Launch: South Asia Costs of Exclusion Report

Part 1 - Lead Organizer

 

Contact Person

Teddy Woodhouse

Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate)

Alliance for Affordable Internet

Designation

Research Manager (Access & Affordability)

Gender

Male

Economy of Residence

United Kingdom

Primary Stakeholder Group

Civil Society

 

Part 2 - Session Proposal

Your proposal is for

Main Conference (Day 1-3)

Session Title

Launch: South Asia Costs of Exclusion Report

Track

Inclusion

Session Format

Showcase

Where do you plan to organize your session?

Virtual / online

Specific Issues for Discussion

Across the world, millions of women have never used the internet. This holds personal consequences for the women and girls left behind as more of the world moves online, but also for humanity more broadly as the continued exclusion of women from the online world limits opportunities for economic growth, sustainable development, and social connection. This session connects the digital gender gap with these broader policy themes to illustrate why closing the gap must be an urgent policy priority for internet governance in the Asia-Pacific region.

Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF

This session will highlight forthcoming research from the Alliance for Affordable Internet that combines a nationwide survey in India along with focus groups and interviews with women across India and Bangladesh on using the internet at what women and girls have been able to individually achieve with their personal connection to the internet. By expanding personal exceptions into the norm for women and girls and their access to the internet, countries can unlock further opportunities for development at the family, community, and national level.

Methodology / Agenda

After a brief welcome from the moderator (5min), the lead researcher for the regional Costs of Exclusion report will present main findings from the report (10 mins) before handing over to two regional experts and field researchers for the report reflect on their personal experience and their experience in conducting the research with the Alliance (15 minutes). This will be followed by a structured initial discussion among the moderator and the three speakers (15 minutes) and an open discussion for other participants to add questions and contributions on the topic as well (15 minutes).

Please provide 3 subject matter tags that best describe your session.

#CostsofExclusion #DigitalInclusion #DigitalGenderGap

 

Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible)

Name Designation Organization Economy of Residence Stakeholder Group Gender Status of Confirmation
Moderator (Primary) Anju Mangal Asia-Pacific Regional Coordinator A4AI Web Foundation Fiji Civil Society F Confirmed
Moderator (Back-up) Teddy Woodhouse Research Manager A4AI Web Foundation UK Civil Society M Confirmed
Speaker 1 Amrita Choudhury Director CCAOI India Civil Society F Confirmed
Speaker 2 Anir Chowdhury Policy Advisor a2i, Government of Bangladesh Bangladesh Government M Invited
Speaker 3 Nila Achia Founder\/CEO Women in Digital Bangladesh Civil Society F Confirmed

 

Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session.

The speaker team represents the lead researchers for this project, and each brings a wealth of personal and professional experience on the topic area along with a strong geographic coverage across the region. In addition, we have invited a key stakeholder from the public sector to reflect on the capacity of research like this to motivate policy change.