:: netwoman's blog ::

Gender & ICT Policy Website

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Gender and technology activists, the APC WNSP,have launched a new information and communications technology (ICT) policy portal for women and policy-makers.

ICT policy is not just about legislation of infrastructure and operators. Good ICT policy can promote economic empowerment. It can counter the negative uses of ICTs, such as trafficking of women.

GenderIT.org promotes the need for gender advocacy in ICT policy as well as the "how to" of pushing for policy change.

With the growth of infrastructure and access, ICTs are beginning to permeate even the most isolated regions. Access or lack of access to a medium that in some places has become a principal means of expression, economic survival, and decision-making is vital for women. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, has observed that: "There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women."

However, the gender implications of ICT policy are seldom taken into consideration.

The Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) developed GenderIT.org to broaden awareness of gender and ICTs and to offer a practical tool for ICT advocates, especially women’s organisations and movements to ensure that ICT policy meets their needs and does not infringe on their rights.

"ICTs can assist in bringing food to the table or in promoting a reproductive rights agenda," says Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng of the ISIS - Women's International Cross-Cultural Exchange in Uganda and a member of the APC WNSP's worldwide network.

http://www.GenderIT.org

posted by Netwoman @ 1:54 PM