----- Original Message -----
From: Susana Fernandez <sfernandez@genderwsis.org>
To: <rikp@bluewin.ch>; <dbenamrane@yahoo.com>;
<ecarll@optonline.net>; <kend@easterndoor.com>;
<alalegre@fma.ph>; <westasiaregion@hotmail.com>;
<frau-meigs@univ-paris3.fr>
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 12:03 AM
Subject: WSIS-Gender Caucus e-discussion: Gender issues
in the Tunis Phase
Dear all,
I'm writing to all those who are listed on wsis-cs.org
website listing of caucus focal points:
http://www.wsis-cs.org/caucuses.html to encourage you
to participate in the below email-based discussion forum
on identifying and integrating gender perspectives into
the WSIS deliberations.
I would appreciate it if you could disseminate this
information to your respective regional caucuses,
thematic caucuses and working groups' subscribers.
Best regards,
Susana Fernandez
WSIS Gender Caucus
sfernandez@genderwsis.org
www.genderwsis.org
Dear Colleagues, Partners and Friends,
The WSIS Gender Caucus is organizing an email-based
discussion to identify the relevant issues and develop
methods and strategies for integrating gender
perspectives into the WSIS deliberations at PrepCom3 in
September and the Tunis Summit in November.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
==========================
This discussion, organized and moderated under the
Electronic Networking Project component of the WSIS
Gender Caucus, will be for a period of three weeks, from
July 25th to August 13th 2005.
This online discussion is aimed at furthering the
efforts of the Gender Caucus to integrate gender
perspectives and concerns into the WSIS deliberations,
and to further explore the concrete measures that will
enable us to achieve this integration.
As we move towards Tunis 2005, we call for your
participation to help create a collective understanding
of gender perspectives in four critical areas:
1.. Internet Governance:
There is a general agreement that we need to adopt a
multi-stakeholder approach to Internet Governance. The
recently released WGIG report also underscores the
importance of gender balanced representation in all
aspects of Internet Governance, if we are to have a
system that is equitable and democratic. In addition,
the gendered construction of all technology makes it
imperative that we embed gender concerns in the
evolution of the Internet. Hence it is vital that we
engage in the current debates on a multi-lateral vs.
multi-stakeholder approach, and public versus private
leadership in Internet Governance. These issues are
raised in the WGIG report and will form the backdrop of
our discussions as the report raises many questions -
How does Internet Governance concern the interests of
women? What do gender equality advocates think about
these issues? What are the important issues related to
Internet Governance with which gender equality advocates
and women's rights activists must be engaged?
2.. Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and WSIS:
Many argue that the WSIS process reflects a strong
technologically deterministic approach to development.
If they are correct, then we have to work to bring the
development focus back into WSIS. Some suggest that an
MDG focus, for which the WSIS was in fact mandated by
the UN General Assembly, is a good peg to achieve this.
However, there are others who feel that such a focus on
MDGs is limiting and constraining on ICTD opportunities
presented by WSIS. Such debates raise interesting
questions - Do investments in technology and structural
changes implied in ICTD frameworks provide a new way to
look at global debates on development priorities and
development assistance? Can MDGs be achieved without
such investments in enabling technologies and consequent
structural changes? Are such opportunities for
structural and institutional change the best time to get
gender perspectives and concerns considered?
3.. Funding and Financing Mechanisms for ICTD:
Markets and the private sector have rightly taken much
of the credit for the ICT revolution. The question
however, is - Are current free market mechanisms
adequate to take the benefit of ICTs to everyone,
especially disadvantaged groups, such as women? What is
the correct role of public institutions? To provide a
regulatory environment that enables private investment
to meet goals of social equity? What is the role of
public and community finance in providing for not just
cheap/free connectivity but also appropriate technology
(telecom, software, hardware) and capacity? Does the
basic technology infrastructure and capabilities
represent a global public good, like education, that
needs to be provided to all as a public responsibility?
Or will such efforts of extensive public investments
undercut the innovation-incentive system represented by
market-based strategies, and thus be counter productive?
How are issues of costs and coverage of rural/far flung
areas of special significance for women? How critical
are interoperability and interconnection of
infrastructure at regional, sub regional and national
levels for reducing cost of access?
4.. Implementation and Follow-up of WSIS:
For gender equality advocates it has been easy to adopt
a gender sensitive approach at the level of ideals and
principles. But it seems that there is a difficulty in
successfully integrating this approach into specific
plans of action. In the WSIS documents, as one moves
from the preambles and opening statements through the
plans of actions and on to actual implementation, the
references to the lofty ideals of gender equality
rapidly diminish. It is therefore important for us to
discuss which organizations should play a pivotal role
in the implementation stage, and which other
organizations should play necessary supplementing roles?
Which ones are poised to take up the responsibility, and
what is their record on gender issues? Which ones can be
expected to represent the interests of women better/
what should be the role of specialized agencies
representing women's interests like the UNIFEM? What
principles should be laid down to ensure a gender-equal
representation in any multi-stakeholder body, which will
have an implementation/ follow up role?
WHAT DO WE WANT TO ACHIEVE
=============================
Our discussions have a two-fold objective:
1) We hope that this discussion will enable us to
identify, discuss and integrate gender perspectives into
the upcoming WSIS deliberations in Geneva (prepcom 3)
and Tunis.
2) We would like to create a space for wider
participation of women in the WSIS process
We hope that our discussions will provide us with deep
and significant insights that will enable the Gender
Caucus to develop well-articulated position papers on
crucial issues at stake at WSIS which can be used for
advocacy-based activities at WSIS.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
===================
Joining this discussion list is very easy!
Just send a blank email to mailadmin@genderwsis.org
You will automatically be subscribed to the 4 discussion
lists running concurrently (one for each theme namely,
Internet governance; Millennium Development Goals and
WSIS; Funding and Financing Mechanisms for ICTD;
Implementation and Follow-up of WSIS). Subscription may
take up to 24 hours to be finalized. Please do not sign
up more than once.
CONTACT US
============
The discussions are being moderated. Your email will
not immediately be posted to the list. Please do not
send multiple copies.
If you face any subscription problem, please contact the
WSIS Gender Caucus EN team at en@genderwsis.org
For more information about the Gender Caucus, visit the
WSIS Gender Caucus website www.genderwsis.org
We would be grateful if you could help us disseminate
this call for participation to your networks,
organizations or to individuals that may be interested
to engage in these issues.
Thank you, and looking forward to some interesting and
useful discussions soon.
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