OECD Forum on Gender Equality: 

Building on the success of its inaugural 2024 edition, which addressed gender equality in the context of major global transitions, the 2026 OECD Forum on Gender Equality will focus on harnessing digital transformation to advance gender equality and ensure that its benefits are shared by all. Discussions will examine how digital technologies, data, and artificial intelligence are reshaping economies and societies, highlighting both the opportunities they create for women’s empowerment and the risks of reinforcing existing inequalities. The Forum will explore forward-looking policies and innovative approaches to better align digital and gender strategies, strengthen online safety, and support inclusive, people-centred digital transformation that fosters stronger economic growth and social cohesion. As digital transformation accelerates across all aspects of economic and social life, gender inequalities remain a critical challenge. Women and girls continue to face structural barriers in accessing digital skills, quality jobs, leadership opportunities and technology-enabled services, while being disproportionately exposed to online harms and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Without deliberate, gender-responsive action, the digital transformation risks deepening exclusion, discrimination, and unequal care burdens. In this context of rapid technological change and global uncertainty, the Forum will underscore the importance of coherent, evidence-based policies to ensure that digital transformation contributes to more inclusive, resilient, and equitable societies.