A wide range of freely accessible digital and online technology has opened many doors to creative problem solving, career development, and management of our day-to-day activities.
The role of women in sustainable development is significant in achieving meaningful social and economic growth. For this reason, the UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC) puts equal importance to gender mainstreaming in the selection of game-changing and transformative ocean innovations.
The OIC and the ocean innovators are helping women in various communities and sectors have better access to and become more confident to venture into digital technology by enhancing their knowledge and skills.
Every 8 March, the world celebrates International Women's Day (IWD). The United Nations Observance of IWD recognizes and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education. The theme for the celebration in 2023 “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” aligns with the theme from the 67th session on the Commission on the Status of Women. IWD 2023 explored the impact of the digital gender gap on the widening economic and social inequalities.
Fisheries is a unique sector for women, especially in small scale fisheries. Women consist half of the overall workforce where they are involved in critical roles throughout the fisheries and aquaculture value chains, according to the FAO.
In Senegal’s artisanal fisheries, “at least 7,000 work as wholesale fish traders and processors,” comprising the 32% workforce in the country, according to USAID. Similarly, in Ghana, women in fisheries also make up 40% of the workforce. The fisheries sector in West Africa is a key livelihood for women where most of them are fish processors, and majority are even fish buyers and traders.
Women in Peru’s fisheries supply chains are not only processors but are also ship owners, fish landing site weighers, and intermediaries.
In the Maldives, women have been processing and selling fish products for decades. Through the ocean innovation being implemented by the International Pole and Line Foundation in the Maldives, women in Gemanafushi are now exploring how digital technologies can enhance business operations, facilitate financial management, and support expansion of their work in the long term.
In Mexico, the women in the cooperatives that ocean innovator SmartFish Rescate de Valor AC are working with, are taking advantage of opportunities to engage in the seafood supply chain and learn new skills. They have very quickly learned to operate and use technological hardware and software and have become champions of digital tools in their fisher organizations. In the next two years, they will be involved in the use of digital tools for reporting and monitoring harvests, registering income and expenses, tracking inventories and offering buyers traceability.
The men and women of UNDP ocean innovations are working closely with local organizations and communities in developing countries and small islands states in implementing innovations that address marine plastics, nutrient pollution, and sustainable fisheries. In the fisheries supply chain, ocean innovators catalyze the importance of women's role, not only because they are the majority in terms of number, but because women can be a powerhouse if given the equal and supporting environment they need.
The women contributing to the Plastics Policy Inventory, including policy researchers and academics, students, and leaders in civil society and advocacy groups, are brave and bright. They do not shy away from the complexity and nuance of the plastics issue and prioritize long-term-benefits over short-term gains. These women work to ensure that the way they deliver information is accessible to wide audiences.
Women are enthusiastic to empower and develop their capacity as soon as they become aware that by protecting and advocating for the environment, they are protecting themselves, their families and communities now and into the future.
To accelerate gender equality, our women Ocean Innovators share three practical tips on how we can support the evolving needs, values and capabilities of women.
Education is key. We are entitled to improve skills in technology as men and to have access to digital solutions that address our specific needs.
With enhanced knowledge and digital skills, we have the potential to expand our power and role and even thrive in a home-based production economy, such as for those in the fisheries supply chain and innovative entreprises.
Stay up-to-date and get as much information needed to better support us in our field. We must check and participate in skills-building workshops and continue engaging in informal discussions with the community to be empowered and better understand how to develop and maximize the use of meaningful technology.
Learn from each other. Collective inputs and knowledge from fellow women in the same field are also vital in generating a clear picture of our community’s strengths and needs to be able to provide useful analysis for effective policymaking.
This digital revolution is giving us an opportunity that women did not have before. Open access and technology allow us to educate ourselves and also to demonstrate that gender is no reason not to reach the top.
DIANA MARIA CUESTA GOMEZ, Project Manager of Ficosterra's NUTRIALGAE innovation and marine biologist with a Ph.D in Aquaculture
New techie tools are for us women too. Let us maximize our smartphones, computers and cameras. This digital revolution is giving us an opportunity that we did not have before. We now have open access to vast and up-to-date information, and limitless opportunities that can dramatically improve our work, manage our time better, and even create new economic opportunities.
Remember, we can use these tools to suit our needs especially in improving our productivity and efficiency to fulfill our daily roles. At the end of the day, these tools will allow us to have more quality time and to dedicate free time doing things that give us pleasure and happiness.
“We must use technology to improve our work, be more productive and efficient. Doing so will allow us to have more quality time, and to dedicate free time doing things that give us pleasure and happiness.”
VIRGINIA CARVAHLO, Doctor in Sustainable Chemistry and AquaInSilico's Project Engineer and Specialist in biological processes for wastewater treatment
We must work collectively to ensure equal access and skills. Building a community together and creating safe spaces with each other is a great way that we can ask for and provide support to speak safely and freely, and even share similar challenges in the work that we do. Let us not be afraid to reach out. Finding our support system, surrounding ourselves with other women that share our passion, and working with our male allies can guide and give us access to new opportunities.
The way others treat me is not a reflection of my worth nor my ability to do my job. Reminding myself this is not easy and a constant work in progress. I find allyship in peers who do respect me, and take it day by day!
RACHEL KARASIK, Policy Analyst for the Global Plastics Policy Inventory of Duke University, and applied social science researcher and policy advisor focusing on plastic and coastal resilience
We express our gratitude to the enthusiastic and inspiring ocean innovators for their valuable contributions to this story and in saving our oceans.
Cecilia Blasco (Smartfish Rescate de Valor AC); Virginia Carvalho (AquaInsilico); Diana Cuesta (Ficosterra); Raffaella Guida (Surrey Space Center); Miren Gutierrez (ODI); Shannon Hardisty (Yayasan IPNLF Indonesia); Rachel Karasik (Duke University); Aimee Leslie (WWF Peru); Ubaida Raheema (IPNLF Maldives); Susana Segurado (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership); Larissa Kunstel-Tabet (SafetyNet Technologies).
To know more about UNDP ocean innovations, visit: https://oceaninnovationchallenge.org/ocean-innovators
© 2026 UNDP Water and Ocean Programme
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