Nothing is as important today in the political economy of development as an adequate recognition of the political, economic and social participation and leadership of women (Sen, 1999)

When ICTs are applied to social change and development, a gender perspective is often missed. But ICTs can have a huge impact on women’s life, both in a positive and a negative way. Internet forums and radio stations, for example, scale up and empower the presence of networks to fight discriminatory practices and violence against women; e-commerce systems shape the ability of business -women to access new markets and raise salaries; girls can achieve higher education by e-learning platforms and, in some cases, women are acknowledged a leadership role thanks to blogging activities. At the same time, global access to ICTs is not balanced, if we consider that women are still 21% less likely to own a mobile phone than men. Moreover, some claim that the so-called “technology revolution” has brought new types of gender-based violence, including online discrimination, cyberbullying, cyberstalking, blackmail, and hate speech.

Given the current situation, how can NGOs, international organizations, local associations, civil society and even governments use ICTs to boost women’s empowerment in their own communities?

Guided by some female experts, in this webinar we will try to answer this question to discover how ICTs can positively affect women’s life and, consequently, improve societies at large. We will start from a theoretical point of view, analysing pro and cons, challenges and good practices to finally set up a toolkit. Case-studies and stories from Zambia, Burundi and Middle East will provide concrete examples and contextualize the link between gender equality and technology empowerment.

This is a web-based conference (webinar), that means that it is delivered online and that access to internet is an essential condition for participation. To take part in the event you will need a computer and an Internet access, preferably broadband or with at least 56kbps bandwidth. System requirements for attending a webinar are detailed here: FAQs page.

During the event you will see the speaker’s slideshow presentations in real-time and you will be able to ask questions and participate as you were attending a normal public meeting.

If you cannot take part in the online live event, register anyway! You will receive the webinar registration via email.

Developed under the Ong 2.0 AID 10111 framework, thanks to the support of the following organizations: Foreign Affair Minister, CISV, ACCRI, ADP, CELIM, COPE, EsseGiElle, LVIA, OVCI. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this website are solely those of the promoters and do not necessarily represent those of the Foreign Affair Minister.

The webinar has been organized in partnership with the Italian NGO CCM – Comitato Collaborazione Medica in the framework of the project “Projet pilote de décentralisation des services de prise en charge des violences sexuelles dans 3 provinces du Burundi” DCI-Santé/2011/275-783 financially supported by the European Union. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this activity are solely those of the promoters and do not necessarily represent those of the European Union.

photo credit: londra-2 via photopin (license)

photo credit: CFSU_Nov2010_KyeizoobaGirls_Bushenyi (48) via photopin (license)