CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE 

GENDER AND ICT DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES IN ASEAN

UNESCO CHAIR SYMPOSIUM
September 7-8, 2007
Sponsored by UNESCO, in cooperation with
Asia Pacific Women's Information Network Center &
Sookmyung Women's University
Seoul, South Korea 

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE

Dr. Kyungsook Lee of Sookmyung Women’s University, Dr. Yong Ja Kim of Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center, Dr. Jae Rim Oh of Research Institute of Asian Women, Dr. Samuel Lee of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, Dr. Kio Chung Kim of APWeBiz Center, distinguished guests and participants, ladies and gentlemen, good morning!

It is indeed an honor for me to be part of the 9^th UNESCO Chair Symposium with the theme, “New Leadership (e-Leadership) and Gender Sensitive ICT Policy in the Knowledge-Based Information Society. This gathering of leaders, gender advocates and ICT experts shall provide us with new insights and perspectives on the new type of leadership—e-leadership. If e-leadership is considered as another innovative type of organizational management, there is an urgent need for our leaders to be literate in ICT. They should maximize the ICT benefits in order for them to effectively carry out the goals and targets of their businesses, organizations or academic institutions.

I congratulate APWINC for pioneering the empowerment of e-leaders through providing the venue for interaction that will eventually pave the way for interactive e-organizational transactions. Your initiative in promoting Women’s e-Biz Center in selected countries of Asia Pacific Region has inspired your partners to create their own We-Biz Center. Among them are the National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP) and the Philippine Women’s University (PWU) where I serve as President for both.

NCWP and PWU are committed to pursue the creation of We-Biz Center in the Philippines in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The We-Biz Training that we conducted at PWU last year was out initial step. The training module was modified in order to suit the target participants’ profile and ICT knowledge.

We are envisioning the We-Biz Philippines as the model for local government units. However, the existing infrastructure facilities in local areas are not readily available. Hence, the plan to tap the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Fund of Korea is a promising opportunity that can translate our plan into concrete action. We are, therefore, banking on APWINC’s support for this proposed initiative.

As the ICT guru in the Asia Pacific Region, I am encouraging APWINC to expand your service to the ASEAN region. In my capacity as the President of the ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organizations (ACWO) I shall be proposing, as part of my paper presentation for this Symposium, an ASEAN Gender and ICT Empowerment Framework, which shall employ three main strategies: 1) the ASEAN Women’s Portal; 2) e-Learning and Capacity Building; and 3) ICT Policy Advocacy.

I am hereby inviting the two Dr. Kims of APWINC and APWE-Biz Center to be our resource persons during the forthcoming ASEAN Womenomics Forum to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Novermber 5, 2007. This Forum will include ASEAN Plus Three – Korea, Japan and China.

I am also extending my invitation to all of you to participate in the said Forum. The Forum shall cover two major topics: Gender and ICT and Women Entrepreneurship.

I would like to end by expressing my sincerest appreciation to APWINC for giving me the privilege to participate in this Symposium, as well as the past activities of your organization.

Again, thank you very much and Mabuhay!

1. Introduction

2. Gender and ICT Profile in ASEAN

3. The Proposed ASEAN Gender and ICT Empowerment Framework

4. A Summary of ICT Policies and Strategies implemented across ASEAN

5. Concluding Remarks

I. INTRODUCTION

“Encourage equitable and effective participation of women in all fields in the ASEAN community building processes.”

-Cebu Declaration Towards One Caring and Sharing Community

This one statement was incorporated into the “Cebu Declaration Towards One Caring and Sharing Community,” the outcome document of the 12th ASEAN Summit held in Cebu City, Philippines on January 11-13, 2007.

As the incumbent President of the ASEAN Confederation on Women’s Organizations (ACWO), we advocated for the inclusion of this statement to ensure women’s integration in policies, programs and projects of ASEAN governments. Our small victory in incorporating women’s agenda in the said Declaration shall pave the way for promoting women’s advancement and empowerment at the ASEAN level.

Among the important tools in attaining equitable and effective participation of ASEAN women in development undertakings is their full integration in information and communications technology (ICT).

The world is now considered one society because of ICT. ICT is now treated as a way of life. A means to achieve individual growth and country’s peace, solidarity, prosperity, and sustainable economy. ICT has dramatically changed people’s lifestyles during the past few years. It has improved business transactions, governments’ service delivery system, education, research, communication and networking mechanism.

As a member of the global society, the ASEAN women must be able to participate actively in all fields of community building processes through providing them the full access to ICT. This will empower them to cope with the ubiquitous computing revolution. The ubiquitous (U) revolution is the computing environment where anyone can access to ICT anytime and anywhere. The current e-Community is becoming U-World through ICT.

It is, therefore, imperative that the ASEAN women be provided with the ICT support mechanism such as engendered ICT policies and legal framework, e-training, e-commerce/e-business, e-community and e-research. To achieve an engendered ubiquitous revolution, gender perspective must be integrated in all ICT policies and initiatives not only at the ASEAN level but also in the global society.

II. GENDER AND ICT PROFILE IN ASEAN

Gender in ICT forms an integral part of the global society. Global discussions of knowledge-based and ICT-based policies, programs and projects at all levels were held to effectively harness knowledge power for equitable and sustainable development. Gender equality and women’s empowerment were identified as necessary elements in achieving economic growth.

Thus, the concept of WOMENOMICS was formed; this was recently developed by economists as a way to recognize and give more economic value to women in the globalized economy. An article in Economist.com dated April 12, 2006 entitled “A Guide to Womenomics” stated that “the future of the world economy lies increasingly in female hands.” The article emphasized that “women are becoming more important in the global marketplace not just workers, but also consumers, entrepreneurs, managers and investors. Women have traditionally done most of the household shopping but now they have more money of their own to spend. Surveys suggest that women make 80% of consumers buying decisions—from health care, homes to furniture and food. Women are now the most powerful engine of global growth.”

The article summarized how women worldwide were able to contribute to their country’s Gross National Product despite the fact that they are still exposed to unfavorable home and work environments such as double-burden, sex stereotyping, discrimination, sexual harassment and domestic violence. Economists believe that if women are provided with equal opportunities, their economic participation will be maximized. It is important, therefore, that gender perspective be incorporated in the area of ICT in policy formulation and programs and projects implementation.

The Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center (APWINC) has pioneered ICT development interventions in the Asia Pacific Region. Through implementing the project, “Initiative on APEC Women’s Participation in the Digital Economy” APWINC has conducted a series of APEC Forum on Women-Owned Businesses and the Digital Economy in selected countries of the region. They also conducted training on Women’s electronic Business (We-Biz) to educate women entrepreneurs on the importance of ICT and We-Biz in promoting their products and services.

Other organizations in the ASEAN Region recently focused in conducting training on ICT for women in various contexts. These include developing ICT skills for micro-enterprises and exploring e-business models. Other undertakings focused on providing innovative education opportunities for marginalized women in rural communities such as the use of tele-centers. Despite these initiatives, women’s access and utilization of ICT continue to lag behind their male counterpart and creating a widening gender digital gap.

A. GENDER AND ICT CONCERNS IN ASEAN

1. The Gender Divide. The problem of gender digital divide is very visible in local communities were grassroots women have no access to computer and Internet services. The widening gap is a result of the fast movement of ICT superhighway at the global milieu but the infrastructure facilities at the local level are still inadequate. The limited access to computers, telephones and Internet services, training and application opportunities for women and girls are the building blocks to their ICT empowerment.
    

2. Access and Know-how. Women’s access to computers is very limited, especially in rural areas. Although there are available infrastructure facilities in some areas, the double burden roles of women and the lack of financial resources are hindrances to gaining ICT know-how.
    

3. Education, Training and Skills Development. Women’s computer literacy rate is lower than men in developing countries. Training that were conducted by some institutions were oftentimes not customized to women’s needs and are too technical. Learning practices should be extended also to women and girls. Language and cultural barriers can also be considered as reasons for women’s resistance and fear of technology.
    

4. Content and Language. English language content dominates the world-wide web. This affects women from the North who cannot comprehend English instructions. Women ICT advocates also believe that women’s viewpoints, knowledge and interests are not adequately represented, while gender stereotypes also dominate the world-wide web.
    

5. Power and Decision-making. Women are under-represented in ICT decision-making level. Decisions making on ICT is generally treated as purely technical area which is typically for male experts. This is the reason why many ICT policies are not women-friendly and most of the time bias in favor of men.

B. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PREVIOUS CONFERENCES / MEETINGS

Gender and ICT development gained worldwide focus during the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) held in Tunis on November 2005. One of the WSIS commitments centered on women. The Summit Resolution has incorporated the paragraph “… gender digital divide exists as part of the digital divide in society and we affirm our commitment to women’s empowerment and to gender equality perspective so that we can overcome this divide.”

Gender and ICT and women’s ICT empowerment became the theme of several international and regional conferences. Conference Statements and Recommendations have incorporated strategies on how gender and ICT stakeholders can maximize women’s participation in the digital economy to be able to address the issue of gender digital divide. Among the conferences that have strong recommendations on the importance of women’s ICT empowerment are:

1. The 11th APEC Women Leaders Network (WLN) held in Hanoi Vietnam on September 19 to 21, 2006;
    
2. The 12th APEC (WLN) Meeting held in Port Douglas, Australia on June 25-27, 2007;
    
3. The APEC Forum on Digital Economy 2006 held in Halong Bay, Vietnam on September 16-17, 2006;
    
4. The APEC Forum on Digital Economy 2007 held in Port Douglas, Australia on June 21-24, 2007; and
    
5.  The 12th ACWO General Assembly and Conference held in Brunei Darussalam on November 17-19, 2006.

A Conference on the Regional Program on Change Management for Human Resources Development in TVET Systems held in Manila on February 19-March 2, 2007 also identified recommendations that can address the issue of gender digital divide. The following recommendations were consolidated based on the outcome documents of the international, regional and national conferences:

1. Integration of urban and rural women in National ICT Master Plan;
    
2. Develop a database and research on women’s contributions to the digital economy;
    
3. Promote capacity building for maximizing women’s participation in the digital economy;
    
4. Set up an APEC Advisory Committee on women’s participation in the digital economy;
    
5. Increase SMEs awareness of laws, rules and regulations relating to e-business, e-payment, cross-border trading and intellectual property rights;
    
6.  Promote women entrepreneurs’ access to ICT and We-Biz to assist them in promoting and marketing their products in the global market;
    

7. ACWO to establish an ASEAN Women’s Portal to share information, disseminate best practices and promote partnership among ASEAN women and women in other regions;
    

8. Intensify the conduct of We-Biz Training. Indonesia is proposing to include trade regulation and trade custom as the subject of training materials and provide training in local area or provinces;
    
9. Allocate resources for research in collecting gender disaggregated data for e-business and to make these data freely available.
    
10. Consult women in the formulation of laws and policies on ICT
     
11. Develop International Master’s Program on Gender and ICT;
     
12. Conduct Gender and ICT Policy Research;
     
13. Develop Guidelines for Gender Sensitive ICT Policy and Project; and
     
14. Evaluating Gender Accountability of ICT Initiatives and Projects.

The above provides the premise or rationale for the proposed ASEAN Women ICT Empowerment Framework.

III. THE PROPOSED ASEAN WOMEN ICT EMPOWERMENT FRAMEWORK

As the non-government counterpart of the ASEAN Committee on Women, ACWO is committed to pursue women’s empowerment in ICT. The 12^th ACWO General Assembly held in Brunei Darussalam on November 16-19, 2006 has adopted the theme, “ICT Empowerment: e-Commerce and e-Government: Bringing a Higher Quality of Life in ASEAN.”

The General Assembly Resolution recognizes the need to educate women on ICT and provide them the support mechanisms that are needed to ensure their integration in the digital economy. The Resolution also identified the ICT capability building activities for women and the creation of ASEAN Women’s Portal as the ACWO’s strategies in empowering women in ICT and addressing the issue of gender digital divide. The Resolution also reaffirms ACWO’s commitment to monitor the implementation of various international instruments such as the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as well as the outcome document of the Women’s Summit on Information Society (WSIS).

Based on the result of the Assembly, the Women ICT Empowerment Framework was conceptualized in order to guide the ASEAN women in designing their own Road Map to ICT Superhighway. The Framework is considered an integral part of ASEAN Womenomics Program. Womenomics is considered both a strategy and development approach. It will serve as the ACWO’s mechanism for promoting women’s economic empowerment that will eventually alleviate poverty in the region.

The ASEAN Women ICT Empowerment Framework is presented in the following diagram.

Strategies for ACWO

The proposed ASEAN Women ICT Empowerment Framework has three major components:

1. ASEAN Women’s Portal

The proposed ASEAN Women’s Portal is a powerful tool to disseminate information on various resources and services worldwide, transact e-commerce/e-business, facilitate exchange of ideas and perspectives and build the e-community of gender and ICT advocates. The Portal shall cover information on the ten (10) ASEAN member countries and will include ASEAN Plus Three such as China, Korea and Japan as extension members.

The interactive portal is envisioned to serve as the hub of ASEAN women’s interaction with their partners in the global society. It shall serve as the venue for disseminating news and current events on gender and ICT initiatives of various governments and women non-government organizations. Search engines, fora, e-mail and links to other websites shall also be covered by the portal. Users of the Portal can have online discussion forum, maintain blogs or email using the link to the preferred email application software.

2. e-Learning/ Capacity-Building

ACWO shall undertake capacity building activities for ASEAN Women to be implemented by national councils in ten countries. The learning materials shall be provided through securing grants from donor agencies. Handy Guide Series and training module shall be developed for dissemination to affiliates of national councils.

3. Advocacy for Gender - Sensitive ICT Policies

Based on studies and recommendations during various conferences, ICT policies and programs are not gender-sensitive. Since ICT is considered a technical matter, most of the ICT policy makers are male. The issue of gender digital divide does not focus only on the access to infrastructure, training and applications but also to the existing policies on ICT. Policy makers do not consider gender as a priority concern. Thus, ACWO intends to empower women to become advocates of gender-sensitive ICT Policies through providing them information on the strategies and approaches that can be adopted in dealing with the ICT Policy makers. Cyber advocacy shall be the approach to massively disseminate information on the policy issues and success stories of gender and ICT advocates.

Components: ASEAN Women’s Organization Participation in the Internet Superhighway;

The implementation of ACWO Strategies will have, among others, the following components:

1. e-Information on ASEAN women data base – provides the “one-stop shop” of facts and figures on ASEAN women;
    

2.  e-Community building – consolidates the efforts of Gender and ICT advocates at the ASEAN level;
    

3. e-Commerce/e-Business through We-Biz – promotes women’s products and facilitate e-business/e-commerce transaction among ASEAN women entrepreneurs with their target clients in the global market;
    
4. e-Research and Evaluation – undertakes on-line data gathering and analysis through tapping partners and disseminating the result to the public.
    
5. e-Governance – encourages women’s active participation on e-government operations.

IV. A SUMMARY OF ICT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES IMPLEMENTED ACROSS ASEAN

ICT stakeholders at the ASEAN Region have adopted polices and implemented development initiatives to respond to the call for their integration in the globalized economy:

1. Brunei Darussalam. The Government of Brunei Darussalam is committed to developing the ICT industry to ensure that its benefits are well disseminated and enjoyed by its citizenry. Among its national initiatives to pursue ICT are: 

1. e-Government. Around US$950 million was allocated by the government for e-Government initiatives under the 8th National Development Plan for different government ministries and departments. Among the flagship projects under e-Government is the Treasury Accounting and Financial Information Systems (TAFIS) project.

2. Information Society e-Strategy Paper. This document outlined core strategies in realizing the vision towards Information Society in Brunei Darussalam consisted of promoting competitive driven environment, encouraging business/private sector investment and participation and highlights several focus areas that are crucial in the creation of Information Society such as e-Education, e-Government and e-Society. The document was the output of the National Summit on Information Society held in the country on September 7-9, 2005.

3. Initiatives by the Regulator. The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AiTi) was established on January 1, 2003 as an independent statutory body to regulate license, develop local ICT industry and manage the national radio frequency spectrum. AiTi has undertaken capacity building programs which are geared towards the development of ICT industry. e-Commerce is being promoted through encouraging SMEs to market their products and services on line.

Brunei Darussalam has also developed its own ICT Action Plan which is the outcome document of the 6th ASEAN Telecommunications and IT Ministers Meeting which was held on September 18- 19, 2006. The document embodies the agreement on a Plan of as well as the listing of ASEAN ICT Priority Projects for implementation in 2007.

Brunei Darussalam also adopted the IT 2000 and Beyond Master Plan. Under this, an e-education master plan was also launched. Through the e-education, an Education Information System was developed for all educational institutions in Brunei. One of its successful projects is the Physical and Technological Infrastructure Development Project that established Internet connectivity for every primary and secondary schools.  

2. Indonesia. Indonesia has established the State Ministry for Research and Technology that is responsible for formulating policies and undertaking initiatives such as community access point called Warintek or Information Technology Kiosks, human development training on ICT, the IGOS or Indonesia-Go-Open-Source, and e-Content Award. The Warintek provides rural and remote communities with public access to information technology, especially the Internet.

As of September 2006, there have been 100 established kiosks in Indonesia. The ICT trainings were conducted in cooperation with Information Technology University, State University of Medan-North Sumatra (UNIMED) and Cendrawasih University (UNCEN). IGOS was implemented for combating piracy of software in Indonesia. E-content Awards on the other hand, were created to evaluate the development of web/portal among institutions in Indonesia. This portal/websites competition is categorized according to: e-health; e-government; e-learning; e-culture; and e-sciences.

Indonesia has also established the Department of Communication and Information Technology that is responsible for handling information efficiently. Its mission is to develop a knowledge-based society by 2025. As of September 2006, policies are being developed concerning the following: a) government regulation on information and electronic transaction such as regulation of Electronic Certificate, Domain Name Management, Open Electronical Sign; b) e-business/e-commerce policy; and c) e-business/ e-commerce standard.

Policies that were approved support the development of ICT in Indonesia are:

1. Presidential Decree 3/2003 on Policy and Strategy for National Development on e-Government;

2. Presidential Decree 6/2001 on Development and Utilization of Telematic;

3. Presidential Decree 9/2003 on Coordination Team of Indonesian Telematic; and

4. the Ministry of Research and Technology Decree No. 61 on National Committee on Gender, Science and Technology.

Indonesia has also initiated the APEC Women’s e-Biz Training under the auspices of the Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center (APWINC). The training was attended by 31 participants from private companies, government agencies and academic institutions.

3. Malaysia. ICT policies and initiatives for women in Malaysia were executed by the Ministry for Women, Family and Community Development (MWFCD). MWFCD has launched the NUrITA, an interactive portal providing on-line facilities for women in business in order to learn and market their products.

The National Council of Women Organizations (NCWO-Malaysia) has pioneered the “Networking Women” Project in order to connect women’s organizations through ICT. The project succeeded in training women to set up and manage their own websites. NCWO has also developed a Portal for Women that can be accessed by its affiliates and other organizations. The organization has also implemented a Training Program financed by the MWFCD. They also assisted different groups of women in improving their businesses through selling their products online. 

Through partnership with the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Malaysia (FEM) and National Association for Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia (NAWEM), NCWO was able to provide basic IT skills training to disadvantaged and women with disabilities so that they can be integrated in the knowledge-based economy and be productive members of the society.

The Project aims to:

1. To encourage homemakers/ homeworkers to generate income through environmentally friendly home-based activities;

2. To offer a cyber platform for virtual gatherings, support groups, marketing and bartering for homemakers and homeworkers;

3. To train and enable disadvantaged women to become “e-homepreneurs” and teleworkers;

4. To promote working at home concept through conferences, seminars, talks and ground activities for women who are still in the digital divide group.

5. To provide women-to-women e-interactive platform for tele-trading, tele-exchange and networking.

4. Philippines. The Philippine government has created the Commission on ICT as the planning and policy advisory body on development, promotion and application of national ICT and e-commerce initiatives. CICT coordinates, implements, regulates integrated and strategic ICT systems and reliable and cost-efficient communications facilities and services.

The CICT is responsible also for spearheading the creation of ICT Highway in the Philippines. The ICT Highway is currently a work-in-progress. ICT infrastructure facilities in the country are still insufficient. To address this issue, the government and the private sector launched the Philippine Information Infrastructure Project (PII) and the National ICT Road Map was also developed to execute the policies, strategies and programs of the government.

CICT is also exerting efforts to address the issue of digital divide through launching the Community e-Centers (CeCs) Program that provides computer and Internet access at the community level. As of August 2007, the CICT was able to establish 111 Community e-Centers nationwide.

The National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP) in cooperation with the Philippine Women’s University and the Philippine Federation of Business and Professional Women (BFBPW) are crucial in the creation of the We-Biz Center in the Philippines in compliance with its commitment to APWINC and AP We-Biz Center. The proposed We-Biz Center is in line with the APEC-wide implementation of the project, “APEC Initiative for Women’s Participation in the Digital Economy.” The project is being implemented by the APWINC and APWebiz Center in selected countries in Asia Pacific region in order to provide women the access to information and communications technology (ICT) and ensure their integration in the digital economy.

The APEC Project focuses its initiatives in developing the capability of women entrepreneurs in the area of e-Business to be able to expand their market and establish linkages with potential business partners in the global market.

The Project was launched in the Philippines on February 20, 2006 through conducting the APEC Forum on Women-Owned Businesses and the Digital Economy. The Forum which was held at the PWU Conrado Benitez Hall was able to gather 158 women leaders, entrepreneurs and government representatives who witnessed the technical presentation of resource persons from Korea, Canada and Philippines. The outputs of the Forum are: Memorandum of Agreement signed by project stakeholders in the Philippines and the Moving Forward Recommendations classified according to the following areas: research on e-Business; e-training, government policies on e-Business and e-community and e-marketing.

The NCWP, PWU and PFBPW are committed to pursue the creation of the We-Biz Center in the Philippines with We-Biz Satellites in selected local government units (LGUs) to be able to contribute to economic development. This can be realized through:

1. empowering women entrepreneurs in the fields of ICT and e-Business operations;

2. improving the quality of local women’s products to meet the global market standard; and

3. promoting export of quality women’s products.

Partnership with national government agencies, local government units (LGUs), business sector, academe, non-government organizations and concerned sectors shall be established to pursue the operationalization of the WeBiz Center in the country.

Other non-government organizations have also played their roles in promoting ICT. Among them is the Digital Filipino.com which is actively engaged in conducting e-training for women.

Women in the New Network for Entrepreneurial Reinforcement (WINNER) Program being implemented by Technological Information Promotions System (TIPS) under a grant from United Nations Development Fund for Women has recently established a Women’s Portal for micro-women entrepreneurs. NCWP is a partner of TIPS in this project.

5. Singapore. Singapore has effectively utilized ICT as a tool for promoting the socio-economic status of women.

The Singapore Council of Women’s Organizations (SCWO) launched a site just for women called Women’s Register. Women’s Register is a secure online database of women in leadership positions in the public, private and non-profit sectors. The website serves as: a) An avenue through which women can register their interest and availability to take up leadership appointments; and b) Be a place where public, private, non-profit and community organizations can gain access to a professional and confidential service that will help them find the right woman for the job.

One among the organizations that is actively involved in promoting ICT is the Singapore Business and Professional Women Association (SBPWA). SBPWA has created its own e-Business Portal in order to market and promote SBPWA’s initiatives and events through e-platforms.

6. Thailand. National ICT policy in Thailand was created in the year 1996. The policy entitled IT2000 was created to properly explore ICT to achieve economic prosperity and social equity. The Policy focused on three (3) development agenda: a) invest in an equitable information infrastructure to empower human ability and enhance the life quality; b) invest in people to build a literate populace and an adequate information technology manpower based; and c) invest in good governance.

 In March 2002, a new IT Policy Framework was formulated. The framework called IT 2010 is a ten-year policy framework that outlines the key development objectives to exploit the benefits of ICT in order to convert Thailand into a Knowledge-Based Society and Economy (KBS/E). The IT2010 identified the following three (3) principles to support the ICT for KBS/E Framework a) building a knowledge-based human capital; b) promoting innovation; and c) investing in information infrastructure and promoting the information industry. It has five (5) major schemes for adoption from 2001 to 2010. These are: a) e-Society to focus on the usage of ICT for improving the quality of life; developing a knowledge based society and reducing digital divide; b) e-Education to develop and strengthen human capital at all levels to convert Thailand into a knowledge-based society; c) e-Government to utilize ICT within the public sector, including central, provincial and local government agencies; d) e-Commerce to strive for leveraging Thai industry’s competitiveness; and e) e-Industry to promote the utilization and development of ICT within the private sector.

The approval of the IT2010 called for the creation of the National ICT Master Plan for the year 2002-2006. The Master Plan has identified the four development goals such as: a) developing and enriching economy by the ICT usage: b) strengthening ICT industry competitiveness; c) developing the human resource based through application of ICT in education and training; d) empowering the rural community to achieve sustainable development.

Among the important benefits that Thailand gained from ICT is the promotion of e-Commerce transactions in their OTOP Project. OTOP or One Tambon One Product (OTOP) was launched in 2001 with the primary objective of uplifting grassroots economy by empowering local villagers to focus on producing their product in their own community.

The government has created the Thai Tambon dot com website to disseminate information and facilitate marketing transaction. It became the portal site for OTOP producers which allow the customers to search and find out the profile of their products.

Community Telecenters Projects were introduced in twenty (20) pilot sites being operated by young women with vocational degrees. Non-government organizations such as Suksapattana Foundation and Thaicom Foundation have also responded to the call for propagation of ICT at the village level through supporting the creation of learning center and internet club at the village level. The spokesperson of ICT in Thailand, Na Noi, has completed only Grade 4 education (Prathom 4) in a rural school in Thailand. She studied computer and made use of her computer knowledge in preparing household accounting and simple financial analysis. Her success story was included in UNESCO study entitled, “The Learning of Na Noi and Her Family.”

7. Vietnam. In Vietnam, legal policies and documents were issued for the development of e-Business. These are: Trade Law; Enterprise Law; Civil Law; Investment Law; e-Transaction Law and IT Law. A Master Plan for e-Business Development in 2006-2010 was also developed. The plan consists of the following: a) Training propaganda and popularization of electronic commerce; b) Improving legal systems; c) Requirements for government agencies regarding provision of services to support e-commerce and application of e-commerce in government’s purchases; d) Development of technologies supporting e-commerce on the basis of encouraging foreign technology transfer; e) Arranging the implementation of legal regulations relating to e-commerce; and) International co-operation on e-commerce.

The Master Plan developed for Telecommunications and Internet Development in Vietnam to 2010 consists of a) the establishment of e-Business; b) Development e-transaction and e-commerce; c) Human resource development on ICT; d) Development of ICT Market; and e) Build the Information System. An e-Government Master Plan was also developed to improve government management, services to clientele, building infrastructure, improving legal environment, and propagandizing e-commerce.

V. CONCLUDING REMARKS

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) affirmed its commitment to women’s empowerment and promote gender equality to eliminate the issue of gender digital divide. In the same thread, APWINC is committed to advance women’s ICT status in the Asia Pacific region through their capacity building initiatives and the promotion of We-Biz. ACWO is now taking the initial step to design its own Road Map to Gender-Sensitive ICT Superhighway in the ASEAN Region. Through an ASEAN Women ICT Empowerment Framework, we believe that all our member women organization initiatives will produce vibrant, dynamic and ICT-empowered women in the ASEAN region.

Following the United Nations pronouncements that “without engendering development, development is endangered,” I now conclude that “without engendering ICT, ICT is endangered. ICT is a tool for development.” Therefore, ICT must be engendered. ICT Womenomics can be used by women for their empowerment.

To further this end, we recognize the need for developing sex-disaggregated statistics and gender indicators, integrating a gender perspective in national ICT policies and strategies, ensuring ICT training and capacity building for women, promoting the economic empowerment of women, ensuring that women benefit from financing of ICT for development, and facilitating gender equality in Internet and ICT governance.

We hope that we realize this future together as women of the ASEAN. Thank you and good day.

• Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center, Issues on Gender Equity and Equality in the Knowledge-based Information Society, Korea, December 2005.

• ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organizations, “Resolution of the 12th ACWO General Assembly and Conference” held in Brunei Darussalam on November 17-19, 2006.

• Cebu Declaration Towards One Caring and Sharing Community signed by ten (10) ASEAN member countries during the 12th ASEAN Summit on January 13, 2007.

• Debra, M. Amidon, The Innovation Superhighway, United States of America, 2003.
•  Executive Order No. 269 creating the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on 12 January 2004.
• Gender Focal Point Network, “Initiative for Women’s Participation in the Digital Economy,” a paper submitted by Dr. Kio Chung Kim, Gyeongju, Korea, September 5-6, 2005.
• Hajah Siti Hairmi Haji Ibrahim, “Overview of ICT Industry in Brunei Darussalam,” a paper presented during the 12th ACWO General Assembly held in Brunei Darussalam on November 17-19, 2006.
• Han, Debbie, “e-Commerce: A Broad Perspective to Create More Value in Business,” a paper presented during the 12th ACWO General Assembly held in Brunei Darussalam on November 17-19, 2006.
• Ing, Tran Thi Thu Huong, Ph.D., “Supporting Policies to Catalyze e-Business Digital Strategies,” a paper presented during the APEC Forum on Digital Economy for Women 2006: Innovation and Leadership, Halong Bay, Vietnam, September 16-17, 2006.
• Karnchanachari, Lalivan, “Women’s Empowerment through ICT,” a paper presented during the 12th ACWO General Assembly, Brunei Darussalam, November 17-19, 2006
• Park, Man-Gon, Ph.D. “Environmental Changes through ICT from e-Community to U-World”, a paper presented during the Regional Program on Change Management for Human Resources Development in TVET Systems, February 19 - March 2, 2007.
• Rahayu, Rochani Nani, “Supporting Policies to catalyze e-Business Development in Indonesia” a paper presented during the APEC Forum on Digital Economy for Women 2006: Innovation and Leadership, Halong Bay, Vietnam, SeptembStatements/Recommendations of: 11th APEC Women Leaders Network (WLN); 12th APEC (WLN) Meeting; The APEC Forum on Digital Economy 2006; and The APEC Forum on Digital Economy 2007er 16-17, 2006.
• Saari, Rina S., “APEC Women’s e-Biz Training in Indonesia,” a paper presented during APEC Forum on Digital Economy for Women 2006: Innovation and Leadership, Halong Bay, Vietnam, September 16-17, 2006.
• Sallimah Haji Mohd. Salleh, Ph.D., “Information and Communications Technology Use in Teaching Perceptions of Women Teachers,” a paper presented during the 12th ACWO General Assembly held in Brunei Darussalam on November 17-19, 2006.
• www.womenregister.org

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