The role of parliaments in advancing gender equality through technology
Session 1: Empowering women and girls through technology, including in decision-making processes
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular SDG 5 on gender equality requires bold and transformative actions. Based on current trajectories, existing interventions will not be sufficient to achieve gender equality in all areas of the SDGs by the 2030 deadline. It is vital to consider how rapidly- developing technology can help advance and address barriers to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
This session will explore how parliaments can drive change and support the removal of obstacles that prevent or limit women’s and girls’ access to technology. It will also focus on how the potential of technology can be harnessed to advance gender equality in areas such as education, the economy and political decision-making. This includes adapting parliament’s working methods through technology, such as opening up for more gender-inclusive participation and family-friendly hybrid work arrangements. Following introductory presentations, a moderated debate will invite panellists and participants to respond to the following guiding questions regarding parliamentary action:
- How can parliaments promote and protect equal access to technology for women and men in society? (For example, regulating affordable and monopoly-free access to the Internet, ensuring available infrastructure for connectivity throughout the country.)
- What are the good practices of parliaments in promoting access of women and girls in STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math)?
- How can parliaments facilitate women’s access to the labour market through technology? (For example, through measures to promote women’s leadership and entrepreneurship in technology, as well as skills development and life-long learning.)
- In parliaments, how can technology, including information and communication technologies (ICTs), help advance gender equality internally and support the work of women and men parliamentarians? (For example, online/hybrid sessions, remote voting, measuring and analyzing speaking time for women and men MPs.)
- How can parliaments use technology to open up to all constituents, including women and girls, andensure their decision-making processes fully include a broad range of views?
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The joint IPU – UN Women Parliamentary Meeting “The role of parliaments in advancing gender equality through technology” will aim to showcase and further strengthen parliamentary engagement in harnessing technology to advance gender equality both in society and within their institution. It will also provide an opportunity for legislators worldwide to bring a parliamentary perspective into the CSW 67 discussions.
Members of Parliament from around the world will share good practices for empowering women and girls through technology, removing structural obstacles that hinder women’s access to and use of technology and addressing risks such as technology-facilitated violence against women and girls. Participants will also exchange with their peers and experts on how to deepen their work in these areas. Discussions will include ways of harnessing the potential of technology to make parliament’s working modalities ever more inclusive and gender-sensitive.
10-1 UN HQ ECOSOC Chamber
Last modified: March 1, 2023