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IGF 2023 WS #320 Advancing Feminist Domestic Policies in Africa

    Subtheme

    Data Governance & Trust
    Big Data Architecture, Usage and Governance
    Data Localization, Data Residency, and Data Sovereignty

    Organizer 1: Phillip Ayazika, 🔒Pollicy
    Organizer 2: Bobina Zulfa, Pollicy

    Speaker 1: Neema Iyer, Private Sector, African Group
    Speaker 2: Irene Mwendwa, Civil Society, African Group
    Speaker 3: Mardiya Siba Yahaya, Civil Society, African Group

    Moderator

    Bobina Zulfa, Civil Society, African Group

    Online Moderator

    Phillip Ayazika, Private Sector, African Group

    Rapporteur

    Phillip Ayazika, Private Sector, African Group

    Format

    Break-out Group Discussions - 90 Min

    Policy Question(s)

    A. How can engendering gender data lead to more robust data governance across the African continent?
    B. Would a change to feminist domestic policy models across the African continent enhance inclusive planning and decision making?
    C. What measures are likely to facilitate the creation and use of quality datasets for evidence based policymaking?

    What will participants gain from attending this session? We hope our session’s attendees will leave with fresh insights into how efforts towards gender mainstreaming on the African continent can be further expedited through entrenching gender data across all systems and programs. We also hope that through the participatory discussion, each attendee will come to creatively ideate around some of the challenges that stand in the way of gender data on the African continent, from relevant and nuanced research methodologies to how funding for gender data can be prioritised under constraining situations to what quality data looks like. Overall, this session aspires to deconstruct problematic approaches towards gender issues as a whole at the policymaking level and try to impart new ways of thinking when it comes to gender and data relations for the African continent.

    Description:

    Despite the growing recognition of the tangible benefits of gender equality in our society, the crucial gap in gender data poses a significant hurdle to creating inclusive and equitable societies. In this session, we will explore a groundbreaking proposition for feminist domestic policies, focusing on engendering gender data. By systematically strengthening the collection, analysis, and utilization of gender data, we can inform effective policies that benefit all individuals and tackle gender-based disparities head-on to create a more just future. Currently, much of Africa has national gender policies that are scantily implemented. This is mirrored in the absence of cross-sectoral datasets pertaining to women, which ultimately leads to policymaking that marginalizes the specific needs and realities of women. Gender data is also still largely considered niche, which is problematic on its own. Since gender data illuminates the unique experiences, needs, and challenges of different genders, the absence of these insights often results in the erasure of certain demographics when it comes to national planning. Having feminist domestic policies that ensure a gender perspective is reflected in all policies and programs becomes essential to achieving SDG 5. As this approach is comprehensive, a participatory approach that reimagines research methodologies and addresses bottlenecks such as understanding gender data, funding challenges, and personnel capacities is this session’s objective.

    Expected Outcomes

    An (objective) policy brief outlining proposed policies that prioritize gender data as well suggested paths to address the discussed bottlenecks to gender data across the African continent.

    Hybrid Format: We plan to facilitate and initiate interactions between on-site and online speakers and attendees through:
    Pre-session publicity.
    I. Pollicy will publicise this session and our participation at the IGF on our social media channels and the social media channels of our co-panelists.
    Ii. Encourage interested participants to ask questions about the and prior to the event
    During the session itself: We will have a member of our team join online. This person will be responsible for noting down questions, comments, reactions and raised hands and engage with the online audience.
    At regular intervals, the onsite moderator will revert to the online moderator if there are any questions or comments worth noting.
    The onsite moderator will ask the online audience questions directly and elicit their response as the session progresses.
    Doing these will ensure that persons who are unable to attend on site will be able to join and participate.