Date: December 8, 2023, | 0800 – 1300 hours
Place: Royal Tulip Canaan, Hurlingham Nairobi, Kenya| Participation is through invitation only
Concept Note
Background
The rapid advancement of digital technologies has brought about both immense opportunities and unprecedented challenges for women’s rights and online gender equality. While the internet has opened up new avenues for connection, expression, and economic empowerment, it has also been a breeding ground for gender-based violence and privacy violations.
In recognition of these realities, the feminist principles of the internet (FIPs) were developed as a framework for shaping a more just, equitable environment for women and girls. These principles, which developed through a multi-stakeholder process, encompass a holistic vision of an internet that respects, empowers and protects the rights of all women including Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and the LGBTQIA+ Persons.
Objectives of the Meeting
KICTANET will convene a roundtable meeting to popularise these principles within Kenya’s community of digital rights activists and work with the collective to operationalize the principles at both grassroots and national levels.
The objectives of the roundtable are:
- to raise awareness about the FPIs;
- to build a community of practice on women’s data protection and privacy; and
- to brainstorm strategies for collaborations and partnerships between grass-roots CSOs
Expected Outcomes
- Increased awareness about the FIPs: Participants will gain a better understanding of the principles and how they can be applied to promote women’s rights online.
- Increased awareness of the policies, technologies, and practices that are threatening feminist internet principles and putting women, the LGBTQ+ community, and PWDs at risk online. Participants will additionally explore intersectionality and digital rights as frameworks to fight against these threats.
- Strengthened community of practice on data protection, privacy, freedom of expression, content governance, and digital safety: Participants will have the opportunity to connect with other stakeholders working on these issues and share knowledge and best practices.
- Enhanced collaboration between CSOs: Participants will brainstorm strategies for collaboration and partnership between CSOs to promote the enjoyment of rights in the FIPs, especially for communities at risk.
- Encourage intersectional approaches that foster collaborations and partnerships between CSOs working on women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, PWD rights, and digital rights to actualize the Feminist Internet Principles.
Format of the Event
The event will be face-to-face and will take the form of fishbowl discussions and group activities for the audience to ask questions.
Participants
The meeting will bring together at least 20 participants who are representatives of CSOs working on women’s rights and the LGBTQIA+ community and other opinion-shapers who influence conversations both online and offline to enhance partnerships, share knowledge, and develop emerging best practices on digital rights covered in the FIPs.
About KICTANet
KICTANet is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested in ICT policy. The network acts as a think tank that catalyses policy reforms in the ICT sector, and it is guided by four pillars: policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and research. KICTANet’s guiding philosophy is that of encouraging synergies for ICT policy-related activities and initiatives. As such, the network provides mechanisms and a framework for continuing cooperation and collaboration in ICT matters among industry, technical community, academia, the media, development partners, and the government.
Program
| TIME | DESCRIPTION | FACILITATORS |
| 8:00 am – 8:30 am | Arrival and Registration |
KICTANet |
| 8:30 am – 8:40 am | Welcome and Introductions
|
Cheryl Oyier, KICTANet |
| 8:40 am – 9:30 am | Introduction to the Feminist Internet Principles | Jaimee Kokonya, AccessNow |
| 10:30 am – 11:00 am | Health break | |
| 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Reimagining Feminist Internet Looks like | Jaimee Kokonya, AccessNow |
| 12:30 pm – 1:00 pm | Group work
|
Jaimee Kokonya, AccessNow |
| 1:00 pm – 1:15 pm | Closing remarks | Linda Gichohi/Grace Githaiga, KICTANet |
| 1:20 pm – 2:00 pm | Lunch Break & Networking |
