Session
Description:
Gender perspectives are being more accounted for in national, regional and global cyber policy making spaces. There is growing evidence on gendered cyber harm that arises not only from measures and incidents directed at women and gender diverse people such as TFGBV and disinformation campaigns, but also from those with no apparent connection to it: internet shutdowns, data breaches and attacks on critical infrastructure that target no one by gender, yet distribute their consequences along existing lines of inequality. Gender unaware approaches overlook critical vulnerabilities, making policies incomplete and less effective. By integrating gender considerations, we can ensure more inclusive, rights-based, and robust cybersecurity systems. However, the intersection of gender and cybersecurity is still a field in development. Existing work on this issue recommends mainstreaming gender into cyber policy and norms, but there is a need for more practical guidance on how this can be done. Out of 114 states that have national cybersecurity strategies, only 14 reference gender or women at all, most solely to acknowledge the gender gap in the technology industry. In recent years, APC has addressed and advocated for why gender matters in cybersecurity and raised awareness among policy makers and civil society about the value of incorporating a gendered approach to cybersecurity policy. During this session, we will launch a guide that serves as a practical tool for policymakers, regulators and others who draft, implement, and evaluate cyber strategies to mainstream a gender perspective in the content of the policy, the action plan, and in the evaluation to account for the differentiated impacts of such policy on vulnerable groups. The guide will also seek to provide civil society with more concrete tools to advocate for the inclusion of human centric and gender approaches in each phase of the cybersecurity policy cycle.
Gender perspectives are being more accounted for in national, regional and global cyber policy making spaces. There is growing evidence on gendered cyber harm that arises not only from measures and incidents directed at women and gender diverse people such as TFGBV and disinformation campaigns, but also from those with no apparent connection to it: internet shutdowns, data breaches and attacks on critical infrastructure that target no one by gender, yet distribute their consequences along existing lines of inequality. Gender unaware approaches overlook critical vulnerabilities, making policies incomplete and less effective. By integrating gender considerations, we can ensure more inclusive, rights-based, and robust cybersecurity systems. However, the intersection of gender and cybersecurity is still a field in development. Existing work on this issue recommends mainstreaming gender into cyber policy and norms, but there is a need for more practical guidance on how this can be done. Out of 114 states that have national cybersecurity strategies, only 14 reference gender or women at all, most solely to acknowledge the gender gap in the technology industry. In recent years, APC has addressed and advocated for why gender matters in cybersecurity and raised awareness among policy makers and civil society about the value of incorporating a gendered approach to cybersecurity policy. During this session, we will launch a guide that serves as a practical tool for policymakers, regulators and others who draft, implement, and evaluate cyber strategies to mainstream a gender perspective in the content of the policy, the action plan, and in the evaluation to account for the differentiated impacts of such policy on vulnerable groups. The guide will also seek to provide civil society with more concrete tools to advocate for the inclusion of human centric and gender approaches in each phase of the cybersecurity policy cycle.
Policy Question(s)
How can a gender approach be integrated into the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of a national cyber security strategy, in a form that a cybersecurity team without gender expertise can effectively apply?
What outcome indicators exist, or can be constructed, to measure such integration at every stage?
How can this guide be useful for the different stakeholders working on cybersecurity?
How can this work be used/leveraged at the international level, for instance in UN discussions such as the Global Mechanism?
What are the gaps that future work on cybersecurity policy, gender and intersectionality should be addressed?
Expected Outcomes
This session seeks to launch and socialise APC’s guide on incorporating gender perspectives into cybersecurity policy by providing a practical tool for policymakers and others to mainstream gender in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of cybersecurity strategies at the national level, and to inform global norms on cybersecurity. The session feeds into ongoing international and national cybersecurity policy advocacy efforts. Building on this session and with the inputs from participants, APC will use the feedback in the training of civil society, policymakers, regulators and other key stakeholders to promote recognition of an intersectional gender approach to cybersecurity.
Beyond this session, this tool will:
offer practical guidance to policymakers for incorporation of gender perspectives into cybersecurity policy;
strengthen civil society to engage in global and national policy spaces to advocate for the inclusion of gender into cyber policy and norms; and
inform international diplomatic delegations engaging in cyber security negotiations.
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: We are proposing a roundtable format because we envision this session as an interactive space for discussion rather than a series of presentations. The session will feature interventions from experts from civil society, academia, intergovernmental organizations, national regulatory authorities, and governments engaged in global cybersecurity processes, whose perspectives will help explore how a gender approach can be integrated into national cybersecurity strategies, as well as inform global governance processes. Equally important, the roundtable format will enable meaningful participation from both onsite and online participants. Their perspectives will be invaluable in informing how the guide can be further refined, used in future capacity-building efforts, and leveraged to advocate for the integration of gender perspectives into cybersecurity policy. For these reasons, we are requesting a 60-minute session. This will provide sufficient time for expert interventions while also allowing for substantive discussion and engagement with participants both online and in the room.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: We are proposing a roundtable format because we envision this session as an interactive space for discussion rather than a series of presentations. The session will feature interventions from experts from civil society, academia, intergovernmental organizations, national regulatory authorities, and governments engaged in global cybersecurity processes, whose perspectives will help explore how a gender approach can be integrated into national cybersecurity strategies, as well as inform global governance processes. Equally important, the roundtable format will enable meaningful participation from both onsite and online participants. Their perspectives will be invaluable in informing how the guide can be further refined, used in future capacity-building efforts, and leveraged to advocate for the integration of gender perspectives into cybersecurity policy. For these reasons, we are requesting a 60-minute session. This will provide sufficient time for expert interventions while also allowing for substantive discussion and engagement with participants both online and in the room.
Hybrid Format: The session will be supported by both an on-site and online facilitator to ensure smooth interaction between speakers and participants, whether attending in-person or remotely. The agenda will be structured to provide sufficient time for expert interventions while also allowing meaningful participation from attendees both online and onsite (Expert interventions: 35 mins; Participants’ input: 20 mins; Wrap-up: 5 mins).
At the start, the facilitator will clearly outline the agenda and time allocation so that all participants understand when and how they can contribute. Throughout the discussion, the online moderator will monitor the chat and raised hands, relaying comments and questions to the on-site facilitator to ensure that online participants have equal opportunity to engage in the discussion.
The session will conclude with a summary of key discussion points and next steps, including how participants can continue engaging with the organizers, speakers, and the issues discussed beyond the session.
Organizer 1: Veronica Ferrari, Association for Progressive Communication
Organizer 2: Pavitra Ramanujam, 🔒
Organizer 2: Pavitra Ramanujam, 🔒
Speaker 1: Barbara Marchiori de Assis, Private Sector, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Veronica Ferrari, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Moliehi Makumane, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 2: Veronica Ferrari, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Moliehi Makumane, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Moderator
Pavitra Ramanujam, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Online Moderator
Valeria Betancourt, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Rapporteur
Veronica Ferrari, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
What will participants gain from attending this session?
