Berlin: Women Claiming The Information Society

The UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process has by now been underway for about three years and will culminate in November 2005 in Tunis, Tunisia. From the local to the global level, many feminists have tried to direct this process towards gender equality, women's empowerment, nondiscrimination and sustainable development. Meanwhile, other women's rights activists have worked in different spheres and contexts to impact the shape of the Information Society.<br><br> It is high time to bring these diverse experiences together and to intensify regional collaboration in knowledge generation, strategizing and networking regarding gender and media, including information and communication technologies (ICTs). The goal is to stake an unequivocal claim to the Information Society in order to create a more just, sustainable and enjoyable future for all. <br><br> WOCTIS, a one-day conference organized by the Heinrich Boell Foundation and the WSIS Gender Caucus, aims to bring together feminist media and ICT researchers and activists from the European/North American region as well as advisors from other regions.<br><br> One of our main tasks is to assess crucial challenges within our region, which is characterized by uneven economic and social developments. Another central task is to assess the challenges posed by our region to other regions, for instance with respect to international policy, business or consumption patterns.<br><br> On the basis of these assessments, we need to identify goals and strategies for feminist cooperation in relation to media and ICTs and to form or strengthen ties between potential cooperation partners. One concrete aim is to arrive at a political statement that will be submitted to WSIS and other political fora.<br><br> With:<br> <b>Katerina Fialova<br> Sabine Gürtner<br> Lenka Simerska<br> Gloria Bonder<br> Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki<br></b> and others