WORLD SUMMIT OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY DECEMBER 2003, GENEVA

GOVT/UN and UN AGENCIES CIVIL SOCIETY PRIVATE SECTOR UN, CIVIL SOCIETY AND PRIVATE SECTOR PREPARATORY PROCESSES FOR WSIS

WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY Dec CIVIL SOCIETY CIVIL SOCIETY CIVIL SOCIETY PREPCOM I PREPCOM II PREPCOM III July 1-5, 2002Feb , 2003Sep PARALLEL AND SHARED PLANNING MEETINGS A. PREPCOMS WSIS GENDER CAUCUS NGO GENDER STRATEGIES WORKING GROUP

MIDDLE EAST GOVTS N.AMERICA AND EUROPE GOVTS ASIA/PACIFIC GOVTS L.AMERICA/ CARIBBEAN GOVTS AFRICAN GOVTS REGIONAL MEETINGS B. REGIONAL MTGS BAMAKO, MALI, MAY 25-30, 2002 WSIS GENDER CAUCUS FORMED BUCHAREST, ROMANIA, NOVEMBER 7-9, 2002 TOKYO, JAPAN, JAN , 2003 BAVARO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, JAN , 2003 BEIRUT, LEBANON, FEB. 4-6, 2003

WSIS GENDER CAUCUS -MULTI-STAKEHOLDER- THE WSIS GENDER CAUCUS IS A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER GROUP CONSISTING OF MEN AND WOMEN FROM NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS, NGOS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND THE UN SYSTEM. THIS CAUCUS WAS FORMED DURING THE AFRICAN REGIONAL PREPARATORY CONFERENCE IN BAMAKO, MALI, MAY THE WSIS GENDER CAUCUS AFFIRMS ITS SUPPORT FOR WSIS AND COMMITS ITS WORK TOWARDS THE GOALS OF WSIS BY SHARING INFORMATION AND IDEAS ON STRATEGIES FOR INCLUDING GENDER EQUALITY GOALS AND ENSURING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN THE WSIS PROCESS.

NGO GENDER STRATEGIES WORKING GROUP THIS IS A FORMATION OF WOMEN’S INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE COME TOGETHER TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR GENDER ADVOCACY WITHIN THE WSIS CONTEXT AND OTHER RELATED ISSUES. THIS GROUP IS DISTINCT FROM, THOUGH ALIGNED WITH, THE WSIS GENDER CAUCUS. MULTI-STAKEHOLDER GENDER CAUCUSNGO GENDER STRATEGIES WG WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP TO GET GENDER ON THE WSIS AGENDA

OBJECTIVES AND MANDATE THIS GROUP IS SPECIFICALLY INTERESTED IN: ENSURING THAT ALL NGO DOCUMENTS AND STATEMENTS INCLUDE GENDER CONCERNS AND A GENDER PERSPECTIVE THROUGHOUT RAISING THE SPECIFIC CONCERNS THAT WOMEN’S NGOs MIGHT HAVE IN RELATION TO CIVIL SOCIETY PROCESSES AND AVENUES FOR PARTICIPATION PARTICIPATING IN BOTH CIVIL SOCIETY PLENARY AND WSIS GENDER CAUCUS IN THEIR LOBBYING AND ADVOCACY EFFORTS RAISING AWARENESS WITHIN THE WIDER WOMEN’S MOVEMENT CONTEXT ABOUT WSIS AND THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION CONCERNS THAT SHOULD BE ADVOCATED FOR BY WOMEN’S MOVEMENT ACTORS. NGO GENDER STRATEGIES WORKING GROUP

ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN DEVELOPMENT (AWID), INTERNATIONAL FORUM, GUADELAJARA, MEXICO, OCT. 3-6, 2002 UN EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON GENDER AND ICTS, SEOUL, KOREA, NOVEMBER 11-15, 2002 FEMINIST ENCUENTRO, COSTA RICA, DECEMBER, 2002 UN COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN, MAJOR THEME: GENDER AND ICTS, MARCH 3-14, 2003 GLOBAL COMMUNITIES CONGRESS, MONTREAL, CANADA, OCTOBER 7-14, 2002 UN EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON WOMEN AND MEDIA, BEIRUT, LEBANON, NOVEMBER 12-16, 2002 NGO GENDER STRATEGIES IN AN EFFORT TO OPEN UP THE DISCUSSION OF IDEAS AND STRATEGIES AROUND GENDER AND THE INFORMATION SOCIETY, WORKSHOPS AND/OR PANELS HAVE TAKEN, OR WILL TAKE PLACE AT:

AT PREPCOM 1, JULY 2002, THERE WERE NO DECISIONS TAKEN ON THE THEMES OF THE SUMMIT. HOWEVER, THERE APPEAR TO BE 4 CORE ISSUES ON WHICH MOST GOVERNMENTS WISHED TO WORK….. UPDATE! E-LEARNING, ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ISSUES. E-GOVERNMENT, GOVERNANCE ISSUES: HOW INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE USED BY GOVERNMENT AND CITIZENS TO SECURE TRANSPARENT GOVERNANCE, ACCESS TO COMMUNITY INFORMATION, IMPROVE CITIZEN’ PARTICIPATION AND DIMINISH BUREACRACY

E-INCLUSION, BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE : ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION FOR ALL ISSUES: APPLICATIONS OF ICTS IN DAILY LIFE, WORK AND E-HEALTH. FUNDAMENTAL IN THIS REGARD ARE GENDER ISSUES, AFFORDABILITY OF ICTS SERVICES AND DEVELOPMENT OF ADEQUATE CONTENT. ICTs AND NETWORK SECURITY ISSUES: ESTABLISHMENT OF EMERGENCY SYSTEMS AND COLLABORATION AMONG COUNTRIES ON NETWORK SECURITY. ELECTRONIC SECURITY. FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION UPDATE (continued)

A POSSIBLE FIFTH THEME? GENDER IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY (From the Beijing Platform for Action: Section J) Strategic Objective J.1: Increase the participation and access of women to expression and decision-making in and through the media and new technologies of communication. Support women’s education, training and employment to promote and ensure women’s equal access to all areas and levels of the media Promote women’s full and equal participation in the media, including management, programming, education, training and research Encourage the participation of women in the development of professional guidelines and codes of conduct or other appropriate self-regulatory mechanisms to promote balanced and non-stereotyped portrayals of women by the media. Encourage and recognize women’s media networks, including electronic networks and other new technologies of communication, as a means for the dissemination of infor- mation and the exchange of views…

Gender in the Information Society GENDER INPUT GENDER INPUT GENDER INPUT GENDER INPUT TO SUMMARIZE: GENDER INPUT INTEGRATED INTO ALL PARTS OF THE WSIS POLICY DOCUMENT 5

3 4 GENDER INPUT GENDER INPUT GENDER INPUT GENDER INPUT THIS WILL INEVITABLY CHANGE THE SHAPE OF THE DOCUMENT…. Gender in the Information Society

INFORMAL SESSION ON CONTENT AND THEMES HELD SEPTEMBER IN GENEVA A CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT WAS PREPARED AND DELIVERED TO THE INFORMAL SESSION. BREAKING NEWS!!

KEY AMONGST THE POINTS IN THE STATEMENT CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT MUST BE THE BASIS FOR WSIS. THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SOCIETY MUST NECESSARILY HAVE PEOPLE AT ITS CENTER.

CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT (cont.) CROSS-CUTTING THEMES INCLUDED 1. BRIDGING DIVIDES AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SOCIETY AND 2. GENDER PERSPECTIVES : IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MILLENNIUM DECLARATION, THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DESCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN, THE BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS ADOPTED BY THE UN, THE WSIS MUST ADDRESS GENDER PERSPECTIVES WITHIN THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SOCIETY IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE AGENDA.

FOCUSED ON THE BROAD THEMES OF REDUCING GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND IMPROVING PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SOCIETY, CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING FOR WOMEN, AND THE USE OF ICTS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE. CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT (cont.) GENDER PERSPECTIVES

SUPPORTING WIDE PARTICIPATION BY WOMEN ICT SPECIALISTS IN POLICY AND DECISION-MAKING AT ALL LEVELS IN THE ICT SECTOR ; SUPPORTING WOMEN’S GREATER ACCESS AND CONTROL OVER RESOURCES NECESSARY FOR THEIR EMPOWERMENT; ENCOURAGING WOMEN TO EXPLORE THE CONVERGENCE BETWEEN CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL FORMS OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE TECHNOLOGIES CURRENTL AVAILABLE; SPECIFIC THEMES INCLUDE : GENDER PERSPECTIVES CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT (cont.)

ENHANCING THE POSSIBILITIES OF WOMEN AT ALL LEVELS UTILIZING ICT TOOLS TO TRANSFORM GENDER HEIRARCHIES IN SOCIETY AND TO CHALLENGE STEREOTYPED ROLES THAT THEY ARE EXPECTED TO FULFILL; USING NEW AND ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ICTS TO COUNTER THE NEGATIVE PORTRAYALS OF WOMEN IN THE MEDIA, EXAMINING AND ADDRESSING OLD AND NEW FORMS OF EXPLOITATION AND VILENCE AGIANST WOMEN IN THE INFORATION AND COMMUNICATION SOCIETY. GENDER PERSPECTIVES CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT (cont.)

TRAINING/ EDUCATION RIGHT TO COMMUNICATE OWNERSHIP AND CONTROL ACCESS BY REGION BY ISSUE WOMEN WORLDWIDE ARE DISCUSSING GENDER INPUT INTO THE POLICY DOCUMENT…….

* e-governance * distance learning * telecommunications * e-commerce ….IN FULL RECOGNITION THAT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY ARE BROAD AND MULTI-FACETED, INCLUDING SUCH AREAS AS: * e-empowerment!

A GENDER PERSPECTIVE IS THEREFORE IMPERATIVE AT ALL LEVELS AND IN ALL ISSUES AND THEMES

THIS PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY: Anne S.Walker, International Women’s Tribune Centre, and Karen Banks APC/Women’s Networking Support Programme For the NGO Gender Strategies Working Group UPDATED JANUARY 2003