New York, 20–21 September 2024: Professor Akiko Yamanaka, Special Adviser to the President of ERIA, and Dr Giulia Ajmone Marsan, Head of Startups and Inclusion at ERIA, participated in the Summit of the Future at the UN Headquarters in New York.

During the event, Prof. Yamanaka and Dr Ajmone Marsan met with Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support at UN Women, and Paivi Kannisto, Chief of the Peace, Security, and Resilience Section at UN Women, to discuss collaborations related to ERIA’s recently launched projects on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) and Women in the Digital Economy (WDE).

Additionally, they attended the UN Summit of the Future Action Days Side Event titled ‘Fostering Digital Cooperation for Prosperity’, hosted by the Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) and several of its member countries. Prof. Yamanaka delivered a keynote speech on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) and Women in the Digital Economy (WDE): An Age of Balance, underscoring the importance of women's participation in the digital economy as a catalyst for peace, security, inclusion, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event was opened by DCO Secretary-General Deemah Al Yahya, with the first keynote address delivered by Dr Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus. Other participants included senior representatives from UN agencies, private sector organisations involved in the digital economy, and representatives from organisations supporting innovation and digital ecosystems in emerging countries.