2018 INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM
BEST PRACTICE FORUM
GENDER AND ACCESS
- Virtual Meeting III, 3 August 2018, 15:00. UTC -
SUMMARY REPORT
1. The third meeting of the BPF Gender took place on 3 August 2018, 15:00 p.m. UTC, and was moderated by Radhika Radhakrishnan.
2. The agenda (see Annex A1) for the meeting was the focus for the 2018 report and the methodology and timeline for the same.
3. Each participant was given the opportunity to introduce themselves, along with
their interest in the BPF’s work. The list of meeting participants is attached as Annex A2 to this Report.
Summary of raised key points
1. 2018 work
Radhika Radhakrishnan gave an update on the suggestions that have been offered for the 2018 work through previous calls and mailing list engagements. Each of the suggestions was deliberated on the call.
There is an interest in taking forward some of the work on underserved communities from 2017’s report. Regarding this, many interesting ideas were forwarded on the call.
● Renata Aquino Ribeiro suggested that we take a closer look at some communities which have been referred to broadly in the 2017 report (such as “women of color”) and focus on what differentiates these communities in their search for meaningful access to the internet.
● Anri van der Spuy pointed out that we need to look beyond the gender binary. It was pointed out that while last year’s report focused on anecdotal evidence, we could deepen the dimensions of the same theme this year with more grounded, statistical evidence.
● Aida Mahmutovic mentioned she has been in contact with entities wrt refugees and migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina to talk to the women for the report.
An additional focus of this year’s report could be exploring alternative ways of connectivity and how they impact women. One such method could be community networks that APC has done some work on.
● Renata Aquino Ribeiro warned about avoiding the fetishization of community networks as a solution for rural issues as this could be reductional, and suggested that we could look at local and regional profiles for understanding alternative forms of connectivity.
2. Methodology
Radhika Radhakrishnan gave an update on the proposed methodology for collecting inputs.
A short survey was proposed to collect inputs. Diverse groups such as the private sector, government, and civil society organizations could be invited to respond to the survey.
● Renata Aquino Ribeiro proposed that we have separate specific questions for each stakeholder, such as private, government, etc. relating to the outcomes of last year’s report.
● Amrita Choudhury suggested that we could get help from volunteers and NRIs to translate the survey into languages other than English.
● The group agreed that it was important to maintain the sensitivity and confidentiality of respondents when required. Radhika Radhakrishnan will update the group with the Secretariat’s response for the use of pseudonyms in the survey.
The survey would be complemented by face-to-face interviews carried out by focal persons.
A Youtube repository could be made for gathering non-English inputs.
The group agreed upon the importance of staying closely connected with the NRIs for their inputs.
Diverse groups working in this field could be invited to join the fortnightly calls and present their work for 5 minutes each.
Twitter contributions could be collected through a common hashtag.
The group suggested that we create a map of the regional participation of contributors. Efforts would be made to identify which regions need wider representation in the group. Radhika Radhakrishnan will set up and share a Google Docs where active contributors can put down their regional backgrounds.
3. Focal points and Roles
It was agreed to identify focal points for this year’s work involving research, collecting data and collating case studies on sub-themes of this year’s focus.
Renata Aquino Ribeiro, Amrita Choudhury, and Aida Mahmutovic volunteered to help as focal points.
Those interested in volunteering for the same, or those who know others engaged in the field who may be interested in helping, please share it here (mailing list) so we can coordinate.
4. Timeline
As the Annual IGF Meet happens in November this year, the survey could be kept open till mid-September. It was agreed that open-ended contributions are as always welcome, but cannot be guaranteed to be included in the final report beyond September.
Radhika Radhakrishnan will share a draft of the survey one week before the next call so the group can share their feedback and comments regarding the same, and it can be taken up for further discussion on the next call.
Next meeting
The BPF Gender will have its fourth call the week of August 20 – August 26.
Please complete the Doodle poll by Wednesday, August 15. Link to the Doodle Poll:
https://doodle.com/poll/6xeqs74ebitf523y
Annex A1
Meeting Agenda
1. 2018 work following the proposal
2. Methodology
3. Focal points and roles
4. Timeline
Annex A2
List of participants
Aida Mahmutovic
Amrita Choudhury
Anri van der Spuy
Debora Albu
Radhika Radhakrishnan
Renata Aquino Ribeiro
YingChu Chen