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Digital technologies - the Internet and mobile phones among
others - are vital for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The
Networked Economies program of Canada’s International Development Research
Centre has supported research that has demonstrated that under the right
conditions, digital technologies contribute to achieving the SDG targets by
fostering economic growth, improving governance, and delivering better outcomes
in education and health. At the same time the positive effects of digital innovation
can be too easily counteracted by technologies’ role in amplifying economic and
social inequalities. For instance, women and girls in the developing world
often do not have the skills to use, nor equal levels of access to, digital tools.
This not only entrenches the significant wage gaps that already exist, but also
means that women will struggle to harness 21st century employment opportunities
as more jobs move online. A deeper emerging problem is that women who do
acquire online skills and access often face severe harassment – as targets for
online “trolls” who seek to shame, taunt and marginalize female voices. The
digital bias is compounded by the fact that women are underrepresented in
fields such as computer science and engineering which shape the design of
technologies. Ensuring women contribute in these spaces means technological
innovations will be designed with their needs in mind, for instance to counter
bias or harassment, to provide information on better sanitation, or to support
flexible work. The goal of the NE program is to understand how digital
innovation in developing and middle income countries can support inclusive
economic opportunities and democracy. The program aims to deliver on this goal
by improving the governance of cyberspace; connecting people in the global
South to the online sphere and economic opportunities; and by testing and
scaling digital innovations to improve entrepreneurship, education, and
democracy. The program aims to support better gender-related outcomes
through technology and development in three related areas: 1) Enhancing pro-women policies and rights online; 2) Improving governance and creating economic opportunities
that empower women by testing and scaling digital innovations; and 3) Improving access to technology and the skills needed to
create and innovate. This document outlines current projects that support these
efforts to support the achievement of SDG 5 through the Internet.
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