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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=880115017-08022006><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Not an excuse but there are two aspects to this issue: For
Director positions it is member states that nominates and vote the candidates.
Since 1989 or 1992, there has been a Plenipotentiary resolution from member
countries to ensure more gender inclusion but I have yet to see countries
nominate women as candidates (there may have been- please correct me if I am
wrong). Some member states have been good at least to have more women on their
delegations and even have had women head the delegation (Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, e.g) but many others do not make any such efforts. Going to an ITU
meeting is a foriegn trip and thus a privilege, and so often domestic gender
biasness shows through, even before it hits the ITU. Many ITU Resolutions and
discussions have been held to get more women involved and things are happening
but not enough at the candidate level so unlikely to see women Director until
this happens (much like seeing a women US President elected)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=880115017-08022006><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>There is also a second issue i.e hiring staff within ITU
then. Most of the women hired are "G" positions i.e. admin and there was a move
to have more "P" which are professional. There are of course more women in "P"
positions today than there were back in the 80s and 90s, but more could be
achieved. Some efforts have been done to make women more included but as those
of you who have worked in technical fields dominated by men, it is hard to
mandate men to accept women in these positions. Men often need women often
to prove themselves first before they are accepted, but how can they if
they do not get the job etc etc. It becomes a chicken and egg situation. I see
this same issue within Internet circles and organisations that I have been
involved in since 1986 to now, not just theITU.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=880115017-08022006><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>I think the point could also be made that besides "reform"
being a mandated thing (which they seem to have tried using Resolutions") not
just within ITU but within all WSIS players. It is a culture or mindset
change that also needs to happen with members and with staff. ITU has a website
on Gender issues and there are many initiatives by ITU women delegates
to mainstream other women e.g. Global Telecom Womens Forum, etc etc. I know that
there is more awareness than before but it is hard to mandate within an
already male dominated organisation. Ironically, sometimes, the women who have
survived the organisation, often treat newcomer women very harshly as they
expect them to survive as they did. I have also seen a similar behaviour
with women groups fighting for gender rights, who then discriminate other
women too who don;t fit the image of what they have of how women fighting for
womens rights should look like or behave. We do need a better partnership with
men and with other women to make true changes happen.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=880115017-08022006><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>I guess in other words, the gender biasness
issue is not always a conscious problem but rather a unconcsious
one (baggage from the past and stereotypes) makes changing that is a much
harder battle to win. It is a worth changing as it is adds
different perspectives to issues, creating better and more effective
solutions.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=880115017-08022006><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Just thought I would add some history to these efforts
and some thoughts from my perspective.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=880115017-08022006><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Laina</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
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<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> plenary-admin@wsis-cs.org
[mailto:plenary-admin@wsis-cs.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Jean-Louis
FULLSACK<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, February 07, 2006 11:07 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
plenary@wsis-cs.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> [WSIS CS-Plenary] Gender equality and
ITU<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT><BR>
<P>Dear all</P>
<P>ITU and gender equality : a quasi antinomy ? </P>
<P>Despite recurrent solemn speeches of its Secretary general in international
arenas since a decade, the "board" of the ITU which is elected during the
Plenipotentiary Conference (ITU jargon : PP) is still exclusively made
up of men : Mr Utsumi (Secretary general), Mr Blois (deputy Secretary
general), Mr Toure (Diector of ITU-D), Mr Zhao (Director ITU-T, Mr Timofeev
(Director ITU-R. And even its most important consultative groups are quasi
exclusively masculine. </P>
<P>Are ICTs a pure men's affair ? Let's see what will come out of the hats
during PP 06. I guess the same scenario will go on.</P>
<P>I therefore urge our very active "Gender Caucus" to react accordingly by
submitting a strong reform proposal to the ITU Secretary general. </P>
<P>Best regards</P>
<P>Jean-Louis Fullsack</P></BODY></HTML>