Gender and Internet Governance eXchange (gigX), Africa
Following our exchanges in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean in June and August 2015, the Gender and Internet Governance eXchange will now be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 2 to 5 September 2015, in collaboration with the African School on Internet Governance (Afrisig).
Around 20 women’s rights, internet rights and sexual rights advocates from the region will come together to discuss and exchange knowledge on the intersections of women’s rights and internet governance. Participants will have the opportunity to put the skills and knowledge acquired during the gigX into practice as they participate in the African Internet Governance Forum from 6 to 8 September 2015 also to be held in Addis Ababa.
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) aims to strengthen and increase the participation of women’s rights and sexual rights advocates in discussions about internet governance in the region, which will inform dialogues at the global IGF taking place in Brazil in November.
Information for participants
Want some tips and tricks to blog about the event? See our guide here.
Gender Report Cards: help us monitor gender equality at the Africa IGF, fill in the form for each workshop you attend.
You can find the workshop agenda here.
Gender and internet governance in Africa
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are changing societies on the continent and technologies are either fostering or creating obstacles for inclusive and participatory environments for women to realise their rights. The challenges raised are many and multifold, from violence against women online to ensuring women’s meaningful participation in the development and the policy decisions made in the continent.
The Feminist Principles of the Internet, developed as an evolving document in 2014 informs our work on gender and technology, as well as influences our policy-making discussions when it comes to internet governance. The gigX are heavily drawn on these and they operate as the framework for the exchanges, covering issues such as access to infrastructure, political participation, open source technologies, privacy, anonymity, access to information, children’s rights online, pornography, online violence against women, and others.
This years Africa Internet Governance Forum will discuss topics related to WSIS + 10, connecting the next billion users, net neutrality, cybersecurity, and the multistakeholder model. Some of the themes including zero-rating, access and cybersecurity will form part of the discussion at the gigX Africa.
Goals and objectives of gigX Africa
- Build understanding of what internet governance is, and how it relates to women’s rights and gender.
- Discuss emerging regional issues related to internet governance such as zero-rating and net neutrality, technology-based violence against women, public access from a gender perspective.
- Strategise about how to integrate key gender and internet governance concerns within the regional African Internet Governance Forum
- Build a network of activists who are able to actively participate in and influence internet governance debates and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy making processes within their countries and in the region.
Want to know more about the participants? Consult our network page.