Submissions/Mobilizing Technology, Empowering Women

This is a rejected submission for Wikimania 2012.

Submission no.

732

Title of the submission: Mobilizing Technology, Empowering Women

Type of submission (workshop, tutorial, panel, presentation): Panel

Author of the submission: Aileen Pisciotta, Heather Hodges, Georgie Almon

E-mail address: impowr@americanbar.org, georgie.almon@americanbar.org

Username: Gcalmon

Country of origin: United States

Affiliation, if any (organization, company etc.): International Models Project on Women's Rights (IMPOWR)

Personal homepage or blog: www.impowr.org

Abstract (at least 300 words to describe your proposal)

The International Models Project on Women’s Rights (IMPOWR) proposes a full-panel program on how NGOs and civil society organizations concerned with women’s rights can incorporate wiki or wiki-like technologies into their work. The panel will also explore the ways in which the information they collect from a broad range of citizen-volunteers can inform policy-making and legislative activities relating to women. It is clear that achieving gender-equality remains a global challenge as evidenced by the recent announcement by the United Nations that it is proposing to convene a Fifth World Conference on Women in 2015. A panel such as this would support achieving this goal.

Participants in this panel will learn about and discuss:

How civil society groups can utilize wiki and wiki-like technology to expand participation in the ongoing conversation about the status of women, especially in the run up to major policy-making events.
Specific, on-going women’s rights projects that have successfully incorporated wiki-technology. For example, IMPOWR is working to build a global, wiki-like platform for sharing information on gender equality and women's rights under the law. The heart of the project is a collaborative research database based on principles outlined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). IMPOWR uses the wiki model to provide information summarizing current gender equality law in over 185 countries on 40 specific topics.
How wiki-based sites can be used to aid individuals, civil society organizations, lawyers, and numerous others in developing and transitional countries by providing a reliable, accessible, international network for the exchange of information between citizens, advocates, policymakers and development organizations.

Additional Background Information on IMPOWR:

The International Models Project on Women’s Rights (IMPOWR) is a project of the American Bar Association, that aims to build a global platform for the exchange of information on gender equality and women’s rights under the law. At the heart of the project is a collaborative research database that encourages individuals passionate about women’s rights to contribute information about their home country and other countries with which they may hold an interest or possess expertise. IMPOWR moves beyond the letter of the law to examine legal reform projects and enforcement efforts, and captures other telling information, including information on law reform projects, locally-generated policy papers, budgets, and proposed laws. In addition to developing the collaborative database, IMPOWR has sought to point the international community towards tools to help promote discussion, research, and ultimately concrete change. These tools include links to key resources and organizations, forums, and a virtual journal where our volunteers are encouraged to submit formal papers on legal issues concerning gender equality and women’s rights.

Track

Wikis and the Public Sector

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Length of presentation/talk: 70 minutes

Will you attend Wikimania if your submission is not accepted?: Yes

Slides or further information (optional)

Special request as to time of presentations

Interested attendees

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Juttavd (talk) 03:31, 20 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
SarahStierch (talk) 01:03, 25 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
--1Veertje (talk) 21:27, 25 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
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