Post-WSIS Reflections: What Did The World Summit on the Information Society Bring For Women?

In terms of gender, information communications technologies (ICTs) and the ‘information society’ is slowly creeping into the agendas of women’s movements. It is at a painfully slow rate, and a LOT of work still needs to be done to find political investments in this issue. Some connections can be seen from the development trajectory, and foreseeably, from the perspective of international trade and…

This led me to question the efficacy of such global platforms and processes. A lot of money and effort have been pumped into this Summit, and for the entire seven years of PrepComs as well as Phase I in Geneva during 2003. Where has it all led to?

These conversations, and the “Expression Under Repression” panel organised by Hivos starkly reminded me of the missing rights agenda in the WSIS process. At most, the discursive thrust of including civil society perspectives have been on development issues. In the ICT 4 All exhibition centre, this was particularly evident. It really felt like a global branding exercise on who are the current Big…

I changed my route to the Palexbo on the last day (18 November) and found a café between where the taxi dropped me off to the security line. The woman who managed the place spoke to me in English, and since I was the only customer, we started chatting. I asked her what she thought of the Summit, and she responded, “I don’t know. I’m not there. Why don’t you tell me about the Summit?” Good point =)

The WSIS process is over, what we have gained and lost in terms of integrating gender as a relevant dimension into the ‘information society’ after this 7 years? What do we have? And where should we go from here? What is the importance of having these explicit mentions of gender and women here and there?
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