Enhancing CEDAW Accountability through AI Governance and Tech Value Chains

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women – Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls - Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - UN Women - International Telecommunication Union

Session 215

Tuesday, 7 July 2026 16:00–16:45 (UTC+02:00) Physical (on-site) and Virtual (remote) participation Room A, ITU Tower Building Women and Girls in Digital Interactive Session 2 Documents

The round table “Enhancing CEDAW Accountability through AI Governance and Tech Value Chains,” convened at the 2026 WSIS Forum, addresses the urgent need to embed women’s human rights into the rapidly expanding digital economy. As artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies reshape societies and markets, they also risk deepening existing gender inequalities. Women remain significantly underrepresented across technology value chains - from design and development to governance - while facing disproportionate exposure to job displacement, digital exclusion, and technology-facilitated harms.

Against this backdrop, the event brings together key stakeholders from the CEDAW Committee, WGDAWG, UN entities, governments, and industry to explore how accountability frameworks can ensure that innovation advances gender equality rather than undermines it. Central to the discussion is the need for CEDAW-compliant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as a practical tool to measure and enforce gender equality across AI systems and global tech value chains. Such KPIs are needed to translate international women's rights obligations into concrete benchmarks for States and corporations, addressing a critical gap in current governance approaches.

The session will examine four interlinked pillars: workforce and leadership parity, algorithmic equality and data protection, supply chain due diligence, and digital access and economic inclusion. Together, these pillars provide a comprehensive framework to tackle systemic discrimination, promote women’s equal and inclusive participation and leadership, and ensure equal access to digital opportunities.

By leveraging the unique convergence of global AI governance dialogues at WSIS, the event aims to catalyse partnerships, contribute to shaping emerging regulatory frameworks, and position CEDAW as a cornerstone of rights-based AI governance. Ultimately, it seeks to advance understanding of practical pathways toward gender-responsive digital transformation, while underscoring the need to safeguard the rights of women and girls in evolving technological landscapes.

H.E. Mr. Julien Thöni Ambassador (Disarmament and Multilateral Affairs ), Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva Switzerland Opening remarks

Ms. Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia CEDAW Committee Member Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) Moderator

Ms. Adriana Quinones Chief, Human Rights and Non-Discrimination Section UN Women

Ms. Nathalie Stadelmann Human Rights Officer, Co-lead B-tech project Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Ms. Maud Aba'a Associate Gender Affairs Officer International Telecommunication Union

Maud Aba'a is the Associate Gender Affairs Officer of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

In her capacity, she works on advancing gender equality and strengthening the participation and leadership of women and girls in the digital sector through international cooperation, partnerships and policy dialogue.

She has over 7 years of experience working on gender equality, international cooperation and policy across the French Governement, European institutions and multilateral organizations in Europe, America and Asia.

She notably holds a master’s degree in international relations from both the Université Paris Panthéon-Assas and Sorbonne Université (France), as well as an LL.M. in Public International Law from Leiden University (Netherlands).

Prof. Olga Jurasz Director, Centre for Protecting Women Online The Open University

Ms. Caitlin Kraft-Buchmann Founder/CEO Women at the Table

Ms. Nicole Karlebach Assistant General Counsel, Responsible Business Practices Microsoft

Ms. Claudia Flores Chair, WGDAWG UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls (WGDAWG)

Topics

Artificial Intelligence Digital Divide Digital Economy Digital Inclusion Education Emerging Technologies Ethics Global Digital Compact (GDC) Human Rights Infrastructure WSIS+20 Review

WSIS Action Lines

C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
C2. Information and communication infrastructure
C5. Building confidence and security in use of ICTs
C6. Enabling environment
C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
C11. International and regional cooperation

Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies

GDC Objectives

Objective 1: Close all digital divides and accelerate progress across the Sustainable Development Goals
Objective 2: Expand inclusion in and benefits from the digital economy for all
Objective 3: Foster an inclusive, open, safe and secure digital space that respects, protects and promotes human rights
Objective 4: Advance responsible, equitable and interoperable data governance approaches
Objective 5: Enhance international governance of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity

Documents

Outcome_Document_Session_215_CEDAW_.pdf Concept_Note_CEDAW_Accountability_WSIS_2026.docx