The WSIS Gender Caucus

The Gender Caucus of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was formed during the African Regional Preparatory Conference held in Bamako, Mali from May 25 to 30, 2002. It is composed of representatives of organisations that responded to an invitation by (UNIFEM) to contribute to ensuring that gender dimensions are included in the process of defining and creating a Global Information Society that contributes to sustainable development and human security. A multi-stakeholder group composed of women and men from national governments, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and the United Nations system created the caucus.

The 22 organisations currently involved in the WSIS Gender Caucus are:

  • ABANTU for Development
  • African Centre for Women, Information and Communications Technology (ACWICT)
  • African Connection Programme
  • African Information Society Gender Working Group (AIS-GWG)
  • Women's International Network of AMARC (AMARC-WIN)
  • AMARC Africa
  • Association for Progressive Communications (APC) Africa Women's Programme
  • AQ Solutions
  • Association of YAM-Bukri
  • Environment and Development Action (ENDA)
  • Gender Equity and Equality Project (GEEP)
  • The African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
  • Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
  • Network for the Defence of Independent Media in Africa (NDIMA)
  • Network of African Women Economists
  • United Nations Development Programme Sub-Regional Resource Facilities West Africa (UNDP/SURF West Africa)
  • United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
  • Unite d'appui au programme de la cooperation Canada-Malienne
  • WomensNet (SA)
  • Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
  • Zimbabwe Women's Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN)
  • Zimbabwe Ministry of Transport and Communications

Member-organisations of the WSIS Gender Caucus urge all stakeholders involved in preparation for the WSIS to enact the following key recommendations:

  • To commit to work in partnership, to ensure coordination, cooperation and collaboration in the development of a shared vision and common understanding of a World Information Society that contributes to sustainable human development based on agreed principles including recognition of women's human rights and right to communicate;
  • To commit to reducing the disparities that currently exist in access to and participation in the Information Society, particularly with respect to the widening gender digital divide;
  • To actively encourage, facilitate and support women's active participation in the Global Information Society;
  • To take forward all the recommendations made by the WSIS Gender Caucus at Bamako 2002 particularly in all of the preparatory processes for the WSIS 2003 and 2005;
  • To provide specific opportunities for the discussion and further elaboration of the issues raised and the recommendations made by the WSIS Gender Caucus to be included in the programme of activities planned for Geneva 2003 and Tunis 2005;
  • To commit to ensuring that ICTs be used as an effective tool in reaching collective goals of sustainable human development, including developing applications for health, education, security and reducing gender-based violence;
  • To ensure that all the proposed training and capacity development programmes to support developing countries' effective participation in the WSIS including the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) programme integrates appropriate consideration of the gender dimension and includes full participation of women;
  • To use a broad information dissemination programme that integrates radio, traditional media and other 'low-technology' applications to widely distribute the results of the discussions, and to invite broader participation in the development of a shared understanding and common vision;
  • To integrate programme development at the World Summit on the Information Society with the regional and global preparation for World Conference on Women (Beijing+10) and other sustainable development initiatives, particularly the WSSD; and
  • To actively engage in mobilising human and financial resources that are required to integrate efforts for reducing the gender digital divide into the work programme arising from the World Summit on the Information Society.

More information about the WSIS Gender Caucus can be viewed at http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/wsisgc.html.