needed to thrive in a digital future.
Every year, adolescent girls and young women in low and middle-income countries miss out on USD 15 billion in economic opportunities due to a gap in internet access and digital skills relative to their male peers. With 90 per cent of jobs today requiring digital competencies, the Game Changers Coalition responds to the urgency of closing the gender digital skills gap.
The partnership aims to equip girls, especially in emerging economies, to pursue careers in high-income, fast-growing industries like video game and tech.
Over the next three years, the Game Changers Coalition aims to reach 3 million girls, contributing to UNICEF’s broader goal of equipping 26 million girls worldwide with learning and skills-building opportunities to go from playing to learning to earning.
The Game Changers Coalition will also bring together key players who contribute to the GVGC – including brands such as Electronic Arts (EA), Roblox, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft – to build a more inclusive and diverse digital future.
“The partnership between UNICEF and Global Video Game Coalition can be truly catalytic for improving outcomes for millions of adolescent girls around the world. It exemplifies how strategic, multisectoral collaborations can lead to transformative social impact,” said Thomas Davin, Director, UNICEF Office of Innovation.
The partnership was announced at the launch of the Game Changers Coalition in Geneva, an event co-hosted by UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and GVGC representatives marking the beginning of an initial one -year plan of joint activities to scale impact and technical collaboration across multiple countries.
GVGC, represented by its co-chairs – the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Video Games Europe (VGE) – highlighted the significance of this partnership as a unique opportunity to demonstrate the video game industry’s potential for positive social change.
“The video game industry is proud to support UNICEF’s mission of promoting gender equality and empowering young girls,” said Tatjana Sachse, GVGC Lead Spokesperson & Counsel. “By creating new opportunities for girls to learn and lead, we’re helping build a more inclusive and diverse future for our industry and beyond.”
With support from the Swedish government and other key donors, the Game Changers Coalition has already demonstrated early success through a pilot programme that laid a strong foundation for scaling its customized and girl-centred Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) curriculum. To date, the initiative has reached over 100,000 adolescent girls, parents and teachers across 41 schools in Armenia, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Kazakhstan, and South Africa.
“Having industry specialists as mentors has been life changing. They teach us to think smart, to be creative, and to keep pursuing our dreams in this field,” said Akmaral Nurlibekkyzy, 18, Kazakhstan.
The innovative approach of blending traditional STEAM training with the dynamic and creative medium of video game development has increased participant retention rates by up to 40 per cent compared to standard programmes. The partnership between UNICEF and GVGC will build on these early results.
The Game Changers Coalition unites stakeholders with a shared commitment to closing gender gaps in tech and enhancing girls’ STEAM skills. Through the initiative, UNICEF is partnering with private companies, civil society organizations, governments, and young leaders to positively impact the lives of millions of girls around the world and shape the landscape of tech and video game industries that children and young people engage with every day.
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The Game Changers Coalition builds on UNICEF’s existing work of providing girls with digital and 21st century skills through its Skills4Girls initiative.
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
Find out more about UNICEF Office of Innovation at unicef.org/innovation.
About the Global Video Game Coalition
The Global Video Game Coalition (GVGC) serves as the voice and advocate for the global video game industry on video games and well-being. The GVGC is a coalition of national and regional trade associations representing innovative and creative video game publishers and developers from around the world. The GVGC seeks to cultivate a dialogue with public health policymakers about the mental, physical, and social benefits of video game play and the industry’s long-standing commitment to responsible game play. Visit thegvgc.org for more information.
For more information, please contact:
Yemi Lufadeju, Communications Manager, UNICEF Office of Innovation Email: glufadeju@unicef.org
Tatjana Sachse, Lead Spokesperson & Counsel for the Global Video Game Coalition Email: tsachse@sidley.com
