The IGF has taken constructive steps to integrate gender equality into its space, processes and issues. This roundtable aims to strengthen this by bringing in different stakeholders (including governments, UN agencies, the private sector and civil society) to dialogue on key issues, challenges and best practices regarding the extent to which gender has been integrated into internet governance issues.

This will help to increase knowledge and understanding of gender and Internet specific concerns within the Internet governance framework and debates. The session also aims to provide a space for assessing and consolidating some highlights of how far gender has been successfully included at the IGF thus far.

The session will be organised as an actively moderated discussion with 3 – 5 minute inputs by different speakers on key issues, best practices, lessons learned or recommendations on how they have approached and integrated gendered concerns or issues in the following four broad thematic areas:

a) access and development

b) Internet governance principles and processes

c) safety and freedoms

d) women’s right to public participation (economic, cultural, social & political)

At the end of the session, the floor will be open for participants to provide their thoughts, questions and comments, including inputs from remote participation and a live Twitter discussion, to be hosted by the organisers. The moderator will synthesise key points for continuity and linkage between different thematic areas.

The session will be moderated by Jac sm Kee from the Association for Progressive Communications. Speakers include Nnenna Nwakanma from the World Wide Web Foundation; Marianne Franklin from the Internet Rights and Principles Dynamic Coalition; Nighat Dad from the Digital Rights Foundation; and Siti Noor Laila from the National Human Rights Commission in Indonesia.

Specific policy questions to be discussed:

• What are some of the key gender-related issues on internet governance in the related thematic area?

• What can different stakeholders do to further integrate and mainstream gender equality concerns into their existing work on internet governance?

• Sharing initiatives and best practices among different stakeholders.