Gender and ICT

Global Forum, Monterrey, Mexico, 2-4 September
Main ideas:
-Gender as a cross-cutting theme should be integrated in all GAID lines of action and all CoEs. This requires concrete actions .
-There is a need to “join forces among organizations working in gender and ICT and other players included in the development of the Information Society ” to avoid duplication of efforts and advance from local experiences to regional and global projects.
- This should be done step by step, using local experiences as good examples to move forwards.
-Gender has to be understood as a social relation involving both women and men. However due to historical and political reasons the gender perspective has been mainly focus on empowering girls and women, but this approach is changing.
- It is important to address gender issues within a life time approach from childhood to adult life.
- Gender and ICT need to be framed within a citizenship, and development approach , taking into consideration local needs and resources .
-Not only there is a need to assure universal access for girls and women to ICT but promote its strategic use , and encourage them to be creators of local content ,innovative knowledge and gender friendly technology.
- One line of action should be to encourage and support women in the technological industry. Support their career development and take advantage of their experience in decision making positions to act as role models of young women and influence policy makers .
Proposals
- Regional and national centers working on gender and IS should be promoted and supported.
-Those centers might elaborate “umbrella” research and action programs based in collaborative and comparative projects with the participation of different countries and regions
- GAID as a channel to influence public policies should advocate for gender equity in all events and debates
- The group proposed that ITF should collect best practices as well as success stories of women and organizations working on women/ gender and ICT in all regions and disseminate it widely