The report documents the commitment of governments to eradicate poverty and achieve gender equity through the testimony of civil society groups in 59 countries. Its argues that the multiple crises currently affecting the world require a 'rights-based approach' and that the current financial architecture has ignored or openly violated those rights and triggered spiralling inequity around the world. The report highlights areas in which women’s rights indicators have improved, such as the decrease in the gap between girls and boys in education, particularly in the primary phase of schooling. The report re-emphasizes the income disparity between men and women.
This publication, the first in a series of reports covering the state of the information society on an annual basis, focuses on the theme of participation. It surveys the state of the field of ICT policy at the local and global levels and discusses the WSIS process and a range of international institutions, regulatory agencies and monitoring instruments from the perspective of civil society and stakeholders in the global South. It also contains country reports which examine issues of access and participation within national contexts.