ITU COUNCIL WORKING GROUP
ON INTERNATIONAL INTERNET-RELATED PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES
(CWG-INTERNET)
Online Open Consultations on
"Bridging the Digital Gender Divide”
(October 2017- January 2018)
Deadline for submissions: 23 December 2017
USEFUL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
Informationon the Online Open Consultations
Online Open Consultations are launched by the ITU Council Working Group on International Internet-related Public Policy Issues (CWG-Internet)and are held throughout the period between two successive CWG-Internet meetings. This process gives an opportunity to all stakeholders from all nations to express their views with regards to the topic(s) under discussion.
Informationon the Physical Open Consultations
This Online Open Consultation will be followed by a Physical Open Consultation meeting, which will take place on 22 January 2018, at the ITU HQs, in Geneva, Switzerland. [Note: this meeting is conducted in English only]
Discussions during the physical consultation meeting will be based on the responses received during the online consultation process, which will be consolidated in a single document ("compilation document"), to be published ca. 2 weeks prior to the meeting on the ITU Website.
During the physical meeting, respondents to the online consultation will have the opportunity to present their submitted views and to have a fruitful discussion with theother participants, including Members of the CWG-Internet. For those not in the position to participate on site, remote participation is also available upon request,while completing the online registration form.
Online registration is expected to open by mid-November 2017. Further details on the physical meetingwill be published in due course on the ITU Website.
TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
Following the instructions ofITU Council Resolution 1344 (Mod. 2015), the 2017 Session of ITU Council decided on25 May 2017, uponrequest of the ITU Council Working Group on International Internet-related Public Policy Issues (CWG-Internet), to hold an open consultation (online and physical) on the following topic:
"Bridging the Digital Gender DivideCWG-Internet invites all stakeholders to submit contributions on achieving gender equality for Internet users, focusing on the following questions:
1.What approaches and examples of good practices are available to increase Internet access and digital literacy of women and girls, including in decision-making processes on Internet public policy?
2.What approaches and examples of good practices are available to promote the access and use of ICTs by SMEs in developing and least-developed countries, particularly those owned/managed by women, in order to achieve greater participation in the digital economy?
3.Which are the available sources and mechanisms for measuring women's participation in the digital economy with focus on SME's and micro-enterprises?
4.What measures/policies could be envisioned in order to foster the role of women as entrepreneurs and managers of SMEs,specifically in developing and least-developed countries?
5.What are the gaps in addressing these challenges? How can they be addressed and what is the role of governments?"
How to submit your response (accessible format)
You caninclude your responses to the questions into the spacefurther below and submit it through the online formORsend it to ncluding your Full Name, Title, Country and Organization you are representing.
Your response will then be published on the ITU Website:
It is highly recommended that each submission also includes a short summary/abstract (1-3 paragraphs). This will form part of the final summary document to be published after the end of the physical open consultation meeting.
Thedeadline for submissions is: 23 December 2017
QUESTIONS
Question 1:
What approaches and examples of good practices are available to increase Internet access and digital literacy of women and girls, including in decision-making processes on Internet public policy?
In 2017,the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society (MINTEL) established a public policy schedule for the development of telecommunications an information society in Ecuador. Policy number 3 is “Promote universal access, especially in rural areas and slums, taking especial attention to gender equality”.
Regarding internet access and digital literacy, since 2010 MINTEL has been deploying nationwide 854 “Info-centers and Mega Info-Centers”, that are communitarian places equipped with internet access and computers for people to use with no charge. Everyone in the community can access tointernet or take a training course at the Info-centers regardless the age, gender or socioeconomic status.
It is important to highlight, that since the start of the Info-centers project, 520 thousand people have been capacitated trained in ICT related topics, and 52.5% are women, 16.5% under 12 years, 10.22% between 12 and 15 years, 23.73% between 16 and 65 years and 2% over 65 years.
Question 2:
What approaches and examples of good practices are available to promote the access and use of ICTs by SMEs in developing and least-developed countries, particularly those owned/managed by women, in order to achieve greater participation in the digital economy?
An important policy, considered in 2017 as a public policy schedule is Policy #2 “Promote the efficient use of ICTs by the SMEs as a method to encourage its devolvement and to support innovation, competitiveness and productiveness.”
In addition to the policy schedule, MINTEL published the National Telecommunications and ICT Plan 2016 -2021, which includes two initiatives related to this question:
- Initiative 8: Train SMEs’ owners in basic ICT business skills
- Initiative 9: Train SMEs’ owners in ICT tools related to their business sector
It is important to consider that all the initiatives previously mentioned are designed to be applied to any citizens regardless their gender. At the Info-centers since 2010, 3.866 female SME’s owners have taken the “Micro Digital Entrepreneur” capacitation course. A case of success is KALLPA WARMI project that has 35 women, between 25 and 65 years. For the past 4 years, they have been producing ecologic products, some of their products being exported to US and Canada.
Question 3:
Which are the available sources and mechanisms for measuring women's participation in the digital economy with focus on SME's and micro-enterprises?
Every year, the National Institute of Statics and Census INEC carries out the “National Survey on Manufacture, Mining, Domestic Trade and Services”. One of the objectives of this survey is to collect information about the development and access of the ICTs in Ecuadorian business.
MINTEL has an Integrated Management System to administrate the Info-Centers and Mega Info-Centers, this system allows MINTEL to have information about the number and types of capacitation taken, including a demographic and genderfactor.
Question 4:
What measures/policies could be envisioned in order to foster the role of women as entrepreneurs and managers of SMEs,specifically in developing and least-developed countries?
It is important to promote more gender equality policies, especially in rural areas and slums, since in these places the gender gap is accentuated. Less women are involved in productiveness and entrepreneurial environments in those areas. For these reasons, it is important that the government keeps implementing policies to empower women and strengthen the society development.
Question 5:
What are the gaps in addressing these challenges? How can they be addressed and what is the role of governments?
It is worth remarking that a higher participation of women in the development of ICT related sector is required to have a better feedback in the construction of public policies.
It is important to encourage more participation of women in managerial positions in ICT related business and government entities.
The role of the government is also to generate laws that guarantee women rights and strongly condemn gender violence.
SHORT SUMMARY
In 2017, the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society (MINTEL) established a public policy schedule for the development of telecommunications an information society in Ecuador. Many of the policies developed in framework of this schedule considered the transversal initiative to “promote universal access, especially in rural areas and slums, taking special attention to gender equality”.
CONTACT DETAILS
- First/Last Name: Alvaro Layedra
- Title: Undersecretary of Digital Inclusion
- Country: Ecuador
- Organization: Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society
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