Archived Newsroom • Communiqué |
|
Partners launch action plan to close digital gender gap
Women’s participation in digital society integral to achieving Agenda 2030
New York, 15 December
2015 – An
‘Action Plan to Close the Digital Gender Gap’
was launched today at a side event on “Women's
Empowerment in the Digital Age” during the
High-Level Meeting of the World Summit of the
Information Society currently taking place in New
York (WSIS+10). It was co-organized by ITU and the
governments of Costa Rica, Sweden, Switzerland,
Tunisia and the United States, together with UN
Women, Microsoft, Mozilla and the Association for
Progressive Communication.
The Action Plan sets out a framework for critical actions
to foster and accelerate inclusive and sustainable development by closing the
digital gender gap and harness the transformative potential of ICTs for women’s
empowerment. Women’s equal and meaningful participation in the digital society
is seen as both integral to the realization of women’s rights in the 21st
century, as well as the realization of a just, inclusive and rights-based
information society aimed at achieving global objectives around gender equality
and women’s empowerment by 2030.
The WSIS+10 Outcome documents places a specific emphasis
on the digital gender divide and voices concern that only 41 per cent of women
have Internet access. These factors persist in denying access to ICTs as well as
to ICT education, employment and other economic and social development
opportunities. Additionally, the Outcome documents state that ending the gender
digital divide and achievement of gender equality (SDG-5) are mutually
reinforcing efforts, and commits to mainstream gender in the WSIS process.
“The Action Plan launched today at ITU’s side event is a
concrete step towards achieving gender equality among Internet users by 2020,”
said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “This will significantly enhance women’s
and girls’ education and participation in ICTs as users, content creators
employees, entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders.”
The Action Plan to Close the Gender Gap focuses on
key areas:
- Develop gender responsive strategies and
policies
- Ensure access to ICTs by women and girls
and mitigating or responding the threats online that hinder
women’s access to and use of technology
- Build digital capacities of girls and
women and support development of content, applications and
services that meet women’s needs
- Promoting women in the technology sector,
including into positions of decision-making
- Establish multi-stakeholder partnerships
to advance women's empowerment within the Information Society
and strengthen international cooperation
Note: the archived webcast of the special
#WSIS10 session can be accessed
here.
For more information, please contact
Paul Conneally
Head, Corporate Communications, ITU
About ITU...
|