49th Session of the CSW (Commission on the Status of Women - Beijing + 10) (28 February to 11 March)

The Gender Caucus was represented by Steering Committee members Lettie Longwe, Lynne Wanyeki, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, Heike Jensen, and Grace Okonji and Letty Chiwara from UNIFEM. Also other GC members Conchita Poncini, Marianne Seger and Karen Banks collaborated in the lobbying process on gender and ICT.

The one-page Beijing +10 lobbying document was distributed at the meetings.

In all discussions, the issue on how WSIS GC can work together with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), AMARC (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters) WIN network which coordinated the media pool, WSIS NGO Gender Strategies Working Group (WN-GSWG) was raised. A meeting with this NGO was held, where it was agreed that the NGO and the GC would work together on a number of initiatives prior and post Tunis.

A meeting with Joanne Sandler (Deputy Executive Director, UNIFEM, New York), Grace Okonji and Letty Chiwara at UNIFEM was held to discuss progress work of the GC and plan for post-WSIS. UNIFEM affirmed its commitment to continued support for the project and expressed the confidence they have in the SC and its leadership.

The UNIFEM Deputy Executive Director also expressed support for the GC's initiative to work more closely with other Gender advocates in the WSIS process such as  APC, Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP), NGO Gender Strategies Working Group, etc. She invited the GC to contact UNIFEM for any help needed and stressed the need to prioritise and outline the exact support that we need from UNIFEM. She advised that we need to have more face-to-face meetings as they help to get things done effectively and ensure that the GC can have full participation in major WSIS process meetings.