The International Telecommunications Union on Tuesday gave recognition to individuals and agencies that have promoted women’s presence in information, communication and technology industries.

The ITU had picked 37 finalists from around 360 candidates recommended by 74 countries for the awards ― the first of their kind ― given in seven categories. The Gender Equality and Mainstreaming Tech Award “seeks to create a platform for advancing women’s meaningful engagement with ICTs and their role as decision-makers and producers within this sector,” according to the ITU.

Winners included UNESCO, iMerit Technology Services from India, Britain-based BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, the Research Center for Feminist Action of the Dominican Republic, and Telecentre.org Foundation from the Philippines. (Yonhap)