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The Division for the Advancement of Women () in cooperation with the International Telecommunications Union () and the , is organizing an expert group meeting (EGM) on "Information and communication technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women". The meeting will take place in the Republic of Korea from 11 to 14 November 2002.

The Commission on the Status of Women (), as part of its multi-year programme of work for 2002-2006, decided to consider the topic "Participation and access of women to the media, and information and communication technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women" as a priority theme at its up-coming session in 2003. The Commission's deliberations should also serve as a contribution to the (Geneva (2003) and Tunisia (2005)).

The expert group meeting will consider the impact of ICT on women and their use as a tool for the empowerment of women and the promotion of gender equality. In particular, it will examine ICT as a tool for women's economic empowerment, for enhancing women's participation in public life, and for strengthening women's capabilities in the area of education and health. It will address the challenges and benefits women encounter with regard to ICT and explore ways to close the gender-based digital divide. It will develop policy recommendations and concrete actions to be taken at national, regional and international levels, and by a variety of actors, that aim at securing the full benefit of ICT in pursuit of gender equality and the advancement and empowerment of women.

In preparation for the meeting, an on "Information and communication technologies (ICT) and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women" is running from 17 June to 19 July 2002. The results of the on-line discussion will be presented to the Expert Group Meeting in the Republic of Korea (November 2002).

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