WSIS gender caucus: summary of recommendations to the second WSIS-Africa Regional Preparatory Conference: Accra, Ghana, 2-4 February 2005/Caucus de genre du SMSI: resume des recommandations a la seconde Conference de Preparation Regionale du SMSI en Afrique Accra, (Ghana), 2-4 Fevrier 2005.

• Position: WSIS NEWS/NOUVELLES DU SMSI

The WSIS Gender Caucus places great importance in aligning the WSIS preparatory process and outcomes with achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and urges Governments and the International Community to acknowledge and treat the integration of gender equality and women's rights in the Information Society and Information and Communication Technologies as a fundamental issue. The Gender Caucus acknowledges the significance of the African Regional Preparatory Conference for the second phase of WSIS, commends the theme "Access--Africa's key to an inclusive Information and Knowledge Society" and recommends collective action of all African stakeholders for the integration of a gender perspective in the IS in general and ICTs in particular.

In this WSIS Gender Caucus' statement of recommendations on the major Information Society issues presented at the Accra meeting, ACCESS is underlined as key; access to financing, infrastructure and technologies. Thus, proactive, committed and gender-sensitive actions and attitudes are urged on the following:

Issue 1: Financing the Information and Knowledge Society

Adequate and sustainable resources are required to fulfil the goals of WSIS. We recommend gender-sensitive budgeting, support for the Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF), creative financial investment schemes and facilities which do not restrict women only to micro credit, the allocation of targeted funds for gender and ICTs and the involvement of Development Banks (national and continental) in the creation of ICT investment products and services.

Issue 2: Indicators and benchmarking

Measurable performance indicators must be defined within a gender and cultural analysis framework as a basis for the generation and collection of appropriate statistics and indicators on the Information and Knowledge Society. The Gender Caucus recommends that all IS and ICT indicators be engendered and all data gender disaggregated.

Issue 3: ICTs for socio-economic development

There is a great deal of faith in the potential of ICTs to positively support socio-economic development. We recommend more profound gendered analysis of impacts, training and capacity development for women and men, literate as well as non-literate, "ICTs and Development" and entrepreneurship as a means to improve the positive effects on enduring development.

Issue 4: Access and infrastructure

Infrastructure is paramount and basic telephone connectivity in Africa is significant but not a...