In the recently concluded Intersessional Meeting in Paris, France last 15-18 July 2003, the NGO Gender Strategies Working Group (NGSWG), the WSIS Gender Caucus and other gender advocates again had the chance to convene and discuss further the gender inputs for the WSIS Draft Declaration of Principles, as the purpose of the Intersessional Meeting is to finalise unfinished tasks relating to this document and others like it before the commencement of the third Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepCom-3) in September 2003. However, they have noticed that there has been a deletion of all references to gender in the WSIS Draft Declaration of Principles. Thus, they are releasing their statement about this new development and are collecting endorsements for it. For those who would want to send their support, kindly e-mail your statements to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
For reference notes on the governments' positions on the main paragraphs concerned as mentioned in the statement, please visit the following link: http://prepcom.net/wsis/1058352531877.
Below is a copy of the statement.
---------
Call to governments to follow through on their commitments to gender equality
We are concerned that all references to gender, particularly paragraphs 11-A and 15, have been struck from the current draft of the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit on Information Society.
We face the danger that if gender concerns, and women's empowerment, are not addressed, the WSIS process will fail in addressing the development needs of women, who constitute more than half of the world's population, and will miss a real opportunity to contribute to gender equality.
We therefore reiterate our support for paragraphs 11-A and 15 which state:
A focus on gender dimensions of ICTs is essential not only for preventing an adverse impact of the digital revolution on gender equality or the perpetuation of existing inequality from discrimination, but also for enhancing women's equitable access to the benefits of ICT and to ensure that they can be a central tool for the empowerment of women and promotion of gender equality.
We also call on all delegates to retain the text on empowerment and inclusion that are stipulated in paragraphs 13 and 14.
We also respectfully request the Chair to form a Working Group to deliberate on the lack of provisions on gender concerns in the current draft of the WSIS Declaration and Action Plan.
NGO Gender Strategies Working Group
- ALAI- Latin American News Agency
- Association for Progressive Communications-Women's Networking Support Programme
- FEMNET-Africa
- Isis International-Manila
- International Women's Tribune Centre
- Women's Net - South Africa
WSIS Gender Caucus
Global Knowledge Partnership
For a copy of the Draft Declaration, please visit the following sites:
The 
we!
WiA 
Isis Resource Center holds one of the largest feminist collections of materials in the Global South. With 40 years of publication experience, Isis holds a vast collection.