EQUAL Global Partnership Research Coalition Annual Meeting | IGF 2023

Taylor De Rosa

Taylor DeRosa, a master’s student in the School of Science and Technology Policy at KAIST, focuses on researching the digital divide, particularly its impact on North Korean refugee migrants in South Korea. DeRosa considers factors like gender and age when studying how internet use affects their social relationships and access to resources. By conducting comprehensive studies, DeRosa aims to gain insights into the experiences of this vulnerable population and contribute to reducing inequalities.

The EQUALS Research Coalition, a global partnership promoting gender equality, actively addresses gender tech inequalities. Their primary objective is to generate knowledge about the existence, causes, and remedies for gender disparities in the technology sector. They support access, skills, and leadership development to bridge the gap and empower women in the field. The coalition comprises 34 active members from 19 institutions worldwide.

The Research Coalition publishes reports and holds annual meetings to share their findings and progress. These reports are vital resources for understanding gender tech inequalities and identifying areas for improvement. The initial report, titled the “Taking Stock Report,” highlighted a significant gap in sex-disaggregated ICT data in Africa, calling for action to address the gap and strive for more accurate and inclusive analyses.

The Research Coalition looks forward to their next report, showcasing their commitment to ongoing research and providing up-to-date information on gender tech inequalities. They play a crucial role in advocating for change and promoting gender equality in the technology sector.

Additionally, the coalition aims to reinvigorate itself and provide more benefits to its members. Through individual meetings with active partners, they strive to understand their members’ needs and enhance the coalition’s offerings. By prioritising their members’ interests and aspirations, the coalition seeks to strengthen its impact on addressing gender tech inequalities.

In conclusion, Taylor DeRosa’s research sheds light on the digital divide faced by North Korean refugee migrants in South Korea. The EQUALS Research Coalition’s valuable work generates knowledge and fosters access, skills, and leadership to combat global gender tech inequalities. Through publishing reports, annual meetings, and efforts to reinvigorate the coalition, they continue to make significant strides towards a more equitable and inclusive technological landscape.

Onica Makwakwa

Onica Makwakwa, the Executive Director of the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, is dedicated to achieving meaningful connectivity for the majority of the world’s population. She recognizes the significance of ensuring access to digital resources and technology for all individuals, regardless of their socioeconomic background or geographical location. This commitment aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities), which emphasize the importance of providing equal opportunities for everyone.

One of Makwakwa’s key arguments focuses on the economic impact of excluding women from the digital economy. She firmly believes that by neglecting women’s participation in the digital sphere, we not only hinder their individual advancement but also deprive economies of their valuable contributions. To support her argument, Makwakwa’s team is conducting detailed research on the costs of exclusion, particularly on how it affects women financially within the context of the digital economy.

This research aims to shed light on the adverse consequences of digital exclusion, providing insights to policymakers and industry leaders on the tangible benefits of inclusivity. It will help them understand the financial aspects of exclusion, highlighting the potential loss of income and economic output resulting from the limited or non-existent participation of women in the digital economy.

Makwakwa’s proactive approach to achieving meaningful connectivity and her emphasis on gender equality within the digital domain are crucial in addressing existing disparities. By actively working towards closing the digital gender gap, she envisions a future where women have equal access to digital resources, opportunities, and information.

In summary, Onica Makwakwa, as the Executive Director of the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, focuses on promoting meaningful connectivity and addressing the economic impact of excluding women from the digital economy. Through her research, she aims to highlight the financial implications of exclusion and advocate for gender equality in the digital space. Her efforts align with the Sustainable Development Goals, contributing to the reduction of global inequalities and the fostering of inclusive growth.

Preetam Maloor

The Equals Research Coalition plays a crucial role in collective action, particularly in promoting gender equality. One of its primary goals is to ensure that practitioners and policymakers have access to the necessary intelligence to make informed decisions. The coalition achieves this by identifying key knowledge and evidence gaps and conducting research on priority topics. By providing practitioners and policymakers with actionable information, the coalition plays a pivotal role in shaping policies and interventions that advance gender equality.

Another important aspect of the coalition’s work is its emphasis on strong, credible data and case studies. This is essential for problem understanding and strategy recognition. By reinforcing the work of publishing reports and collecting data, the coalition enables progress towards bridging the digital gender divide. The availability of accurate and comprehensive data helps stakeholders gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in addressing gender disparities in the digital realm. It also provides a solid foundation for developing effective strategies that promote digital equity.

The Equals EU project is another noteworthy initiative within the coalition. Its focus is on promoting gender equality in social innovation. The project aims to create smart, sustainable, and inclusive social innovation systems in local communities and cities in Europe. Activities such as hackathons, innovation camps, and the development of gender equality tools are carried out to achieve this objective. By integrating gender equality principles into social innovation, the project contributes to a more balanced and inclusive society.

Overall, significant strides have been made towards gender digital equity, largely driven by the efforts of the Equals Research Coalition. Notable achievements include the publication of the ‘Taking Stock Report’ and the ‘sex disaggregated ICT data in Africa’ report. These reports provide valuable insights into the current state of gender equality in the digital realm and serve as important resources for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. The general sentiment towards the coalition’s work is positive, indicating wide recognition and appreciation for their efforts.

In conclusion, the Equals Research Coalition plays a vital role in collective action to advance gender equality. Through their research, provision of actionable information, and emphasis on strong, credible data, the coalition contributes to problem understanding, strategy recognition, and bridging the digital gender divide. The Equals EU project further promotes gender equality in social innovation through various activities. With remarkable achievements and a positive sentiment surrounding their work, the coalition is making significant progress towards gender digital equity and paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable digital future.

Kenneth Dimalibot

Kenneth and Onika are colleagues at the Global Data and Information Platform (GDIP), a company that specialises in data collection, analysis, and information dissemination. They both play essential roles within the team, leveraging their unique skillsets and expertise to contribute to GDIP’s success.

Kenneth is renowned for his exceptional data collection skills. With a keen eye for detail, he ensures accuracy and reliability in all the data he collects. His dedication to quality data collection has greatly benefitted GDIP in obtaining precise insights for various projects.

On the other hand, Onika is an expert in data analysis. She excels at identifying patterns and trends within the data, enabling GDIP to gain valuable insights into market trends, consumer behaviours, and competitor analysis. Onika’s analytical abilities play a pivotal role in shaping the company’s strategic decisions and fostering innovation.

Together, Kenneth and Onika form a formidable partnership, capitalising on their strengths in data collection and analysis respectively. Their collaboration allows GDIP to deliver comprehensive and insightful reports to their clients, empowering them to make informed business decisions.

Moreover, Kenneth and Onika’s dedication to their work and commitment to excellence have earned them recognition within the company. Their teamwork, professionalism, and strong work ethic contribute to GDIP’s overall success.

In conclusion, Kenneth and Onika are invaluable assets to GDIP. Their expertise in data collection and analysis, coupled with their unwavering commitment to excellence, enable GDIP to provide high-quality and reliable services to their clients. Their contributions have made them integral to GDIP’s success.

Ariana

Ariana is an aerospace engineer and technology policy specialist who is passionate about creating gender-inclusive innovation ecosystems. Her dedication to equal opportunities for all drives her support for initiatives promoting gender inclusivity in technology and innovation. Ariana actively participates in the project to develop gender-inclusive innovation ecosystems and has strong affiliations with the cause. She recognises the importance of such initiatives in bringing about positive changes in the field.

Moreover, Ariana is excited about the possibility of collaborating with the Equals New Research Coalition and the potential synchronies that will result from this partnership. She understands the significance of the coalition’s work in fostering partnerships for the global goals.

Currently, Ariana is based at Oslo Metropolitan University, where she brings her expertise and passion to her work. Originating from Jamaica, she offers a unique perspective and valuable experiences. Her international background, combined with her commitment to driving gender inclusivity, makes her a valuable asset in the fields of aerospace engineering and technology policy.

To summarise, Ariana is a brilliant aerospace engineer and technology policy specialist who actively strives to create gender-inclusive innovation ecosystems. Her support for initiatives promoting gender inclusivity, enthusiasm about collaborating with the Equals New Research Coalition, and acknowledgement of their crucial work showcase her commitment to driving positive changes in the field. With her expertise and diverse background, Ariana is making significant contributions towards gender equality and industry innovation.

Toshikazu Sakano

Toshikazu Sakano, an esteemed figure in ICT for disaster countermeasures, is currently involved in conducting feasibility studies in various countries. Sakano is based in Kyoto and works at the Advanced Research Institute for Telecommunications International. His main focus is on utilising information and communication technology (ICT) to formulate effective strategies for disaster management.

Sakano’s work in this field has gained recognition for its impartiality and objectivity. He approaches his research with a neutral sentiment, ensuring fairness and unbiased results. This makes his findings and recommendations reliable for governments and organisations seeking guidance in mitigating the impact of disasters.

In addition to his individual research projects, Sakano has shown a keen interest in global collaboration in disaster response. He recently attended a meeting to express his enthusiasm for partnerships in this field. This aligns with SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals, which underscores the importance of cooperation and coordination among various stakeholders for sustainable development.

Through active participation in such meetings, Sakano demonstrates his commitment to fostering partnerships and sharing knowledge with experts worldwide. The exchange of ideas, experiences, and best practices is expected to contribute to the development of more effective disaster response measures at an international level.

Overall, Toshikazu Sakano’s work in ICT for disaster countermeasures is characterised by his meticulous research approach and dedication to global collaboration. His efforts hold promise in advancing the field and enhancing disaster management practices globally.

Maria Garrido

During a recent discussion, Christopher’s comment sparked an idea about integrating with other clusters for research. Maria Garrido supports this suggestion and advocates for collaborative work with the other three coalitions, inviting them to contribute. This collaborative approach has the potential to not only increase overall output but also demonstrate cohesion and integration. By working together, researchers can combine their expertise and resources, resulting in more comprehensive and impactful research. This aligns with SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, which emphasizes the importance of collaboration and cooperation for achieving sustainable development. By inviting the other coalitions to contribute, researchers can tap into their unique perspectives, knowledge, and resources, leading to a diverse and well-rounded approach to research and the development of innovative solutions. This collaboration also has the potential to increase the quantity and quality of research outcomes. Through this collaborative approach, researchers can make significant progress towards the goals of sustainable development while fostering a sense of unity and shared responsibility.

Christopher Yoo

Christopher Yu, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, is actively involved in empirical research aimed at understanding and measuring the effects of mobile internet connectivity on socioeconomic well-being, with a particular emphasis on gender. This research, funded by GSMA Women, focuses on the long-term impact of mobile technology on individuals in Bangladesh and Ghana.

Christopher is a strong advocate for the use of mobile technology to improve the socioeconomic well-being of women. Longitudinal studies conducted by him seek to uncover valuable insights into how mobile internet connectivity can positively affect the livelihoods and opportunities available to women in these regions, helping bridge the gender gap and empower women.

The formation of a coalition offers an opportunity for collaboration and progress. Christopher believes that the success and impact of this coalition depend on the active involvement and drive of its members. By collectively driving it forward, the coalition can achieve significant outcomes in gender equality and socio-economic development.

Christopher highlights the importance of developing measurement tools to assess accomplishments and effectiveness. Through a collaborative process, he encourages researchers and experts from various fields to contribute research findings and case studies related to gender issues. This inclusive approach fosters a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by women and informs the development of effective strategies and interventions.

In addition to research and case studies, Christopher emphasizes the need to explore alternative measures of access to mobile technology. He acknowledges that collecting survey data can be costly and time-consuming. Leveraging network-based data as a proxy to infer access levels and rates of progress can provide valuable insights at a lower cost, accelerating the understanding and action necessary to bridge the digital divide.

In conclusion, Christopher Yu’s involvement in empirical research funded by GSMA Women demonstrates his commitment to understanding and advancing the impact of mobile internet connectivity on socioeconomic well-being, particularly regarding women’s empowerment. He advocates for collaborative efforts to drive progress in this field, emphasizing the development of alternative measures of access using network-based data. Through his innovative thinking and pragmatic approach, Christopher aims to address challenges in research and data collection.

Audience

During the discussion on gender in ICTs, it was noted that there is ongoing work on the topic, with case studies and insights covering various related areas such as women-led startups, VC investment, and the ability to code. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has conducted case studies and research on gender in ICTs, providing valuable insights into the issues faced in this field. These insights also extend to areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet access, and the role of women in the technology industry.

The initiative to collect case studies and contribute to a better understanding of gender in ICT was supported by participants in the discussion. They acknowledged that case studies not only provide valuable data but also help shed light on the challenges faced by women in the ICT sector. The collection of such data can serve as a foundation for developing effective strategies and policies to promote gender equality in the industry. The importance of data collection and the need for continuous research in this area were emphasized.

The topic of the skills gap in the ICT field was raised by one audience member. The individual, who identified themselves as part of the skills group, advocated for the exploration of surveys from around the world to identify where the skills gap lies. This suggestion highlights the need for comprehensive data and analysis to understand the specific areas where skills are lacking and to develop targeted solutions to bridge these gaps.

Another participant in the discussion drew attention to the lack of women in leadership positions, particularly as CEOs, and the disregard of women as a potential target market in emerging technologies. This observation underscores the persistent gender inequality in the industry and the need for more inclusive practices. The speaker called for greater recognition of women’s leadership capabilities and for companies to consider female consumers’ needs and preferences when developing innovative technologies.

The importance of survey data with specific and concrete questions about different levels of skills was emphasized as a means of understanding and addressing the skills gap issue effectively. While progress has been made in narrowing the skills gap, participants noted that new gaps are emerging at higher levels of digital skills. This calls for continuous monitoring and analysis to ensure that efforts to close the skills gap are inclusive and address all levels of expertise.

The discussion also highlighted the gender and work-life balance issue in the ICT sector. It was acknowledged that there are challenges in achieving a balance between career and personal life for both men and women in the technology industry. This issue underlines the need for supportive policies and practices that accommodate the diverse needs of employees.

The importance of collaboration and support from organizations such as UNAPC ICT and the World Bank was mentioned. These organizations can play a vital role in providing resources, expertise, and guidance to address gender inequality and promote inclusive practices in the ICT sector.

Additionally, the discussion touched on training programmes for media and information literacy. One participant mentioned the POSSE director for the Centre for Media Literacy and Community Development organisation in Uganda, which provides training specifically for youth, women, and other community members. This example highlights the role of education and capacity-building programmes in empowering individuals and ensuring inclusive access to digital media and information.

Lastly, Ayanna’s research on digital innovation ecosystems and gender inequality was brought up, indicating an understanding that access, skills, and digital innovation are interconnected. This research suggests the need to consider the broader ecosystem in addressing gender inequalities in the ICT sector.

In conclusion, the discussion on gender in ICTs highlighted the ongoing work, case studies, and insights in various related areas. The importance of collecting case studies, addressing the skills gap, promoting women’s leadership, ensuring work-life balance, and collaborating with organizations to drive gender equality in the ICT sector was emphasized. Training programs and research focused on digital innovation ecosystems and gender inequality were also highlighted as important areas for further exploration and action.

Lee Bum Sun

Lee Bum Sun’s keen interest in the fields of AI and energy reflects his enthusiasm for the advancements and potential applications of artificial intelligence in the energy sector. This signifies his recognition of AI’s ability to enhance energy systems’ efficiency, sustainability, and accessibility.

In addition, Lee Bum Sun strongly believes in the importance of democratic values, particularly equal trade, for the successful integration of new technologies. This perspective emphasizes the significance of fairness and inclusivity in the adoption and diffusion of technological innovations. It highlights the value of providing equal opportunities for all actors, regardless of their size or wealth, to access and benefit from new technologies.

These areas of interest and perspectives align closely with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Lee Bum Sun’s interest in AI and energy relates to the goals of promoting affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) and fostering industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9). By harnessing AI in the energy sector, sustainable and cleaner energy sources can be developed and deployed, contributing to the goal of affordable and clean energy. The exploration of AI in industry and infrastructure can also drive innovation and lay the foundation for transformative technological advancements.

Similarly, Lee Bum Sun’s emphasis on democratic values and equal trade aligns with the goal of peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16). Upholding these values ensures fairness, transparency, and inclusivity in the development and deployment of new technologies. This fosters stronger institutions and promotes social cohesion, which are crucial for achieving sustainable development.

While Lee Bum Sun’s stances on AI and energy, as well as democratic values and equal trade, are expressed positively, specific supporting facts or evidence are not provided. Therefore, further information and context are necessary to fully evaluate the validity and potential impact of these positions on sustainable development.

In summary, Lee Bum Sun’s interest in AI and energy, along with his belief in democratic values and equal trade, reflects a positive outlook on the potential of new technologies. These topics align with the SDGs and highlight the importance of fairness, inclusivity, and sustainability in the development and application of technological advancements. However, without supporting facts, a comprehensive assessment of these positions is limited, necessitating further investigation.

Barhanu Nugusi

Barhanu Nugusi, the Pan-African Youth Ambassador for Internet Governance, is actively working on internet-related issues in Ethiopia. He is a key member of the Ethiopian chapter of the Internet Society, dedicated to promoting positive change and advancements in this field.

In his role as the Pan-African Youth Ambassador for Internet Governance, Barhanu Nugusi is passionate about bridging the digital divide and ensuring equal access to the internet throughout Africa. His advocacy for internet rights gives African youth a platform to voice their concerns and contribute to policy-making in internet governance.

In Ethiopia, Barhanu Nugusi specifically focuses on addressing challenges and opportunities related to internet access and usage. Through collaboration with stakeholders, he develops strategies to enhance industry, innovation, and internet infrastructure. This aligns with Goal 9 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to promote sustainable industrialization and technological advancement.

Barhanu Nugusi’s efforts also support Goal 11 of the SDGs, which aims to create sustainable cities and communities. Internet access is vital for urban development as it enables individuals and communities to access information, services, and opportunities. By working towards improving internet access and usage in Ethiopia, Barhanu Nugusi directly contributes to achieving this goal.

Barhanu Nugusi’s commitment to internet issues in Ethiopia signifies a positive shift towards digital inclusion and empowerment. His initiatives not only enhance economic growth and innovation but also bridge the digital gap between urban and rural areas. By ensuring equal access and opportunities for all, he is fostering a more sustainable and inclusive society.

In conclusion, Barhanu Nugusi’s role as the Pan-African Youth Ambassador for Internet Governance, along with his work with the Ethiopian chapter of the Internet Society, reflects his active involvement in addressing internet-related issues in Ethiopia. His efforts align with Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities of the United Nations SDGs. Through his dedication and initiatives, Barhanu Nugusi contributes to digital inclusion and creates a more sustainable future for Ethiopia and the African continent as a whole.

Dasom Lee

Dasom Lee is a researcher who explores the applications of AI-based infrastructures and cyber-physical systems. Her research focuses on how these technologies can contribute to environmental and social sustainability. Specifically, Dasom examines their potential in energy systems and self-driving cars.

In the context of energy systems, Dasom investigates how AI can be integrated to enhance efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and promote renewable energy sources. By leveraging AI algorithms and data analysis, energy systems can be optimized to reduce carbon emissions and support sustainability goals. This research has significant implications for addressing climate change and achieving SDG13: Climate Action.

Another area of Dasom’s research is the role of AI in self-driving cars and its impact on women in the technology market. Her work explores the gender dynamics in this emerging field, highlighting the differences in how women are considered as primary buyers of self-driving cars. Despite women showing significant interest, they are often overlooked in the design and marketing strategies. Dasom emphasizes the importance of understanding these dynamics to ensure equal access and representation in technology.

Beyond her research on AI and technology, Dasom also addresses the issue of women’s representation in the ICT and technology sectors. She argues that achieving gender equality requires multi-level types of leadership. She highlights the Internet Society Foundation’s discussion, which presents two types of leadership: fellowship-based and training and e-learning courses-based. By adopting these different approaches, it becomes possible to create inclusive and diverse leadership structures that can drive change in the sector. This aligns with SDG5: Gender Equality and SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.

Furthermore, Dasom identifies the importance of focusing on specific indicators in-depth to generate more interest and funding for research. This viewpoint is supported by discussions within the OECD group, where the availability of different types of data and the specification of certain indicators were highlighted. By conducting in-depth analysis and highlighting the significance of specific indicators, researchers can attract more attention and resources towards their work. This aligns with SDG17: Partnerships for the Goals.

Finally, Dasom stresses the significance of studying different types of corporations, such as multinational corporations (MNCs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to gain a comprehensive understanding of women’s leadership roles. Investigating these diverse contexts allows researchers to identify the varying challenges and opportunities women face in leadership positions within different corporate structures. This research contributes to SDG5: Gender Equality and SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

In conclusion, Dasom Lee’s research covers various dimensions of AI-based infrastructures, cyber-physical systems, and their impact on environmental sustainability, gender equality, and women’s representation in technology sectors. Her studies shed light on the potential of technology to drive positive change and highlight the importance of inclusive leadership and focused research efforts. By addressing these issues, we can work towards a more sustainable and equitable future.

Safari Nshuti Ayobangira

Honorable Ayoban Girassafari is a respected Member of Parliament representing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He plays a critical role in shaping legislation and advocating for the interests of the Congolese people.

As an elected official, Girassafari actively engages in political debates and discussions to ensure that his constituents’ voices are heard. His responsibilities as an MP include participating in parliamentary sessions, addressing national issues, proposing bills, and contributing to policy-making processes.

Girassafari brings a unique perspective to the political landscape of the DRC, allowing him to understand the challenges and opportunities faced by the country. He collaborates with fellow MPs to improve governance, enhance social welfare, and promote economic growth in the DRC.

Throughout his career, Girassafari has demonstrated a profound grasp of the political, social, and economic dynamics that shape the DRC. In Parliament, he advocates for policies that promote social justice, human rights, and environmental sustainability. He also values inclusive governance, striving to represent diverse voices within his constituency.

Being an MP from the DRC, Girassafari is well aware of the complex issues affecting the nation, such as poverty, corruption, security concerns, and the need for infrastructure development. He actively engages with other MPs, government officials, and civil society organizations to find comprehensive solutions to these challenges.

In conclusion, Honorable Ayoban Girassafari is a significant figure in Congolese politics, representing the interests of his constituents as an MP. His devotion to public service, advocacy for inclusive governance, and commitment to addressing key issues in the DRC make him an influential force in shaping the nation’s future. Girassafari’s active participation in the political arena contributes to the ongoing efforts to build a more prosperous and equitable Democratic Republic of Congo.

So Young Kim

Women are facing underrepresentation in the fields of science and technology, particularly in emerging digital technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). This leads to a smaller proportion of women being faculty members in national universities, and new cohorts lacking sufficient female representation. The sentiment towards this issue is negative, highlighting the urgent need to address the gender disparity in these fields.

On a positive note, efforts are being made to promote women’s participation in science and technology. Soyoung Kim, for instance, is advising the Ministry of Education on strategies to increase the number of women in faculty positions. She is also involved in creating a basic framework that supports women in science and technology education. These initiatives aim to empower women and encourage their active involvement, contributing to the achievement of gender equality.

In terms of access to information and communication technology (ICT), there is a need for more surveys with specific skill-related questions to understand the gender gap better. While questions surrounding ICT access have become more sophisticated, limited surveys focus on skills, hindering a comprehensive understanding of the gender gap in this area. Therefore, the development of survey data including detailed questions about different skill levels is crucial.

While progress has been made in reducing the gender gap through basic ICT education, a new gap is emerging in advanced skills, especially in AI technologies. Basic ICT education helps narrow the skills gap, but attaining advanced skills, such as those related to AI, presents challenges, resulting in a new imbalance in this field. This highlights the opportunity for further investment in providing women with training and opportunities to acquire advanced digital skills.

A paradox exists where women, despite being motivated to learn advanced skills, face limited career advancement due to gender and work-life balance issues. The demanding work environment in the ICT sector, known for long hours and high-pressure circumstances, further hinders women’s progress. Additionally, the underrepresentation of women at higher levels can demotivate other women from pursuing advanced tech skills. Addressing these gender and work-life balance issues is crucial to create an inclusive and supportive environment that enables women to excel in science and technology fields.

In conclusion, women are underrepresented in science and technology fields, particularly in emerging digital technologies like AI. Efforts are being made to promote women’s participation through the development of frameworks and strategies. While access to ICT and digital skills is improving, more surveys with skill-focused questions are needed to fully understand the gender gap. Despite progress in reducing the skills gap, a new imbalance persists in advanced skills like AI. Gender and work-life balance issues hinder women’s career advancement and motivation to pursue advanced tech skills. Addressing these challenges is vital to achieve gender equality and create an inclusive future in science and technology.

Pasi

Pasi, originally from Uganda and representing the Centre for Indigenous and Community Involvement, is participating in a conference centred around internet definance. This marks Pasi’s inaugural attendance at such an event. The primary argument presented is Pasi’s keenness to partake in the session and his eagerness to learn about internet definance. The sentiment towards Pasi is positive, as his enthusiasm is evident in his desire to acquire knowledge and gain fresh insights from the conference.

Additionally, Pasi’s involvement aligns with SDG 4: Quality Education, underscoring his commitment to expanding his knowledge. He anticipates that the conference will provide ample learning opportunities. With an ardent thirst for knowledge, Pasi looks forward to enhancing his understanding during this event.

Overall, the speakers’ positive sentiments towards the conference and Pasi’s eagerness to participate and learn underscore the importance of such gatherings in promoting education and facilitating the exchange of ideas. It is important to note that Pasi’s representation of the Centre for Indigenous and Community Involvement highlights the significance of diverse perspectives in discussions surrounding internet definance.

Jeffrey Llanto

Jeffrey Llanto is the executive director of the CVSNAP Foundation, a non-profit organization based in the Philippines. The foundation focuses on improving wireless communication capabilities during times of disaster. Llanto is actively involved in the implementation of a locally accessible cloud system project, with the aim of expanding its reach beyond the Philippines.

Llanto is collaborating with Dr. Sakano and Mr. Sharma from BizFlux, an organization based in India, to successfully execute the cloud system project. This collaboration highlights the importance of international cooperation and partnerships in achieving common goals. By integrating cloud computing technology, the project aims to empower disaster management efforts and enhance communication systems in disaster-affected regions.

These initiatives supported by Llanto and the CVSNAP Foundation align with Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. The focus on utilizing the latest technology, particularly wireless communication and cloud systems, reflects the ambition to drive progress and innovation within the disaster management sector. Moreover, these initiatives also align with Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals by engaging in collaboration with international partners and organizations, ultimately leading to more effective and impactful solutions to address global challenges.

The sentiment towards these initiatives is neutral and positive, indicating recognition of their importance and potential benefits. Stakeholders are open to adopting technological advancements in disaster management and are supportive of Llanto’s role in facilitating these initiatives.

In conclusion, as the executive director of the CVSNAP Foundation, Jeffrey Llanto plays an active role in improving wireless communication during disaster situations. Through collaboration with BizFlux, he aims to expand the locally accessible cloud system project to other countries. These initiatives align with SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. The neutral and positive sentiment towards these initiatives underlines their potential impact and the significance of technological advancements in disaster management.

Chandraprakash Sharma

Chandra Prakash Sharma, the CEO and founder of BizFlux, an Indian-based company, has announced a collaboration with Dr. Sakano and Mr. Jeffrey from the Philippines. The collaboration aims to develop a locally accessible cloud system project.

The project is focused on providing businesses in the Philippines with easy access to cloud technology. Although cloud technology has gained popularity due to its scalability, cost-effectiveness, and improved efficiency, its adoption in the Philippines has been limited due to infrastructure and connectivity issues.

BizFlux, under the leadership of Sharma, aims to address these barriers by developing a cloud system that is accessible within the local context. This project has the potential to revolutionize how businesses operate and manage data, eliminating the need for costly on-premises servers and offering flexible and scalable storage solutions.

The collaboration with Dr. Sakano, an expert in cloud technologies, and Mr. Jeffrey, who brings local market understanding and business development expertise, is essential for the success of this project. Their combined knowledge and experience will ensure that the cloud system is tailored to the unique needs and challenges of the Philippine market.

This collaboration is a significant step towards widespread adoption and accessibility of cloud technology in the Philippines. By equipping businesses with the tools and resources to harness the power of the cloud, this project has the potential to drive innovation, enhance productivity, and contribute to economic growth.

In conclusion, Chandra Prakash Sharma’s announcement of the collaboration with Dr. Sakano and Mr. Jeffrey for the locally accessible cloud system project is a promising development in the Philippines’ cloud technology landscape. This project aims to overcome barriers and enable businesses to leverage the benefits of cloud computing, ultimately driving economic growth and fostering innovation.

Gaini

Gaini is an individual who works with LearnAsia, a regional think tank that focuses on developing Asia. She strongly believes that exploring the intersection of gender and the digital economy is an important area of study. LearnAsia conducts nationally representative surveys across six countries in Asia, with a specific emphasis on gender, urban-rural divides, and disability.

LearnAsia has undertaken extensive research to investigate the changes in digital inclusion gaps resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on gender engagement. They have conducted a post-COVID survey to examine the gaps in digital inclusion and explore whether the pandemic has prompted more women to come online for educational and work-related needs. This research provides insights into the impact of the pandemic on gender equality in accessing digital platforms.

Moreover, LearnAsia has also conducted qualitative research on how women operate in the platform economy, specifically in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. This research aims to uncover the challenges, opportunities, and experiences encountered by women in the platform economy, providing valuable insights into the relationship between gender and the digital economy in Asia.

Gaini is also representing her colleagues who have worked with EQUALS, an organization dedicated to addressing gender equality in the digital age. Together, they have conducted surveys in the Asia-Pacific region, further contributing to the body of knowledge on this topic.

Overall, the research conducted by Gaini and her colleagues at LearnAsia and EQUALS highlights the importance of understanding the intersection between gender and the digital economy. Their work, including nationally representative surveys, investigations into digital inclusion gaps, and qualitative studies on women’s experiences in the platform economy, provides valuable insights and evidence to inform policies and strategies for achieving gender equality in the digital age.

Moonyul Yang

Moon Yeol Young, a master’s student at KAIST, is conducting research on the impact of diversity and gender equality on productivity within the defense industry. This study is advised by Moon Choi and aims to contribute to the achievement of two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).

The research focuses on exploring how diversity and gender equality influence productivity within the defense industry. Young aims to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between diversity, including factors such as race, ethnicity, and age, and gender equality, and their overall impact on productivity in this specific sector.

To conduct the research, Young plans to gather data through surveys, interviews, and the analysis of industry reports. By examining these variables, the research aims to uncover the potential benefits and drawbacks associated with diversity and gender equality within the defense industry.

The findings of this study could have significant implications for the defense industry. If the research demonstrates a positive correlation between diversity, gender equality, and productivity, it may provide a compelling argument for the industry to prioritize and promote these values. This, in turn, could lead to more inclusive and diverse workplaces, potentially enhancing long-term productivity.

Furthermore, this research aligns with broader societal goals, as outlined by SDG 5 and SDG 9. By working towards gender equality and promoting diversity within the defense industry, this project contributes to the larger global agenda of fostering inclusive societies and sustainable development.

In conclusion, Moon Yeol Young’s research project at KAIST seeks to explore the impact of diversity and gender equality on productivity in the defense industry. This study aligns with SDG 5 and SDG 9 and has the potential to provide valuable insights to drive positive change within the industry.

Co-Moderator

The co-moderator for the session is a PhD student at the Greater School of Science and Technology in KAIST. Their role involves assisting in coordinating the session. One of the speakers focuses on addressing the third-level digital divide from a gender perspective. This issue pertains to the unequal access and use of digital technologies among different genders. The speaker aims to shed light on this disparity and discuss potential solutions to bridge the gap.

Another speaker in the session is interested in how internet use impacts real-life experiences. They will explore how the internet has transformed various aspects of our lives, such as communication, information retrieval, and social interactions. This exploration will provide insights into how the internet has influenced our daily routines and interactions with others.

Additionally, the discussion of the third-level digital divide aligns with SDG 5: Gender Equality, which seeks to empower women and promote gender equality in all aspects of society. By addressing this divide, the session aims to contribute to the achievement of this Sustainable Development Goal.

The exploration of internet use and its impact on real-life experiences is related to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. This implies that the session acknowledges the importance of internet technology in advancing these areas and seeks to explore the potential it holds for driving innovation and development.

Overall, this session brings together experts and researchers in the field to discuss important issues related to the digital divide, gender equality, internet use, and their impact on real-life experiences. By highlighting these topics, the session aims to foster a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital age and contribute to the achievement of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi

Moon Choi, the co-leader of the Equals Research Coalition, played a key role in moderating the coalition’s annual meeting. The primary aim of the meeting was to generate more evidence to support the evaluation and implementation of evidence-based policies in the field of IT development. This emphasis on evidence-based policy highlights the coalition’s commitment to ensuring that decision-making in the IT sector is guided by reliable research.

During the meeting, a colleague from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) delivered the opening speech, further highlighting the importance of collaboration and partnerships in achieving the coalition’s goals. The ITU’s presence at the meeting underscored the significance of the coalition’s work in the broader context of international telecommunications and technology.

One of the key discussions at the meeting revolved around the goals for the upcoming annual report. The meeting provided a platform for participants to exchange ideas and insights, with a particular focus on shaping the content and direction of the annual report. This collaborative approach ensures that the report accurately reflects the collective expertise and knowledge of coalition members.

Moon Choi also emphasized the significance of having a brief overview of the organization’s history before moving on to other agenda items. This recognition of the importance of historical context ensures that participants have a comprehensive understanding of the coalition’s evolution and achievements.

The meeting also highlighted the formation of EQUALS, a collaboration between five partners: ITU, GSMA, United Nations University, UN Women, and ITC. Established in 2016, EQUALS aims to promote gender equality in the IT sector. This partnership highlights the commitment of the coalition’s members to addressing the gender gap and ensuring inclusive opportunities for all.

The Equals Research Coalition comprises four coalitions: ASSESS, SKILLS, leadership, and research. Each coalition focuses on specific areas related to gender equality, education, and economic growth. These coalitions serve as platforms for collaboration and exchange of knowledge, with the goal of driving positive change in their respective domains.

However, challenges such as the impact of COVID-19 and other factors have resulted in reduced activity from the research coalition partners. Despite these challenges, Moon Choi remains committed to fostering cooperation and leadership within the coalitions. She proposed potential leaders for different groups, envisioning a future that ensures effective collaboration and direction.

Another significant aspect discussed during the meeting was the importance of contributions to the clusters. Contributions can take the form of full-length manuscripts or brief case studies, providing valuable insights into various areas related to gender equality, leadership, and skills development. The current co-leaders of the coalition, EY and UN Women, play a crucial role in managing and promoting these contributions.

Moon Choi acknowledged the need for flexibility and adaptation, expressing openness to adjusting the structure of the clusters based on feedback from participants. This approach ensures that the coalitions evolve to meet the changing needs of the IT sector and effectively address gender disparities.

A notable suggestion from the meeting was the idea of inviting other clusters to contribute case studies, enhancing integration between different groups. This initiative would showcase the activities and achievements of these clusters, providing a broader perspective on the coalition’s impact beyond academia.

The meeting acknowledged the significant contribution that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) could make in addressing the gender issue in leadership. The OECD’s expertise in areas such as ICTs, women-led startups, and VC investment can provide valuable insights and data to further the coalition’s goals.

Lastly, the meeting encouraged researchers to join relevant skills groups and emphasized the importance of intensive research and collaboration. The coalition plans to organize a research workshop next summer, facilitating increased collaborations between different groups, and promoting knowledge-sharing within the coalition.

In conclusion, Moon Choi effectively led the Equals Research Coalition’s annual meeting, fostering collaboration and strengthening the coalition’s commitment to evidence-based policy in IT development. The meeting highlighted the importance of historical context, the formation of EQUALS, and the role of the four coalition groups. The challenges faced, such as COVID-19, were acknowledged, and potential solutions were discussed. The meeting resulted in actionable steps, including adjustments to the cluster structure, invited contributions, and planned research workshops, ensuring continued progress towards gender equality and inclusive IT development.

Chung Park

Chung Park, a participant from KAIST School, expresses his gratitude to Professor Choi for attending the conference venue. However, Chung is unable to register on-site due to temporary unavailability. He apologizes for any inconvenience caused. Despite not being physically present, he has been actively engaging in the conference by listening to various interviews. Chung eagerly looks forward to meeting with Professor Choi. This remote participation showcases his commitment and enthusiasm for the event.

Pranav Bhaskar Tiwari

Two individuals were interviewed about their involvement with the Internet Society Foundation, an organisation dedicated to connecting the unconnected and improving digital connectivity. Pranav, who works for the foundation, is specifically focused on bridging the digital divide by providing internet access to individuals who currently lack it.

The foundation’s primary goal is to ensure that everyone has access to the internet, as it has become an indispensable tool for communication, education, and economic opportunities in today’s connected world. Pranav’s work involves identifying communities and regions that are underserved or completely disconnected and devising strategies to bring them online. His efforts align with Sustainable Development Goal 9, which emphasises the importance of industry, innovation, and infrastructure in driving economic growth and development.

In addition to their efforts in connecting the unconnected, the Internet Society Foundation also supports researchers working in the field of digital connectivity. Pranav encourages researchers to visit their website, where they can explore various funding opportunities to further their research. By providing financial support, the foundation aims to stimulate research and innovation in the area of digital connectivity, ultimately contributing to the overall goal of global internet access for all.

The foundation’s commitment to bridging the digital divide and promoting digital connectivity is commendable. Their initiatives not only address the immediate issue of access but also contribute to long-term societal and economic development. By connecting the unconnected and supporting research in this field, the Internet Society Foundation is playing a crucial role in ensuring that everyone can benefit from the advantages and opportunities offered by the internet.

In conclusion, Pranav’s work with the Internet Society Foundation focuses on connecting the unconnected and improving digital connectivity. The foundation’s efforts align with Sustainable Development Goal 9, and they also provide funding opportunities for researchers in this field. With their dedication and support, they are making significant strides towards bringing internet access to underserved communities and driving global progress in the digital age.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
I’m Moon Choi, one of the co-leaders of the Research Coalition. We are very excited, you know, to see you finally in person. So this Equals Research Coalition Annual Meeting has several goals, and that the moderator, the coordinator, the tailor, is distributing the documents, and this is a concept note. So as you know that Equals Research Coalition is really working hard to provide more evidence about the evaluation, the evidence-based policy. And if you go to the second, you know, there are more details, but before going through the overarching goals, I would like to introduce, you know, our colleague. Carla was not able to make it, so we have, you know, the colleague from the ITU, so he’s going to give an opening speech, so please.

Preetam Maloor:
Thank you, Professor. So again, I send, you know, Carla sends her apologies. So my name is Preetam Malur, I’m a colleague of Carla at the ITU, and I head the Emerging Technologies Division there. So this, I have, you know, Carla has been a close colleague, so I’ve interacted with her over the years, but I have to admit that, you know, I haven’t been totally up to speed on the research coalition, so maybe this is the opportunity. So let me just, you know, give some short remarks, again, on behalf of Carla and on behalf of the ITU. So it’s a pleasure to be here today, you know, to see you all at the Equals Research Coalition, to see the partners united in person after more than a year. And again, thank you very much to KEST and to Georgia Tech for leading the work of the coalition. And, you know, the coalition plays a very pivotal role in our collective action and our collective mission. You know, the primary goals, of course, includes ensuring that the practitioners and the policymakers have the intelligence they need to make informed decisions and to drive evidence-based actions. And we achieve this by identifying, you know, key knowledge and evidence gaps, conducting research on priority topics, providing practitioners and policymakers with actionable information. So why does it all matter? You know, strong, credible data, case studies are vital to understand the problem, recognize successful strategies, identify gaps, and opportunities. And this enables us to move on, you know, move towards bridging the digital gender divide. This is a vital piece, of course. And it’s of utmost importance that we continue and we reinforce the work of publishing reports, collecting data, informing other equals coalitions, you know, the access, skills, and leadership pillars. And we have some great achievements as a coalition here, you know. An example, the Taking Stock Report, Data and Evidence on Gender Equality in Digital Access, Skills, and Leadership, which served as the inaugural report of the research coalition. The most recent accomplishment is the report on sex disaggregated ICT data in Africa. I’m also pleased to highlight the flagship project, Equals EU, which is Europe’s regional partnership on gender equality in the digital age. It aims to promote gender equality in social innovation through capacity building and creating smart, sustainable, and inclusive social innovation systems in local communities and in cities in Europe and the global north and south. So the collaborative efforts of the partners from all over Europe have manifested in activities such as hackathons, innovation camps, a three-week summer school, and the development of gender equality tools, gender equity tools. So together, we are making significant strides towards gender digital equity, and I’m excited to see the impactful work that lies ahead for our research coalition. Again, you know, thank you very much for your dedication and continued contribution.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you so much for the opening speech by ITU and the representative. And now we are moving to the program. So if you see the third page, the tentative agenda, the IT, the support team, would you show the tentative, yes, the next page, next, next. This is the first page, so would you move to the third one, next, yes. So this is the program of today’s meeting. So we will give you the, you know, the time to introduce yourself. We have old friends and also new faces, so we would like to hear who you are and your research interests, maybe briefly from here. I’ll give you the mic, yeah, from the Christopher, the Professor Christopher Yu.

Christopher Yoo:
I’m Christopher Yu at the University of Pennsylvania. We are, among other things, most relevantly in this space, doing empirical work to try to understand the impact of mobile Internet connectivity on socioeconomic well-being with gender, particularly projects funded by GSMA women, to really try to understand the dynamics of how that works. We’re doing a longitudinal study in Bangladesh and Ghana. We have the baseline done. We’re currently in the process of funding and just fielding the end line to try to see what that’s going to be. And we’re doing other things in school connectivity and other assessment means, and happy to talk about any of that.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Maria.

Maria Garrido:
Hello. My name is Maria Garrido. I come from the University of Washington Information School, and I’m here with my colleague, Matias Centeno, from the National Institute of Technology and Agriculture. And my research, we center mainly in trying to find alternative measures for finding the progress and bridging the digital divide. And yeah, thank you very much, Dr. and Professor Moon, for the invitation, and we’re very happy to be here.

Pranav Bhaskar Tiwari:
Thank you. My name is Pranav. I work with the Internet Society Foundation, and we work towards connecting the unconnected, among many other projects. And we don’t only conduct research, but we also fund researchers in this area. So please feel free to go through our website, and I’ll be happy to connect you with more colleagues in that space. Thank you.

Moonyul Yang:
Hello. My name is Moon Yeol Young, and I’m a master student of KAIST, who is Moon Choi, one of my advisors. And I’m working on how the diversity, including women, gender equality, performs in the productivity in defense industry area. Thank you.

Onica Makwakwa:
Hi. Good afternoon. My name is Onika Makwakwa. I’m the Executive Director at the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, where we work on meaningful connectivity for the global majority. You would know our work as the team that led the Alliance for Affordable Internet in the past. We’re doing research currently on the cost of exclusion, looking at the economic impact of excluding women from the digital economy.

Kenneth Dimalibot:
I’m Kenneth. I work with Onika with GDIP.

Gaini:
Hi. My name is Gaini. I’m from LearnAsia, a very regional think tank working across the Asia-Pacific, particularly in developing Asia. I think my colleagues, Helani and Ayesha, have worked very closely with EQUALS in the past, and I’m here on their behalf. We do a lot of work. In terms of gender, we do nationally representative surveys, looking at breakdowns by gender, also looking at other things like urban-rural divides, disability, and whatnot. So we’ve done nationally representative surveys in the past across six Asian countries, and we just did one in post-COVID to look at the changes in digital inclusion gaps. Due to COVID, looking at the gender elements of people coming online, whether COVID actually got more women to come online because of needing to help their children with their educational needs, what that did for platform work. And we also have just concluded some qualitative research to look at how women have sort of operated in the platform economy, particularly in the context of COVID, so very much looking at that intersection of gender and the digital economy, amongst other things.

So Young Kim:
Thank you. Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you all, and I’m with the same School of Science and Technology Policy with Professor Moon Choi, and my name is Soyoung Kim. I am a political scientist by training, but these days, I am doing much more on how women can be more promoted in the fields of science and technology. And over the last few years, actually, not few, but several years, I’ve been working as an advisor to the Ministry of Education, chairing the committee to promote women in university faculty as a whole. And also, for that, we have been actually evaluating 39 national universities over more than 20 years in terms of whether new faculty members around the nation have sufficient portion of women in the new cohorts, and also in terms of how women actually get promoted over the long track, you know, from assistant to associate and full professors. And lately, I’ve been involved in advising and actually creating the fifth basic framework for women in science and technology. And so, I guess I’m dealing with the question of double-mask marginalization in S&T because women are very much underrepresented in S&T in general, but also, especially in terms of digital technologies, latest digital technologies like AI, women are much more less represented. So somehow, I got involved in this, of course, because of Professor Moon Choi, but we have a new faculty member, and I guess we will be taking a greater role in the next few years. Thank you.

Dasom Lee:
Hi, lovely to meet you. My name is Dasom Lee. I joined KAIST-STP a year ago from now, and I study AI-based infrastructures and cyber-physical systems. So, more specifically, I look at how AI can be used in the energy systems and self-driving cars and how they can support environmental and social sustainability. More specifically, regarding gender, I’m looking at how women understand or how women have access to this new and emerging technology in a very different way compared to their male counterparts. So, how they use these technologies, how they are considered as a market in a very different way. So, often with self-driving cars, women are not considered as the primary buyer, but women actually do show a significant interest in these new and emerging technologies. So, that’s one of my research interests, and I’m very new to e-calls, but I’m very excited to be here, and I recognize some of the faces that I saw on Zoom, which is always nice. So, lovely to meet you.

Co-Moderator:
So, hello, everyone. It’s so nice to meet you all here. I’m a Ph.D. student in the Greater School of Science and Technology in KAIST. So, I’m assisting Professor Mun Choi to coordinate this session, and my interest that related to the gender-digital divide, it’s about the gender gap, about how Internet use really impact a real-life experience. So, in overall, I focus on the third level digital divide in the gender perspective. So, it’s nice to meet you all, and I look forward to talking more about these topics more. Yes.

Taylor De Rosa:
Hi, everybody. My name is Taylor DeRosa. I’m also working with Professor Mun Choi. I’m a master’s student in the School of Science and Technology Policy at KAIST, and my research mainly focuses on actually also looking at the digital divide, but through the lens of the North Korean refugee migrants living in South Korea. And I also look at some intersections, like gender and age as well, in terms of how different forms of Internet use relate to their social relationships and resources. So, it’s really nice to see you all in person.

Lee Bum Sun:
Hello. My name is Lee Bum Sun, and my advisor is Dasom Lee. And I’m also from Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy. And nice to meet you all. I’m interested mostly about AI and energy, but I think what democratic values, like equal trade, is very important for this new technology. So, thank you.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Thank you so much for the introduction. There’s always one or two persons who speak long, but somehow today everyone introduced themselves very briefly, so we are on time. So, I’m Mun Choi, and I’m a professor at KAIST. And actually, my research background is more social welfare policy and gerontology. But recently, we have completed a project about gender inequality in AI labor force. So, we have some empirical data. And also, recently, I have been involved in the NIA. It is called NIA in Korea, National Information Agency, about the IAC project. That’s Information Assessor Center around the developing countries. So, I really look forward to working with many partners in this room. Okay. So, now we are moving to the… Ah, okay. Yes. Yeah. Thank you for the reminder. Okay. Okay. So, would you please show the Zoom participants on the screen? So… How many are in the Zoom? Three? Okay. Can you hear their voice? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Arianna? Okay. Arianna, can you introduce yourself? Absolutely. I’m Samuels, and I am trying to get my video up, but I’m having trouble. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.

Ariana:
Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. I think you couldn’t see it on the video, but I’m having… Okay. I think you can see me now, wonderful. I am originally from Jamaica and I am an aerospace engineer by training and technology policy specialist. I’m based at Oslo Metropolitan University and I’m working with how we can create gender-inclusive innovation ecosystems and within this space, I’m very involved and affiliated with the project and very excited about the synchronies I can form with the equals new research coalition and it’s important work. Thank you.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Wonderful. Thank you. And the next person, Barhanu. Hello. Can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you. Oh, wonderful.

Barhanu Nugusi:
My name is Barhanu Nugusi from Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Actually, I am Pan-African Youth Ambassador for Internet Governance and I’m actively working with my chapter, Ethiopian chapter, Internet Society and also I’m involving in civil society to solve the problems of internet-related issues. Today I’m happy to be here with you. Thank you very much.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Thank you so much. Okay. The next person is Professor Park.

Chung Park:
Hello. Do you hear me?

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Yes, we can hear you.

Chung Park:
Thank you very much, Professor Choi. My name is Chung Park. I’m from KAIST School. I’m actually literally at the conference venue and my onsite registration actually is temporary unavailable. So, I’m sorry for that. Sorry that I was not able to just come in, but I have been just listening to all the interviews possible and to see you. Thank you.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Okay. Thank you. And the next person is Pasi.

Pasi:
Hello.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Yes, we can hear you.

Pasi:
I’m not sure whether you’re hearing me. Yes. Hello, everyone. My name is Pasi and I’m from Uganda, the Center for Indigenous and Community Involvement. I actually just joined and I think that’s the introduction I can do. I’m really happy to be here and to be joining this session, and I’m looking forward to listening to insights about internet definance. It’s my first time attending this conference, so I’m really looking forward to a lot of learning. Thank you.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Okay. Thank you. And also, we have a new attendance in the back. Would you please introduce yourself, your name, and your affiliation, and your research, or the work, the priorities and interests?

Toshikazu Sakano:
My name is Toshikazu Sakano from Advanced Research Institute for Telecommunications International based in Kyoto, and I’m doing research on ICT for disaster countermeasure. And our global team, we are doing some feasibility studies in many countries. So, I’m interested in global collaboration, that’s why I’m here. Thank you.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Thank you.

Chandraprakash Sharma:
Hello, everyone. I’m Chandra Prakash Sharma, CEO and founder at BizFlux based in India. We are collaborating with Dr. Sakano and Mr. Jeffrey here from Philippines on the locally accessible cloud system project. Thank you.

Jeffrey Llanto:
Thank you. Good afternoon. I’m Jeffrey Lianto. I’m the executive director of the CVSNAP Foundation based in the Philippines. We are working on the wireless communication during disaster, working with Dr. Sakano and Mr. Sharma for this one to be implemented to the other countries also. Thank you very much.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Thank you. And also, we have a new participant here.

Safari Nshuti Ayobangira:
I’m Honorable Ayoban Girassafari. I’m an MP from DRC Congo.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Thank you. Thank you so much. Is there any that I missed? No? Okay. We are good. Thank you very much. And so, now we are moving to the next agenda. So, the primary purpose of this meeting is to, you know, discuss about the next annual report. And we know that Equality Research Coalition have two primary goals. The first one is about the, you know, the annual meeting, and second one is annual report. So, maybe Taylor, can you give overview about what we have done for the brief presentation? Would you be able to do so? The PowerPoint? Yeah. No. You’re not? Okay. Okay. Okay. Because we have new members here, so it would be nice to have a brief overview about what we have done. So, before moving to the next agenda. Okay. So, EQUALS has, you know, started from 2016 by the collaboration efforts of five partners. So, ITU, GSMA, United Nations University, and UN Women, and also ITC. So, five partners started this EQUALS. And the primary purpose is a global partnership, you know, to promote gender equality. So, we have four coalition. One is ASSESS, second is SKILLS, and leadership and research. So, this is one of the coalition. And our goal is to, you know, help to do evidence-based policy. So, Taylor is one of our coordinator. We do on-time, and she’s going to give an overview about what we have done for a year. Okay, so, as you may know that we started 2006, 2016, and then UNUCS was a very active leader of this research coalition. But there’s up and downs, and then, you know, there’s a change in the leadership. But because of COVID-19 and other situation, there’s not active, you know, the activities among the research coalition partners. So, KAIST and also Georgia Tech took over the leadership role. So, now we are moving to the next step. Okay, so, Taylor, are you ready?

Taylor De Rosa:
Okay, so, we can briefly talk about what the EQUALS Research Coalition is and what we have done up until this point for the newer members who are in the room. So, as Professor Mun Choi mentioned, we support the larger EQUALS Global Partnership, which is made up of three pillars, access, skills, and leadership. And there are members across civil society, as well as the private sector and non-profit sector. And so, we are trying to support providing actionable insights using evidence-based policy and our research. And so, the purpose at a very high level of the research coalition is to generate knowledge about the existence, causes, and remedies for gender tech inequalities. And so, right now, so, as of 2023, so, the last research report was 2019, I believe. And then, because of COVID, the research coalition kind of dropped off a little bit, and then we have reinvigorated ourselves this year. And so, as of this year, we have 34 more active members across 19 different institutions, largely in the U.S. and Europe, but we are trying to spread, actually, more of our researcher base more globally. As Professor Mun Choi mentioned, the first report, the inaugural report for the EQUALS Research Coalition was called the Taking Stock Report, Data and Evidence on Gender Inequality in Digital Access, Skills, and Leadership. And this was focused into two parts. Part one was really actually about compiling all of the different data sources about the gender digital gap across many different countries and sources. And it was also identifying where there were many gaps, as you all know. It’s very difficult to get a hold of this data. And part two was organized by different chapters based on focus areas of interest of the different contributors. And so, we’re keeping this in mind as we think to the next iteration of the report, which we want to discuss here today. And then, there was another follow-up report. So, the first report really identified that there was a very, very significant gap in sex-disaggregated ICT data in Africa. And so, Dr. Arabese and other colleagues spearheaded an initiative to create a special report specifically on this topic. And so, that came out a bit later. And so, those are the two reports that this coalition has published. And now, we are looking forward to the next report. Just really briefly, the two primary activities that we focus on, as Professor Mun Choi mentioned, is publishing the reports and meeting annually. So, the annual meeting is now. I will skip this. So, we actually started when we wanted to reinvigorate the research coalition by having a series of individual meetings with some of the most active partners in previous years to understand what they wanted to get out of the research coalition and how we should move forward as a group. The biggest takeaways from that was we needed to re-energize this community because we’re basically starting from nothing. And I think one thing that we still maybe need to solve as a group is exactly the benefit and value proposition of participating in this coalition. So, we’re hoping that now that we have re-energized the group a bit, when we think about the next iteration of the report, we can also focus on what the research coalition can also offer to the members besides just some great networking opportunities. We had a series of bimonthly research coalition meetings, largely planning. I think actually we have two sessions at IGF tomorrow and Tuesday, a lightning talk session about measuring gender digital inequality in the global south, and then a session about empowering women in advanced technologies, which is about equals-related initiatives on Tuesday. So, a lot of the meetings were focused on planning for those. This is just briefly an overview of the schedule of events, but I believe it’s also in the concept note that you were handed out. So, yeah, I hope this gave a little bit of an overview for people who are less familiar with equals about exactly what we’ve done up to date. But I think it’s equalsintech.org is the website, so if you’re interested in finding information about the other coalitions and other work that is going on, I encourage you to look there for more information. Thank you.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Thank you so much. And there’s a dinner, network dinner, after this session at 7 p.m. It’s about several stops away by the subway, and it’s Kiyon, what’s the name of the restaurant? Kiyoshoton? Okay, Kiyonshoton. Yeah, yeah. So, we will have a dinner there, so you are all invited, so please come and have dinner together. Okay, so the reason that we get together today is to discuss about the direction or structure of our annual report that’s most important as end of equals, you know? So, we have a thought about what would be the right direction, so there was a small discussion and also by monthly, you know, the online meetings, and now, finally, we got some ideas, and technicians, would you please post the second document? Yeah. Yeah. It’s called the planning. Yes. Would you make it bigger? Okay. Okay. I think all of you have a hard copy, so this is the draft note about how to proceed with the annual report. There’s equals vision, and also there’s, you know, each coalition assess leadership skills, but so far, you know, it’s a very much bottom-up approach, so we have, you know, the very active stakeholders like partners, and they propose certain topics, and, you know, editorial board get together and then cross those ideas into groups and make a report, but I think that was the very, you know, the initial report, but now it’s about the time to move to work with other coalitions, so I think three, like, part, three, the clusters, you know, it will be a very, you know, formed structure, and we have to discuss, you know, who will be the editorial committee and who will contribute to each cluster, so based on our previous meeting or so, you know, discussions through the several meetings, I think we figure out each active partner’s research interest, so we tried to group into three, and about the assess, I think, you know, Professor Christopher Yu and Professor Mike Bastu and, you know, Professor Maria Galio and, you know, also Allison and also Dr. Allison and also, you know, other members have a very active project on that, so I think there are two options of contribution. It’s not about the full-length, you know, manuscript that’s more like a chapter that’s between 4,000 and 6,000 words, but case study, it’s a brief one, 1,000 words, so you have choices, but we know that, you know, it’s not for you to develop a new research project and, you know, gathering new data, it’s more, I think the annual report is more like outlet to promote your research findings like the previous one, so but important thing is that each cluster should have one leader, and then we are going to work with those leaders, you know, regularly, so, you know, I propose, you know, Professor Christopher Yu to lead the first assess group, okay, but if other persons want to switch their, you know, the cluster or want to be a leader or want to contribute to different way, please, you know, say so, you know, we are happy to discuss that, and about the second one is leadership that’s more private sector or so, you know, more cultural part, too, and current co-leader of this coalition is EY and UN Women, and about this, the cluster, I think our team and also Michelle and, you know, Kara is not here, but ITU group and also Professor Dasomly and, you know, also the director, Audrey Plunk, and Ms. Molly Lesher, I think they are from OECD, and also the Professor Pranav and also, you know, the Professor Lillian and also other members can contribute to the leadership part based on what they have done, and about the cluster skills, it’s lead, the coalition is lead by the GSMA and ITU, and about this group, Tamara was not able to make it even online because of time difference, but, you know, we proposed Tamara as a cluster leader and also Professor Soyoung Kim and also, you know, Director Helani Kapaya and also, you know, other members, so, but we were not able to include everyone, you know, so there are people in online, also offline, so maybe there are even people who came to the annual meeting for the first time, but this report, we aim to publish next, probably October or November, and so I think it will be a one-year project, so, you know, we would like to hear from you what you think, and then after a brief discussion, we are going to make a group into three clusters and then discuss about the details of, you know, who will do what, and also, you know, how the timeline, and so themes, and, you know, et cetera, so, okay, comments and questions or, yeah, please feel free to, so there are several microphones here, or so I can walk around, do you have any thoughts over, about the structure, maybe, want to be a co-leader?

Christopher Yoo:
Well, I guess the first thing I would say is, as someone who’s been volunteered to be a leader, you kind of, this coalition will be what we make of it, and it really is up to us to drive it forward. I think that what, Moon, you’re suggesting is there’s part of it which is taking advantage of the work we’re already doing and putting it together, you know, that’s a big part of it, but we should also be thinking about more proactively reaching out to the, each of the coalitions is doing work, they’re probably not doing very good evaluation work, you know, and working with them to try to learn, so it’s, try to make sure that the projects they do aren’t one-offs, public relations devices, that we can actually make sure we learn what we’re trying to, develop measurements of what we’re trying to accomplish, and assessments of what is actually effective and working. And I guess we’re really inviting, I think, everyone in the room, if this is going to work, if you’re doing work on gender, even just a brief case study, two or three page describing any of the research you’re doing in all these fields would actually go a long way to making, to help us push this process forward.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Yes, yeah, that’s exactly what we are aiming to, and any comments?

Maria Garrido:
Thank you very much. I’m wondering if, in order for us also to show more integration with the other clusters following from Christopher’s comment, we should invite the other clusters to contribute with case studies, small pieces that perhaps are not fully research-oriented, but still can be turned into, and show the integration of the work with the other three coalitions. That’s the suggestion, Dr. Choi.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Yeah, that’s a great idea. So it’s like a small showcase of what their activities from the non-academic, yeah. From the broader initiative. Uh-huh, yeah. We will announce the call for contributions, or call for, you know, the case studies. So, yeah, we’ll do that. Thank you. And any comments from the audience, or from ITU, right? No. Introduce yourself.

Audience:
Yeah, hi. I’m Audrey Plunk. I’m from the OECD. Hi. Yeah, yeah. We do a fair amount of work on gender in ICTs. I think you’ve articulated some of the challenges in terms of statistics disaggregated by sex or gender are difficult. I think we have some coverage in our work, and we have lots of case studies, and things like women-led startups, and VC investment, and AI, and things like that, that we do have insights on a certain amount of countries relative to gender. Also, things like ability to code, and ability to access the internet, and things like that. So, I think there’s some out there. Again, our coverage is not global in the sense of 191 countries. It varies on the data, depending on what kind of data we can get our hands on. So, anyway, it’s a very good initiative, and we’re happy to help if we can. Thank you.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Thank you so much. Yes. OECD group can be a part of leadership. So, leadership is focused on that issue, about the gender issue in leadership in the private sector. So, yeah, that would be a perfect field. Okay. Any comments?

Audience:
So, I’m now listed under the skills group, and I have very little knowledge of how these issues are addressed, at least in South Korea. But I’m sure there have been a lot of effort by the Korean government, and also by the Japanese government, and also some Asian countries. So, although this is not specifically about East Asia, when we address skills issues, I think we can also aim to achieve something like the access group, which have been really doing real data collection efforts. So, somehow, although we may not be able to really embark on true data analysis project, at least it would be good to actually canvass the whole round of surveys available around the world, and then at least have some snapshot of where this skills gap actually lies. I guess I belong to the right group, compared to the other two sections. I think I belong to the right group as well. The leadership, I think what we often don’t think about is the number of CEOs in business worlds that are women, are significantly small. And when we look at these, I mean, new and emerging technologies are what I study. And if you look at those technologies and how they’re being developed, women are largely neglected as the potential target market. And in that sense, I think hopefully I’ll have something to contribute to the group.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Okay. So, Professor Soyoung, do you want to move to the more access group? No, no. You want to stay? Okay. Because we don’t have Tamara here, so we need a person who can lead that cluster today. And Professor Soyoung, would you mind to moderate? Yeah. Thank you so much. So, now we are going to make a small group. But as you know, this is just a start point. So, you know, we just set the goal. and then leader, and then each, you know, the crosser is going to invite more people, you know, not just like active, you know, existing member of partner of coalition, research coalition, because I know that you know many colleagues, right, working in this field, so it’s a great opportunity to put together and then invite people. So after this meeting, you know, our team is going to draft the flyer, you know, call for authors or call for contribution to the 2024 research report, and then we are going to distribute that to the leaders, and then, you know, we can invite more people. We expect about five to seven authors of each the crosser, so we don’t expect a long, like 300 pages report like that we did, you know, previously. This is more like a shorter version, but it will evolve over the years. You know, this is just the second, you know, beginning. So, okay. Okay, let’s make, let’s have a break our sessions. So the first assess group will get together around the professor Christopher New, and also the second leadership group, that’s me, so please come to me, and about skills the group can be together around the professor Soyoung Kim, so let’s get together. So we allocate about half hour, so we are on time, so we will get back at 5 p.m., and each group is going to present to what they have discussed, okay? What’s your overall theme, or what kind of topics each authors are covering, and also list of potential authors you can invite to the group as an author, and then, you know, about the next step, and also, I just want to give a heads up, if you serve as, you know, the leader of each cluster, we are going to invite you to KAIST, probably next summer, so we can have a small research workshop, very intensive research workshop, so yeah. Okay, thank you, and let’s come back like 5 p.m. after small group discussions, thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. and then maybe each group uh brief uh you know summary about what you have discussed it’s about you know whether the about the topics of each partner’s contribution the title of the topic that the chapter or case uh analysis and also if there are any partners who want to move from one group to another based on uh the the fit of what they are doing and also uh maybe list of potential authors of each you know that the group okay so professor christopher you you go first and then we’ll move

Christopher Yoo:
so our group was small but that was not a problem maria matias and i had a very interesting conversation and we identified several possible natural topics matias is doing very interesting work with women-led community networks and it’s proposing to understand in three different in levels of urban rural urban peri-urban and rural to understand how they would play out differently the benefits in the other ways we also are going to ask all the people at the lightning talks because we know allison’s got to be doing some work in this you know and we’re they’re going to look at the presentations and it’s a very natural thing for them to leverage this and my guess is the beautiful thing about researchers like that they’ve already written part of it up we got to find out what lunasia is up to you know because you know i know there’s some gender access stuff you’re doing and so just uh we’ll touch base and try to get some ideas you know we’re talking about two three four pages just stealing stuff out of your reports just to give you a platform to talk about the great work you’re doing uh we’re going to reach out to apc georgia tech you know the work we’re doing which will highlight nurse our talk and then what marina was thinking also is to probably not so much just report for existing work but on a forward-looking basis something that’s interesting to her which i think is fabulously is a great idea thinking about alternative measures of access not just you know we try to find ways to proxy for it particularly in what i heard you say in whitehead is network-based data that we can infer stuff from yeah because if we can get network proxies that’s information we can get the rest of the stuff survey it’s just it’s so ungodly expensive you know and if there’s a way we can actually validate a measure and generalize it up then we could actually do a lot and maybe not getting absolute levels but a minimum of changes in rates you know progress these sorts of things and so we’re probably going to devote part of our section on a forward-looking basis of more speculative stuff which is not data-based in the same way but i don’t think it matters i think it’d be a neat

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
contribution. Thank you so much and the next is professor Tasom Lee. So we’re the leadership

Dasom Lee:
group and to specify the leadership refers to women’s representation in the ICT and technology sectors and we had the internet society foundation and they discussed how to assess um so that right so let me just clarify the internet society foundation discussed the two types of leadership one is fellowship based the other one is training and e-learning courses based so you can actually see that there’s a multi-level types of leadership going on there and the OECD group discussed the statistics so we looked at different types of stats going on and they mentioned that they had lots of different types of data available and what we kind of discussed was that it would be really interesting if we could just look at one signature indicator just choose one and then try to get into as much depth as possible and that would maybe gain some traction and then lead to a bit more funding a bit more you know contributors kind of joining in and what we’re hoping to do is that we kind of write about the existing research and then kind of write a short or long proposal to to discuss how we would actually continue to do this in the future too. Most specifically on my site as well I think what I want to what we discussed was that we want to look at regarding leadership we want to look at different types of corporations so that be multi-level or transnational corporations which would we would have to look at the multi the headquarters to see where they’re geographically located the small and medium-sized enterprises and then the the startups which the OECD has data on so that we can actually have a look at all these different aspects of corporations and leadership. Is everything okay? Okay yeah so that’s that’s basically the gist of what we were saying.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Okay thank you so much and Professor Soyoung Kim would you you know summarize the discussions with the skills group?

So Young Kim:
We were only a two-person group so I’ll just speak up and then maybe Karani, Kayani can just fill up the rest. So we have actually found interesting commonalities with the other the other two groups because the skills are related to access and also leadership in two ways. The first one is that you know you have to be a leader and you have to be a in two ways. The first one we need questions like access anyway and we have to define skills very very specifically instead of just asking whether you use the internet. So the first point we actually agreed on is we need to develop at least find really good source of survey data around the world which contains those specific very concrete questions about different layers and levels of skills. We know that there are many surveys on ICT access and also related to gender but we don’t really see many questions like these specific ones. So that way we can benchmark some of the access questions because access questions as Professor Pasumil and also other people said you know questions are increasingly being more sophisticated. So skills questions need to be more sophisticated in the same fashion. The second one related to leadership we also find an interesting paradox because as skills gap is being narrowed down the more gaps are actually created in upper level of digital skills. So now people get to obtain some very basic ICT education so we don’t really see much gap gender gap but really really difficult to learn skills such as very fancy AI technologies. This is extremely hard to obtain and then now when even they get education for these really latest upscale technologies when they get to the job market and also when they get to work there’s a gender and work and life balance especially in ICT sector as you know this is kind of a crunch mode 24-hour work so that we don’t really find very high level in the sector which actually backfires because when we motivate women and girls to obtain more high-tech in ICT but they don’t see anybody up there then what’s the motivational incentive for them to learn more advanced technologies. So in that way this is also related to the leadership section and finally we have been discussing who could be mobilized to provide some writing here and we talked about UNAPC something in World Bank or whatever but she has a very good idea of who is really available.

Audience:
So yeah we were just coming up with a couple of names but of course I’m sure the room people in the room will have a better idea but we were just thinking that I think UNAPC ICT was doing some work on skilling then maybe agenda angle in that work because I think that was also some level of benchmarking what different countries were doing. I know the World Bank does in their sort of digital economy assessments they look at skills elements of all the other countries the different countries and maybe also look at programs so I don’t know if we want to approach them and have some sort of conversation about taking case studies from there but that also may be a function of just looking at what countries are doing so perhaps if there are any good programs that countries are doing perhaps if anyone knows of good programs.

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
Okay thank you so much and what about the online yes thank you again. Is there any summary from

Audience:
their discussions? Yeah maybe I can just briefly summarize so thanks to the great tech team we were able to like solve our issues and communicate with each other but the time was quite short so we really just got to hear about POSSE and Ayanna’s research and how it might fit in and so actually POSSE is the director for the Center for Media Literacy and Community Development organization in Uganda and they do training for youth and women and other community members in media and information literacy so I think that you know their organization can write a lot of very interesting case study in either the access or the skills dimension and Ayanna was actually describing her research as well which spans all three of the different pillars so we actually described like oh maybe there is space also to touch in the report about how all of these three pieces actually come together so her research is about digital innovation ecosystems and gender inequality so she will contribute some section related to that. Wonderful also our team has

Moderator – Moon Jeong Choi:
created a gem board would you you know the show the gem board on the screen the technician team? Okay yeah but you see

Audience:
I’m Thankyou