UNESCO spotlights the gender gap in the digital world at CSW67

In two consecutive panels, UNESCO highlighted distinct but interconnected issues tackling gender rights online. The first panel offered policy advice to legislators considering AI legislation, while the second panel discussed ways to improve gender equality in the rights to information and freedom of expression in the digital space.

During a high-level event at the CSW67 Forum on ‘The Gender Digital Revolution: Addressing Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, Access to Information, and Gendered Online Violence,’ UNESCO introduced the Women 4 Ethical AI Platform. It will contribute to the realisation of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the organisation’s first global normative standard in the field of AI, which offers a full chapter of action-oriented policy recommendations to address gender-related challenges in AI and was adopted by all 193 member states at its 41st General Conference.

The second panel addressed access to digital information and internet safety for journalists through a gender lens. According to Laura Neuman, author of the UNESCO policy brief on gender equity in the right to information, a recent poll of information commissioners revealed that men made 75% more requests for information than women, and men appealed 90% of denials. To combat this, each nation should develop a strategy and a budget to ensure equitable access to information. The panellists suggested concrete actions to help close the gender gap in information access and creation.