International Experts Gather forWebinar on Women in STEM
High-profile international speakers gather to discuss existing issues, best practices andrecommendations to increase participation of women in STEMTokyo, Japan, February 7, 2023 - A free webinar titled “Women in STEM – An International Comparisonon Current Challenges and Opportunities” is set to take place on Wednesday March 1, 2023, in recognitionof International Women’s Day, organized by the Office of Global Communications at the Prime Minister’s
Office of Japan.

Increasing the participation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is aninternationally shared challenge. The most recent G7 Summit held in Germany in 2022 recognized theimportance of gender equality as well as digitalization. As one of the G7 nations, the Government of Japan
also understands the importance of increasing participation of women in STEM and raised this issue as
one of the topics at the World Assembly for Women (WAW!) – an annual international conference aimed
at promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment held in Tokyo in December 2022.
To further enhance the discussion held at the WAW! Conference ahead of Japan’s G7 presidency this year,
this webinar welcomes international experts in STEM as speakers. Guided by moderator Ms. Yumiko
Murakami, Dr. Nergis Mavalvala from MIT, Dr. Rie Kijima from University of Toronto, and Ms. Debora
Comini from UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific will be sharing their insights on thecurrent state of the following two main issues:
1) Low proportion of women who study STEM
2) Low participation of women in the STEM labor market
They will discuss their thoughts on possible causes of the above issues as well as the best practices toaddress them. The discussion will provide the speakers and more so the audience with valuable crossborder insights and introduce them to different initiatives and programs in STEM.
This webinar will aim to develop initial recommendations on how educational institutions, internationalorganizations and the private sector can work together to address these international challenges.

1The Japanese Government welcomes audiences across the world from all sectors and of all ages, including
students, to participate. The webinar will also include a Q&A session, providing an opportunity for theaudience to ask questions directly to the panelists.
Webinar details
Title:
Date:/Time:“Women in STEM – An International Comparison on Current Challenges andOpportunities”
March 1, 2023
08:00 EST/14:00 CET/22:00 JST - 09:15 EST/15:15 CET/23:15 JSTSpeakers:• Yumiko Murakami, General Partner at MPower Partners (Moderator)• Dr. Nergis Mavalvala, Dean, MIT School of Science/ Marble Professor of Astrophysics• Dr. Rie Kijima, Co-founder, SKY Labo/Assistant Professor, University of Toronto• Debora Comini, Director at the Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific UNICEF
Program:1) Presentation from each speaker 2) Panel discussion 3) Q&A sessionPlace:
Online - zoom (Available via PC and mobile devices)
Language:
EnglishOrganizer:
The Office of Global Communication, Prime Minister’s Office of Japan
Cost:
Free of charge
Registration: Please access the following URL to register:
http://bit.ly/3Rfkm7E
About the speakers
Yumiko Murakami
General Partner at MPower Partners (Moderator)
Yumiko is the former head of the OECD Tokyo Centre. Prior to the OECD, she worked
for 20 years in the global financial industry, mostly as a Managing Director at Goldman
Sachs in New York, London and Tokyo. She is a leading authority on a wide range ofeconomic policy issues such as corporate governance, tax guidelines, diversity,education, trade and innovation.
She sits on several Government advisory panels, including Prime Minister Kishida’spanel on “the New Form of Capitalism”. Yumiko has an MBA from Harvard Business School, MA from
Stanford University and BA from Sophia University.
Dr. Nergis Mavalvala
Dean, MIT School of Science/Curtis (1963) and Kathleen Marble Professor ofAstrophysics
Dr. Nergis Mavalvala is an award-winning Pakistani-American physicist, a pioneer inthe detection of gravitational waves and of quantum measurement science. She is alongtime member of the scientific team behind the Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory (LIGO), which in 2016 detected the gravitational waves resulting
from colliding black holes. For her groundbreaking research, Mavalvala has received
numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship and the Gruber Prize in Cosmology. She is a fellowof the American Physical Society and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Mavalvala is an outspoken voice for equality and women’s access to education; she is also a dedicatedmentor and a role model for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2014, she was honored as the LGBTQ Scientist ofthe Year by the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals.

2Dr. Rie Kijima
Co-founder, SKY Labo/Assistant Professor and Director of Initiative for Education
Policy and Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University ofToronto
Dr. Kijima’s research addresses topics such as international assessments, education
reforms, gender and STEAM learning. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. from Stanford
University, and her B.A. from International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan.
She has worked at aid agencies such as the World Bank and Japan International
Cooperation Agency. At the World Bank, she was an education consultant specializing in monitoring andevaluation. She helped advance equity-focused education projects in Morocco, Tunisia, Vietnam, and Laos.
Debora Comini
Director, UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific
Debora Comini is the UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, based inBangkok, Thailand since November 2021 and is responsible for programme coherence
and advocacy for UNICEF across the region. UNICEF has 14 country offices in the East
Asia and the Pacific region: Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,Mongolia, Myanmar, Pacific Islands (based in Fiji), Papua New Guinea, the Philippines,Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam.
Ms. Comini started her UNICEF career in 1991 in UNICEF Headquarters, New York, and held several senior
positions including UNICEF Representative in Indonesia, UNICEF Representative in Cambodia, andUNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Latin America & Caribbean among others. On secondment to theResident Coordinator system, she also held the UNRC and UNDP Resident Representative position inMongolia.
She holds a MA in Economics from Columbia University, New York, and a BSc in Economics fromUniversity College London. Ms. Comini is a national of Italy.
Media Contact
Kekst CNC
Ai Saito/Sawaka Romaine/Teruka Katayama
pmo.japan@kekstcnc.com

3