APC WNSP and Policy Advocacy

The APC WNSP has been involved in gender and ICT advocacy in national, regional and international arenas since 1993. Our ICT policy work began leading up to the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. Since then, the ‘gender and ICT’ agenda has steadily gained legitimacy as a serious area of concern through painstaking work by women’s groups and gender and ICT advocates.

During the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process, the APC WNSP worked with civil society groups to pressure for the integration of a gender perspective into all deliberations and drafting of documents of the Summit. In work leading up to the 2003 Geneva Summit, the APC WNSP participated in the Civil Society Plenary, NGO Gender Strategies Working Group and the multi-stakeholder Gender Caucus. APC WNSP members served on the WSIS Gender Caucus and were elected to WSIS’ internet financing and internet governance committees.

APC WNSP has worked on national ICT policy training curriculums with the APC to help civil society organisations gain national ICT policy that is gender-sensitive and people-centred. Evaluation and research efforts have informed local practice in the Philippines, Uganda, South Africa, Ecuador and many other countries.