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Africa Policy E-Journal
Africa: Women's Networking +++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Continent-Wide For additional related information in French, go to: le site web des femmes d'Afrique francophone http://www.famafrique.org
Enda Synfev Flame/Flamme, African Sisters On Line/Africaines En Ligne! http://flamme.org +++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ECA Press Release No. 91/1999 LEADING GENDER EXPERTS TO REVIEW AFRICA'S PROGRESS SINCE BEIJING Addis Ababa, 15 November 1999 (ECA) - Some 1,500 participants drawn from senior levels of governments, civil society, regional institutions, bilateral agencies, agencies of the United Nations, and multilateral partners will meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 22-27 November 1999 to take stock of progress made by African countries in implementing strategies for the empowerment of women agreed in Beijing in 1995. The Sixth African Regional Conference on Women, organized by the African Centre for Women (ACW) of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), comes five years after the adoption of the Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action - which laid down concrete targets for countries to meet in 12 critical areas of concern. ECA is mandated by the General Assembly and African governments to monitor the implementation of regional and global conventions for the advancement of women in Africa. Participants at the Conference will be able to share information, assess the priorities different countries have set for themselves, and review the specific programmes being implemented at national level. It will also provide an advocacy opportunity to kick-start the implementation of national strategies in countries lagging behind in their Beijing commitments. The Conference has three main objectives:
The Conference also aims to contribute to the enhancement of dialogue between governments and the civil society; sensitize actors working on the 12 critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action, on their roles and responsibilities, as well as on the 'gender' approach to development; and strengthen partnerships and South-South exchange of experiences. The Conference will involve plenary presentations of progress reports on the implementation of the Platforms for Action, twelve workshops for thematic evaluation, and the joint preparation of a Plan of Action for the next five years, as well as agreement on of modalities for Africa's participation at the Global Review (Beijing +5). The five-year action plan due to be adopted at the end of the proceedings is expected to provide appropriate adjustment strategies and redirect efforts towards greater achievement of the targets set out in the Platform for Action. Participants are also expected to adopt a Declaration of commitment by all actors to the implementation of the Platform for Action. (END) The latest version of the Conference programme as well as theme papers and other relevant background documents are available on the ECA Web Site at: http://www.un.org/depts/eca Full text of all speeches and statements will be available as they become available, and can also be delivered by e-mail on request. For more information, please contact:
Peter da Costa Senior Communication Adviser
Association For Progressive Communications (APC) Women's Networking Support Programme Africa region [Contact details for APC-Women-Africa
Programme coordination and Francophone Africa:
Southern Africa:
East Africa: Information and Communication Technologies: A Women's Agenda We believe that it is essential to engage more women in accessing and using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for equality and development in Africa. We believe that women should be able to use ICTs strategically in support of women's empowerment and agendas in order to:
Who is APC-Women-Africa? We are an African women's network of individual women and women's organisations focussing on African women's empowerment by : developing and disseminating information, providing regional support, lobbying and advocating around gender and ICT policy; delivering ICT training and conducting research in the area of gender and ICTs Can ICTs really make a difference? We are convinced that globalisaton and the emerging information society will either advance the status of women in society or reinforce their marginalization. If we do not engage and harness the tools which ICTs offer us, we will further marginalise women's concerns. African women already network and organise actions themselves. Appropriate application of ICTs can enable women to access information and knowledge which can assist in overcoming the realities of poverty and exclusion. The 1995 United Nations World Conference on Women (UNWCW) was a major impetus for women's advances in the use of ICTs. During the preparatory phase of the UNWCW, women were pioneers in taking up the use of email for information exchange, lobbying and campaigning. Thought the Internet was a relatively new tool for women, those who gained access and learned to use it were quick to grasp its potential to facilitate the UNWCW agenda. Like many other civil society organisations, these pioneers now recognise the value of using ICTs in their work. The development of ICTs is taking place in a global context of gender inequalities. In Africa disparities exist amongst women in terms of access to education, land, credit, literacy etc. Gender intersects with many other differences and disparities which also shape women's ICT needs and experiences such as: race, ethnicity, class, culture, age, history, sexual orientation, geographic location, disability. Poverty, war and endemic violence against women are ever present realities in the lives of many women living in Africa. "ICTs .. bring profound changes to our communities. They influence how we know and understand the world. They change work methods and the ways in which we communicate. They affect how we access and share information. They are also an important source of power. By acquiring the equipment and skills to use them, we gain access to that power." -- The Internet: Getting Connected, published by the African Gender Institute and Women's Net ICT realities and Trends Information can be a transformative tool and the acquisition of appropriate knowledge has the potential to catalyze development. Civil society is seeing :
"Indeed once trained, women's groups can harness the potential of the Internet towards the common goal of a gender-balanced, just and empowered society." -- Dorothy Kabagaju Okello, Uganda Key areas of concern: There is an imbalance in the participation of women in ICTs. The growth of ICTs is happening in a context of vast inequalities, violence, poverty and political domination. Although more women and women's networks are using the Internet in their work since 1995, issues of basic access is a primary area of concern. This prevents women from appropriating ICTs to advance their missions and agendas. Here are some of the key areas of concern which have emerged since women began harnessing ICTs for development and women's emancipation Access and Infrastructure Issues
Economic and development issues
"Women's access to information and technology has historically been marginal. Harnessing the power of both is a critical step in developing a genuine culture of gender equality." -- Anriette Esterhuysen, Director, SANGONeT, South Africa Gender and cultural issues
Political and Human rights issues
"..information is one of the strongest tools of empowerment.." -- African Platform for Action adopted by the Fifth Regional Conference on Women, Dakar, November 1994 Beijing and beyond As we reflect on the progress made by women since Dakar and Beijing, these key concerns can serve as building blocks for a wide variety of actions that are required to take up the ICT challenge: The Beijing Platform for Action reflects many of these concerns, but efforts are needed to monitor whether - and to what extent - they are being implemented. More equitable and strategic use of ICTs by women can contribute towards addressing the other "critical areas of concern" of the Beijing Platform. The Beijing+5 process can involve many more women if appropriate use is made of ICTs. ICTs is a major development issue. If African women are not actively present at all levels, we will see new forms of marginalization that could undermine other advances made by women in the 20th century. This implies a crucial challenge to women to take on these issues themselves. We are convinced that if women appropriate and use ICTs as tools for collaborative actions, accessing information, and sharing knowledge, ICTs can assist in challenging and changing the devastation of poverty, marginalisation and inequality. "Advances in information technology have opened up boundaries. The role of women in global communication networks needs to be strengthened. Barriers to such information technology and to women's involvement at every level of its development should be reduced"
APC-Africa-Women Beijing +5 Activities [Women'sNet, a joint project of SANGONeT (http://www.sn.apc.org) and the Commission on Gender Equality (http://www.cge.org.za), is a platform for South African women's voices and issues. You can find us online at http://womensnet.org.za Tell us what you're doing for Beijing +5! Send us a message at women@sn.apc.org] Women'sNet as a member of the Association for Progressive Communication's Women's Programme in Africa (APC-Africa-Women) is implementing a range of activities to facilitate the preparation and participation of African women' s NGOs in the global review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action to be held in New York in June 2000. In preparation for, and on the occasion of the 6th African Regional Conference on Women, APC-Africa-Women has embarked on the following activities: Flame/Flamme, African Sisters On Line/Africaines En Ligne! http://flamme.org A Beijing +5 in Africa web site - an interactive information resource for African women's NGOs - created for and by African women.
Flamme! African Women's An online discussion forum - Flamme! African Women's Online Meeting Space will be officially launched during the 6th ARCW. APC-Africa-Women and FEMNET, (the African Women's Communication and Development Network) jointly invite you to participate in discussions about how ICTs can be used to implement the Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action. To join this mailing list go to Flame/Flamme web site at http://www2.sn.apc.org/wncontacts/subscribing/flammeform.cfm Technical Training at the 6th African Regional Conference on Women in Addis APC-Africa-Women in partnership with the African Centre for Women at the ECA is offering free technical training - in both French and English - to women's NGOs registered to attend the conference. Web publishing training and an Introduction to the Internet will be conducted in English from the 18th to the 20th of November. And a French introductory Internet training will be conducted on the 21st. "On Site/En Site" A bilingual print and 'virtual' newsletter. "On Site/En Site" will be published daily during the 6th ARCW (22 - 27 November). To track the news at the conference visit the Flame/Flamme web site (http://flamme.org) from November 22nd. On Site/En Site articles will also be distributed via the Flamme! mailing list. African Women and ICTs - Research The Flamme! mailing list will also be used to gather experiences and views about at how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have made an impact on African women's lives. The outcome of these discussions as well as other research on women's use of ICTs in Africa since Beijing will be presented in a status report at the Women 2000 (Beijing +5 mid term review) conference in New York City in June 2000.
Documents previously distributed in the e-journal are
available on the Africa Action website: To be added to or dropped from the e-journal subscription list, write to e-journal@africaaction.org. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the source mentioned in the posting.
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Africa Policy E-Journal
