On 7 July 2025, the IGC’s Digital and New Emerging Technologies Impact Group held a side event with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) at the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva. The discussion was chaired by IGC co-founder and CEO of Women at the Table, Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, and featured contributions from Gitanjali Sah (Strategy and Policy Coordinator at the ITU), Sebastian Kay (Cyber, Digital, Data and Tech Lead at the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland), and Cynthia Lesufi (Minister Consellor to the ITU at the Permanent Mission of the South Africa to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland). 
Ms. Sah noted in her remarks that the WSIS process has affected the lives of women around the world, and that there was now a “sisterhood of women leaders” making sure that “women do get a voice at the centre of the table” in the WSIS process. Mr. Kay added that gender is not a side issue for digital policymakers, but should rather be seen as fundamental—for prosperity and for justice.
Ms. Lesufi added that collaboration across silos would be an essential part of bridging the digital divide between women and men. She added that a WSIS action line which focused on women could help build accessibility and address the gender divide. Finally, she connected the need for capacity-building among women as core to progress, adding that “once all women are empowered, they will be able to build capacity to use technology.” Finally, Ms. Kraft-Buchman concluded by noting that women need to build the digital tools of the future, not merely participate in using them. To read more about the WSIS process and the outcomes leading from this side event, please find more information here.
