Information and communication technologies (ICTs) play a growing role in the world’s societies, and have the potential to help disadvantaged groups increase their participation in the civic, social, political, and economic processes critical to achieving change. However, women – particularly women in developing countries – don’t benefit from these new technologies, a reflection of the existing unequal power relations in societies as a whole. ICTs can be used to either exacerbate or transform unequal power relations. ICTs cannot create gender equality, or end poverty, but they can be tools for social action and positive social change.
The APC WNSP and the Global Knowledge Partnership launched the Gender and ICT Awards to honor and bring international recognition to innovative and effective projects by women to use ICTs for the promotion of gender equality and/or women’s empowerment.
Offered in 2003 and 2005, the Awards’ objectives included:
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Recognise gender and ICT initiatives globally and provide further impetus for others to mainstream gender in the field of ICTs for women’s empowerment, and therefore support our advocacy work;
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Provide a much-needed venue to recognise community-based or small-scale initiatives designed and implemented by women and women’s organisations/networks; while providing recognition to larger scale but cost-effective multi-stakeholder initiatives;
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Provide much needed opportunities to develop new collaborations/partnerships and opportunities for upscaling small-scale and community-based initiatives.
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To increase the profile as well as knowledge and networking base of both APC WNSP and GKP in the area of gender and ICTs.
Profiles of winning projects and a database of outstanding gender and ICT initiatives is available on the Awards website.