This year, from 6 to 17 March, will be the sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women (UN Women).
This year’s event themes are twofold, the priority theme being “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls” and the review theme of “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-second session).”
The outcome of the CSW’s consideration of the priority theme during its 67th session will take the form of agreed conclusions, to be negotiated by all Member States.
As connectivity and digital skills are focus areas of this year’s CSW, Broadband Commissioners and leaders will be engaged in many of the discussions and side-events being held throughout the event. As a multistakeholder platform, the Commission is uniquely positioned to share its findings and consensus-driven recommendations for achieving gender equality.
International Women’s Day
During the CSW, the UN will observe International Women’s Day on 8 March 2023, the theme of which is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.
The Broadband Commission will celebrate its female Commissioners as well as the gender equity work of the entire Commission on this day. In line with the 7th Advocacy Target of the Commission, we seek to realize gender equality across all of our targets to ensure that connectivity is both meaningful and inclusive for all. The Commission is committed to reaching gender parity in its Commission membership and has increased its female representatives by over 10% in the past year.
Special events to follow on International Women’s Day include:
- UN Women High-level event on Wednesday, 8 March 2023, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. EST
- The event will bring together technologists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and gender equality activists to provide an opportunity to highlight the role of all stakeholders in improving access to digital tools and be followed by a high-level panel discussion and musical performances.
- This panel will feature UN Women Executive Director Ms. Sima Bahous, as well as Broadband Commission Co-Vice Chair and ITU Secretary General Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin
- EQUALS Session: Bridging the gender digital divide through policy action
- In the spirit of the CSW67, Germany and the ITU are joining forces to kick off a Network of Women Digital Ministers. The Network of Women Digital Ministers is to be a platform for exchange and joint advocacy to enhance the representation, participation, and leadership of women in global policymaking processes in the digital sector seeking to promote more inclusive digital policies and to set standards for an accessible, safe, and gender-equal digital transformation. Moreover, during the event ITU and EIF will launch the Handbook on Mainstreaming Gender in Digital Policies and partners will discuss and reflect on the importance of gender in digital policy making processes, as promoted in Germany’s digital.global network. Register here!
Broadband Commissioner-led side-events
- Leveraging the empowerment of the most left behind rural adolescent and young girls through “NOURA” & “DAWWIE”: Two key programmes leading the collective mobilization for investment in girls, UNICEF
- The gender digital revolution: addressing ethics of artificial intelligence, access to information and gendered online violence, UNESCO
- Gender equity and rights in the prevention and control of NCDs: The role of digital health, WHO
- Rewiring the network: Digital education and skills for girls’ and women’s empowerment, UNESCO,UNICEF
- Improving the health of women and girls through digital innovation, technology and education, Rwanda, WHO
- The role of parliaments in advancing gender equality through technology, UN Women
- Open, safe and equal – shaping a feminist digital future, UN Women
- New frontiers in SKILLS4GIRLS, UNICEF
- Bridging the gender digital divide through policy action, ITU, EQUALS Partnership
- Digital Skills for life, ITU, EQUALS Partnership
- Pursuing second chances: inclusive e-Learning for the women who need it most, UNESCO, UN Women
- Beyond policy- technological innovations towards achieving gender equality in the digital age, South Africa
- The next frontier: Transforming economies for gender equality in the digital age, UNDP
- Empowering women micro-entrepreneurs in the digital economy, ITU, GSMA, ITC
- Pathways to women’s economic empowerment: the interlocking roles of finance, law, and data, World Bank Group
- Gender inclusive innovation ecosystems, ITC, ITU, UNDP, UN Women
- Solutions to strengthen civic space & women’s digital rights: Addressing the pushback against gender equality, UN Women
- The innovative contribution of the spotlight initiative in Latin America to promote the elimination of violence against women and girls and femicide/feminicide, UNDP
- Breaking barriers: Innovative approaches for advancing gender equality in Sahel security and justice, UN Women, African Union
- Gender equality in crisis contexts: women’s voice, agency and leadership, UN Women
- Mobilizing technology to change mindsets, social norms and development outcomes for women, World Bank Group
Tuesday 7 March
- Joint effort for empowering women in technology, UN Women, UNICEF
- Achieving digital justice and rights through inclusive policy making, UN Women Registration Link
Thursday 9 March
- Women’s participation in higher education in Southern Africa: understanding the regional scenario, UNESCO, RSVP / registration form,
- Disrupting the gender digital divide: using technology to mobilize a supportive ecosystem for women and girls in stem, UNDP
- Leveraging digital inclusion and technological change to enhance equitable and gender-responsive service delivery for all migrants, IOM & ITU, Zoom registration link
- When digital entrepreneurship empowers women in the forest sector, FAO
- WEA Digital Innovation Challenge – Pitch & Win, ITU, Watch here
Monday 13 March
- Achieving gender equality in higher education in displacement settings -role of technology in achieving gender equality within higher education, UNHCR
Tuesday 14 March
- Innovation tank: Addressing the digital gender gap in rural communities. World Bank Group
Thursday 16 March
- Tech for inclusion: Harnessing digital technologies to combat online violence against women in politics, UNDP. Register here
Recommendations for Bridging the Gender Digital Divide: Insights from Broadband Commission Publications
Broadband Commission publications examine how prevalent issues affecting broadband policy, access, affordability, skills and use, impact women and girls and they provide with the best practices and tailored actions needed to address inequalities. These recommendations help clarify the complementary roles of different actors, including governments and policymakers, the private sector, inter-governmental organizations, NGOs, and academia/research institutions, as the digital gender divide can only be bridged effectively by coordinated actions and collaborative efforts.
