Three years since the last World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the process continues to be a subject of discussion and even strategising among women's groups and other civil society organisations who participated in the event that officially recognised the dawn of the “information society.” The mark of WSIS likewise remains in the United Nations (UN), opening new processes which intend to deepen discussions on particular issues such as internet governance and link ICTs with other UN agenda such as the Milennium Development Goals.

But three years since WSIS, feminists ask: Was WSIS effective in addressing gender gaps in ICT policies and practices? What is in store for gender networking and advocacy after WSIS? Was WSIS a worthy investment, after all?

These and other questions will be tackled as feminists and WSIS participants from the Asia-Pacific region gather on 8 July 2008, 8:30 am to 4 pm at the Bahay ni Isis-International Women's House. “Looking Back, Moving Forward: Gender Networking and Advocacy on the Information Society” will discuss an initial evaluation on WSIS as a platform for mainstreaming gender in ICT policies and feminist collaborations. In the forum, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) will present the findings of its report, "Gender Networking and Advocacy in the Context of the UN World Summit on the Information Society." The report is part of a larger impact assessment undertaken by the Building Communication Opportunities (BCO) Alliance on policy influence, advocacy and networking.

“Looking Back, Moving Forward: Gender Networking and Advocacy on the Information Society” is organised by APC in collaboration with Isis International and IT for Change.