INVITATION

You are invited to participate in the on-line discussion "Information and
communication technologies (ICT) and their impact on and use as an
instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women" which will run
from 17 June to 19 July 2002.

If you are not yet registered, please see details at the end of the page.
If you are already registered, please visit our web page:
http://esaconf.un.org:80/~ictwomen

Information and communication technologies are high on the international
agenda. The Beijing Platform for Action (1995), and its review and
appraisal at the twenty-third special session of the United Nations General
Assembly in 2000 identified ICT as a tool for the advancement and
empowerment of women. They also highlighted existing gender disparities in
women's lack of access to and benefit from ICT. The Millennium Declaration
underscored the need to ensure that the benefits of new technologies,
especially ICT, are available to all.

Toward that end, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
will consider ICT and their impact on, and use as an instrument for, the
advancement and empowerment of women at its forty-seventh session in March
2003. The outcome of the Commission's deliberations will also be a
contribution to the forthcoming World Summit on the Information Society.

To support these efforts, the United Nations Division for the Advancement
of Women (DAW), in collaboration with the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU), and the UN ICT Task Force Secretariat, is organizing an Expert
Group Meeting on "Information and communication technologies (ICT) and
their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and
empowerment of women", which will take place in the Republic of Korea in
early November 2002.

As part of this dialogue on ICT and gender equality, we invite your
participation in an on-line discussion focused on ICT as a tool for the
promotion of gender equality. We intend the discussion to demonstrate good
practices and case studies of how ICT are indeed a tool for promoting
gender equality. We want to showcase how ICT can enhance women's economic
empowerment, increase their educational level, contribute to better health,
and strengthen women's participation in decision-making and public debate.
The emphasis is on the positive aspects, uses and applications of ICT that
contribute to reducing gender-based inequalities and promote women's
empowerment. We are interested in examples of innovative ICT solutions to
overcome challenges women face in achieving equality. The role of women as
key actors in designing national ICT policies, and in benefiting from
ICT-supported economic growth, social development and participation in
governance will also be explored.

The on-line discussion is scheduled to begin on 17 June 2002 and continue
for five weeks, taking up the following topics:

Week One (17-21 June 2002): ICT as a tool for women's economic empowerment
. Are ICT an effective tool for women's economic empowerment? Please
provide examples of ICT enhancing women's economic opportunities.
. How are ICT changing women's traditional economic opportunities and
income-generation activities?

Week Two (24-28 June 2002): ICT as a tool for women's participation in
public life
. How do women use ICT as a tool for advocacy / networking, and to make
their voices heard? Give examples of successful ICT use at local, national
and international levels. Describe how you have used ICT to increase
women's participation in public life; to enhance campaigns for gender
equality and the empowerment of women. What were the key elements for
success or failure of ICT supported campaigns and activities?
. How can ICT, and their use, change gender stereotypical roles and images
in societies?

Week Three (1-5 July 2002): ICT as a tool for enhancing women's
capabilities
. Describe experiences in using ICT as a tool to enhance women's capabil
ities. Provide examples especially in the areas of women's education and
training at all levels, and women's health, including access to
health-related services and information.
. How do women become ICT literate?
. Provide examples of how women become producers of ICT-based knowledge and
information.

Week Four (8-12 July 2002): Integrating gender perspectives into ICT
policy-making
. How are gender perspectives reflected in national ICT policies? Provide
examples of strategies used to integrate gender perspectives in national
ICT policy-making processes. What were the key elements for success or
failure of the strategies? What were the roles of different stakeholders:
national machineries for the advancement of women; women's networks, NGOs
or CBOs; international or regional organizations; others?

Week Five (15-19 July 2002): Wrap-up week.

We encourage you to share your ideas and observations and help structure
debate and policy in this area. To participate, simply post a message by
clicking in the "post message" button. For more information, please
contact Santiago Martinez de Orense ([email protected]) at the
Division for the Advancement of Women, Division for Economic and Social
Affairs, United Nations.

To register, please send an e-mail to Santiago Martinez de Orense,
requesting to be registered. You will then receive a login name and a
password to join the discussion. For additional information, please check
our web page: http://esaconf.un.org:80/~ictwomen

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