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KFAW held “14th. Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women” on 12/10/2003.
Our
societies are experiencing great changes in the realm of information
communication as we are flooded with a wealth of information brought to
us by newly developed communication technologies. How can we utilize
these Information and Communication Technologies for the empowerment of
women? When considered from the standpoint of gender equality, what
possibilities and challenges do advancements in Information and
Communication Technologies hold? Is the spread of these technologies
being carried out in a way that gives women equal access? With gender
as our starting point, we will analyze the issues related to
Information and Communication Technologies at the local, national, and
global levels. We will also discuss challenges posed to the empowerment
of women and prospects for the future.
In December 2003, the United
Nations and the International Telecommunication Union will be holding
the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva.
Preparatory meetings for the summit are underway, and we will set our
sights on the possibility of connecting the Kitakyushu region with
these international conferences.
Please
note that we use the term “Information and Communication Technologies”
(ICTs) to refer not only to the latest in technologies but also to
include more traditional means of communication as well as things such
as the mass media that target the public at large.
- Topic: Women’s Empowerment and ICT (Information and Communication Technology)
We will analyze information, communication, and technology from a
gender-based perspective. We will also discuss how to acquire and
utilize the communications capabilities that are necessary for the
empowerment of women and propose goals to be attained by doing so. - Organizer: Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women
- Date: Sunday, October 12, 2003
- Venue: Kitakyushu Gender Equality Center “MOVE” Large Hall, others
- Program: (Simultaneous Translation)
Keynote Discussion 10:30 am -12:30 pm
Breakaway Sessions 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm
- Empowerment through Improved Information Communication Literacy
- Women’s Empowerment through Networking
- Economic Empowerment for Women through Information and Communication Technologies
Plenary Session 4:15 pm ~ 5:00 pm
- Panelist: Ms Susanna George ; Executive Director, Isis International Manila
Ms Kio Chung Kim ; Executive Director, Asian Pacific Women’s Information Network Center (APWINC)
Ms Nazneen Sultana ; Managing Director, Grameen Communications (Village Telephone Project, Village Computer and Internet Project)
Ms Hiroko Hara ; Professor, The University of Air (KFAW Chairperson)
Ms Yasuko Muramatsu ; Professor, Tokyo Gakugei University
Ms Chika Sekine ; President, Universal design Research Institute on Information
Ms Keiko Higuchi ; Critic
Ms Yoshiko Haga ; Representative, Committee for Education on Child Sexual Awareness and Wellbeing/ CESA
Mr Ikuo Murakami ; Representative, Pasobora (Personal Computer Support Volunteer) Network in Kitakyushu
Ms Michiyo Shimaru ; President, With Corporation. LTD (SOHO Worker)
- Admission Free
- Concurrent Events
Workshops (organized by local citizens) October 12 (Sunday)
Asian Bazaar (organized by local citizens) October11 (Saturday), 12 (Sunday)
Asian Cinema October 8-9 (Wed-Thu)
Pre-event showing of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s Kandehar
Pre-event showing of Rory B. Quintos’s Anak
Ms Yoshino Oishi Photo Exhibition October 8-12 (Wed-Sun)
- Related Events
Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women 10th Anniversary Event of Foundation establishment
Recommendations (PDF file: 22KB)
The 14th Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women
“Women’s Empowerment and ICT (Information and Communication Technologies)”
Recommendations
We envision an information society in which all its members, women and
men regardless of age, socio-economic or political status, and
abilities/disabilities, can disseminate, access, and share information
and communicate as equal actors in the development of their societies.
Equal and just society is possible only when people’s rights to
communication, information and development are guaranteed as human
rights.
The participants in the 14th Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women
discussed the issue that ICT (Information and Communication
Technologies) has the potential to become an opportunity for the
empowerment of women, but that various problems must be resolved in
order for this to occur.
Among many benefits of ICT is that it facilitates the participation in
public communication of women and marginalized people and communities.
It also increases networking and contributes to the social and
political empowerment of women. Furthermore, new ICT creates new jobs
and opens possibilities for new working styles and new forms of
entrepreneurship, thereby accelerating the potential for women’s
economic empowerment. New ICT also has great potential in enhancing
processes of democratization and strengthening freedom of expression.
On the other hand, access to ICT greatly differs between nations,
ethnic groups, rural and urban, women and men, amongst ages, different
abilities and as a result of other socio-political factors. If this
situation remains unaddressed, it could further exacerbate existing
social, political, economic, and cultural gaps amongst people and
amongst nations. Moreover, attention must be given to the misuse of
ICT, in that it may be used to expand commercialization of sex,
including pornography, as well as women’s and children’s trafficking
worldwide, both of which violate women’s and children’s human rights.
ICT has also enhanced the possibility of surveillance and has been an
adverse tool in increased militarism globally. However, attempts to
codify and control the use of the Internet must not be at the expense
of fundamental human rights and freedoms, and the pursuit of peace.
Following these discussions, the participants made the following
recommendations for the current and future generations regarding the
information society:
1. We should pursue an information society that is based on the
principle that the human rights of all people be recognized, respected,
and promoted.
2. Citizens and NGOs, central and local governments, international
organizations, and ICT-related industries should all make efforts to
eliminate the digital divide that exists between nations, ethnic
groups, rural and urban, women and men, and between people of all ages,
different abilities, and other socio-political factors. Moreover,
efforts must be made to ensure that people who are unable to
effectively access ICT be engaged in all aspects of social, economic,
and political life.
3. Improved information and communication literacy should include not
only technical aspects of ICT, but more importantly, critical thinking
on the information received, to be able to discern socio-political and
cultural implications of information, media, and communication
channels. Education on human rights, including women’s human rights and
children’s rights, is also a fundamental element of increased
information and communication literacy.
4. By assuming the role of key actors in this new information society,
we should work to improve information and communication literacy and
ensure that ICT is made available and used in ways that enhance gender
equality, the pursuit of social justice and peace, and the empowerment
of women.
October 12, 2003
All Participants
The 14th Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women
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