2002-12-22 Asia-Pacific Gender Forum on WSIS

Asia-Pacific Gender Forum on WSIS

**Program     

The plan to organize a roundtable discussion on gender equality and women's advancement during the WSIS Asian Regional Conference is being collaboratively initiated by a number of organizations representing various stakeholders. These include the Asian Pacific Women's Information Network Center (APWINC), Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme (APCWNSP), UNESCO and UNESCAP.

The partners and hosts in Japan include Japan Women's Watch and the Gender Equality Bureau of Japan.

The Roundtable on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in the Information Society will be held on January 11 -12, 2003 at the United Nations University, as one of the side-events of the Asian WSIS Regional Conference.

OVERALL OBJECTIVES:

o To conduct a multi-stakeholder roundtable discussion on gender issues in the themes of the WSIS

o To develop recommendations to promote gender equality in ICT development as well as women's advancement through the use of ICT.

Brief Description:

The Gender Roundtable for the WSIS will be a one-and-a-half day meeting prior to the Asian WSIS PrepCom in Tokyo, Japan. Representatives from various stakeholders will be invited to attend the roundtable discussion to share information and strategies for collaboration to ensure that gender issues are considered in the WSIS process and outputs. Stakeholders will include: women's organizations, academe and other civil society actors as well as representatives of UN Agencies, governments, donor community.

One of the expected outputs of the roundtable discussion is to draft recommendations to promote gender equality in ICT development, which will be presented during the regional WSIS PrepCom. The recommendations that will be developed during the meeting will also be presented to various working groups, and networks involved in the WSIS. This would contribute an Asian perspective will be incorporated in international efforts to ensure gender equality in the WSIS. Similarly, this will contribute a gender perspective in the Asian WSIS process.

INITIAL LIST OF PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR ORGANISATIONS:

Dr. Kio Chung Kim, Dr. Yong Ja Kim and Jin Hee An, Asia Pacific Women's Information Network Centre (APWINC), South Korea

Mee Eun Kang, Sookmyung Women's University, South Korea

Young Joo Paik, Korean women's Development Institute

Chat Garcia Ramilo (Philippines), Celeste Cinco (Philippines) and Angela Kuga Thas, Malaysia, Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme (APCWNSP)

Hiroko Hashimoto, JAWW (Japan Women's Watch)

Ms Mariko Bando, Director-General, Gender Equality Bureau of Cabinet Office, Japan(to be confirmed)

Yoriko Meguro, Professor of Sociology of Sophia University and Japanese representative to CSW

Ms Yasuko Muramatsu, JAWW

Ms Reiko Aoki, JAWW

Leelangi Wanasundera, Center for Women's Resources, Sri Lanka

Reshmi Sarkar, IT for Change, India

Koh Miyaoi, United Nations Economic and Social Council for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP)

Susanne Ornager,United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

Ministry of Gender Equality (MOGE), South Korea