Page 58 - Connecting cities and communities with the Sustainable Development Goals

United for Smart Sustainable Cities
Connecting cities and communities with the Sustainable Development Goals

1 Introduction

1.1 Background
Since the inception of their joint campaign in 2011, ITU and Telecentre Foundation (TCF) have been
promoting digital literacy for women and girls. Although the Digital Literacy Campaign was launched before
36
the setting of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is able to effectively cater to SDG 5 , which
specifically calls for enhancing the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications
technology (ICT), to promote the empowerment of women (target 5B).

1.2 Challenge and response

As is observed in target 5B of the SDGs, ICT’s potential as a tool for the promotion of gender equality and the
empowerment of women is well recognized. However, there remains a gender divide, with women having
limited access to technology when compared to men. If this gender divide persists, there is a risk that this
may exacerbate existing inequalities.
In line with the above, ITU’s and TCF’s Digital Literacy Campaign intends to expand on the gender dimensions
of ICTs, while improving its access and use for women and creating capacity-building opportunities. This is
expected to boost employment for women and in the process serve as a powerful catalyst for social
empowerment and promote gender equality.

2 The project

2.1 Vision and Implementation

As mentioned above, the Digital Literacy Campaign launched by ITU and TCF is a global campaign which aims
to empower women by making them digitally literate. The required digital literacy training provided through
this campaign creates the required channels for the acquisition of necessary skills that are needed to operate
in a broadband environment, including financial literacy skills, as well as career training and ICT-enabled
career training. Such training will empower women and enable them to set up online businesses or enhance
their livelihood and economic activity using other forms of ICTs.

For the purpose of this campaign, a range of training materials to promote women’s digital literacy and the
use of ICTs to promote women’s economic activities have been developed.
The Digital Literacy Campaign is supported by a global network of partners in approximately 86 countries
worldwide, covering different regions. This campaign also facilitates access to information and training for
women and offers a world of new opportunities through technologies which were previously unavailable to
them.

2.2 Outcomes

The Digital Literacy Campaign is known to have served and trained 1.3 million women. What sets this
campaign apart from the other gender equality campaigns is that it has a curriculum focusing exclusively on
digital and e-business/e-commerce skills for women, thereby allowing them to utilize their knowledge after
receiving the training.

36 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

52 U4SSC series