IGF 2019 WS #197
EQUALSinTech Awards: How to bridge the gender digital divide

Organizer 1: Carla Licciardello, ITU
Organizer 2: Loly Gaitan, International Telecommunication Union

Speaker 1: Carla Licciardello, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Loly Gaitan, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 3: Joyce Dogniez, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Moderator

Carla Licciardello, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Online Moderator

Loly Gaitan, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization

Rapporteur

Carla Licciardello, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Format

Debate - Auditorium - 60 Min

Policy Question(s)

- What actions are you taken towards bridging the gender digital divide as a way of promoting the social and economic inclusion of girls and women?

- Could you please highlight lessons learned and best practices looking forward, as well as challenges in running your project/initiative?

SDGs

GOAL 5: Gender Equality
GOAL 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Description: The panel session will be held to give the winners of the Equals in Tech Awards the opportunity to share their experiences and commitment towards bridging the gender digital divide as a way of promoting the social and economic inclusion of girls and women. During this discussion, the winners would have the opportunities to highlight lessons learned and best practices looking forward, as well as challenges in running their projects.

Tentative Program of the Panel (TBC):
15 MIN Arrival of guests and welcome coffee
10 MIN Opening remarks from a co-founder of EQUALS (GSMA, ISOC, UNWomen, ITU or UNU)
5 MIN Introduction of Panelists
25 MIN Round of Questions to winners
15 MIN Open the floor to questions
5 MIN Closing remarks from ITU



Expected Outcomes: • What the winners are doing to make a difference, what actions have been undertaken and what impact they had towards closing the gender digital divide
- Raise awareness on initiatives aimed at enhancing women’s digital skills to increase participation of women in the ICT workforce and as business owners
- Increase representation of governments and the private sector in our shared effort of bridging the gender digital divide
- Take action towards increasing the technical capacity of women and girls and the inclusion of women in tech organizations at all levels and with equal conditions
- Highlight opportunities and ways to engage with the EQUALS community and support our work, making it visible and sustainable

We will promote the session widely on social networks such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. In addition, the 94 global partners of EQUALS will support the promotion of the event through their own channels, comprising tens of millions of potential impressions. In addition, a blog post will highlight the session on the EQUALS website.

Relevance to Theme: This workshop will have 5 panelists, all winners of the EQUALS in Tech Awards that recognize the best projects or initiatives around the world working to close the gender digital divide. As a rule, the 5 winners are from diverse regions. Inclusion and diversity is the spirit of the EQUALS in Tech Awards and the EQUALS Global Partnership.

Relevance to Internet Governance: EQUALS is a committed partnership of corporate leaders, governments, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, academic institutions, NGOs and community groups around the world dedicated to promoting gender balance in the technology sector by championing equality of access, skills development and career opportunities for women and men alike. At EQUALS we are convinced that we cannot led the other half of the population fall apart without the opportunities that connectivity can bring into their lives.

Online Participation

Usage of IGF Tool