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articipation in and access
of women to the media,
and information and
communication technologies
and their impact on and
use as an instrument for
the advancement and
empowerment of women
for women’s empowerment and the promotion of
gender equality. Efforts are therefore necessary to
increase women’s access to and participation in the
media and information and communication technologies, including in their decision-making processes
and new opportunities created through information
and communication technologies.
3. The Commission welcomes the convening of the
World Summit on the Information Society, which is
to be held in Geneva in December 2003 and in Tunis
in 2005, and urges all participants to take the following recommendations into account and to integrate
gender perspectives in every facet of the Summit.
It further encourages the participation of women
in the Summit, to include significant numbers of
gender equality experts and women experts in the
field of information and communication technology
as members of national delegations, organizations of
civil society and the business community.
1. The Commission on the Status of Women recalls
and reiterates the strategic objectives and actions
of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
and the outcome document adopted at the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly
entitled “Gender equality, development and peace
in the twenty-first century”, on the potential of the
media and of information and communications
technologies to contribute to the advancement
and empowerment of women. It also recalls the
United Nations Millennium Declaration and its
Development Goals to promote gender equality
and the empowerment of women as effective ways
to combat poverty, hunger and disease, to stimulate
development that is truly sustainable and to ensure
that the benefits of new technologies, especially
information and communications technologies, are
available to all.
4.
The Commission urges Governments and,
as appropriate, the relevant funds and
programmes, organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations
system, the international financial institutions, civil society, including the private
sector and non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders, to take the
following actions:
2. The Commission notes that, globally, there are sub-
stantial differences in participation in, access to and
use of media and information and communications
technologies, their content and production. Such
differences have important implications for policy
development at national, regional and international
levels. A focus on the gender dimensions of information and communications technologies is essential
in order to prevent and combat any adverse impact
of the digital revolution on gender equality and the
perpetuation of existing inequalities and discrimination, including the sexual exploitation of women
both through the traditional media and new technologies. The media and information and communication technologies also offer tools for enhancing
women’s full access to the benefits of information
and new technologies and can become central tools
(a) Prioritize the integration of gender perspectives
and ensure women’s early and full participation in
the development and implementation of national
policies, legislation, programmes, projects, strategies and regulatory and technical instruments in
the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) and media and communications, and
create monitoring and accountability mechanisms
to ensure implementation of gender-sensitive
policies and regulations as well as to analyse the
gender impact of such policies in consultation and
collaboration with women information technology specialists, women’s organizations and gender
equality advocates;
1