Women Building Digital: The GovStack Women in GovTech Challenge
About the Session
Over the past three cohorts, the GovStack Women in GovTech Challenge has evolved beyond a training programme into a growing global community of practitioners, mentors, policymakers, and ecosystem actors committed to advancing inclusive digital transformation.
The initiative has demonstrated the importance of creating spaces where women working in GovTech and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) can build technical knowledge, exchange implementation experiences, strengthen peer networks, and engage with global experts and institutions. At the same time, the experience of previous cohorts has highlighted a growing need to sustain engagement beyond programme cycles and create more structured pathways for collaboration, mentorship, implementation, and leadership.
As governments increasingly invest in digital transformation and DPI, there is a parallel need to ensure that these systems are designed in a people-centred, inclusive, and rights-based manner. This requires not only technical expertise, but also diverse leadership, collaborative governance models, and sustained communities of practice that can bridge policy, implementation, and local realities.
Building on the momentum of the GovStack Women in GovTech Challenge, this session aims to explore how mentorship, peer learning, strategic partnerships, and collaborative ecosystem approaches can contribute to sustaining inclusive digital transformation efforts globally. The session will combine strategic dialogue with an interactive co-creation workshop, positioning alumni not only as programme participants, but as emerging leaders and facilitators within the global GovTech and DPI ecosystem.
The session aims to:
● Showcase the impact and evolution of the Women in GovTech Challenge,
● Highlight alumni as emerging leaders and mentors in GovTech ecosystems,
● Foster dialogue between alumni, partners, donors, and ecosystem actors,
● Create a participatory space to collaboratively explore people-centred and inclusive DPI implementation approaches.
Partners: GIZ, ITU, UN-ODET, The World Bank