Bridging the Digital Divide: Capacity Building for Women in Internet Policy
Internet Society
Session 137
Despite significant progress in global Internet access, women—particularly in the Global South—remain underrepresented in Internet governance and digital policy spaces. Bridging this gap requires more than connectivity; it demands targeted capacity building that equips women with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to actively shape policy and regulatory frameworks.
This session brings together emerging women leaders from across regions working at the intersection of Internet policy, AI governance, cybersecurity, and digital rights. Through their diverse experiences, the discussion will explore how capacity-building initiatives can translate into meaningful participation in decision-making processes, highlight persistent barriers, and identify practical pathways to foster more inclusive and representative Internet governance ecosystems.
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C4. Capacity building
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C6. Enabling environment
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C11. International and regional cooperation
This session aligns with WSIS Action Lines C4, C6, and C11. It speaks most directly to C4 (capacity building), as its central aim is equipping women with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to participate in Internet governance and digital policy. It connects to C6 (enabling environment) by addressing the structural barriers that keep women underrepresented in decision-making, and by promoting more inclusive and representative governance ecosystems in which their participation can take hold. Finally, it reflects C11 (international and regional cooperation) by convening emerging women leaders from across regions, fostering the cross-regional exchange and collaboration through which inclusive policy capacity is built and sustained.
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Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
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Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
The session links most directly to SDG 5 (gender equality), in particular target 5.5 on women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in decision-making, and to SDG 5.b on using enabling technology to promote women’s empowerment. It also connects to SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), given its focus on inclusive participation in shaping the digital infrastructure and policy that underpin connectivity. Supporting links include SDG 4 (quality education), through its capacity-building and skills focus; and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities), through its attention to the underrepresentation of women, particularly in the Global South.
- Objective 1: Close all digital divides and accelerate progress across the Sustainable Development Goals