Special Interest Groups and Standing Groups > Gender Standing Group

Gender Standing Group

We work towards eliminating gender disparities and promoting equal opportunities through the Internet and related technologies.

The Gender Standing Group is a community of people who work for a more inclusive, accessible, open, and safe Internet. It is a resource for women and gender-diverse people to achieve their goals and break prejudices. We empower one another through community knowledge-sharing, developing technical capacities, and advocating for policies in favor of gender inclusion.

We seek to strengthen a community that can empower, defend, and advance the rights of women and gender-diverse people through the Internet. We align with the Internet Society’s mission of supporting a community that can use the Internet in ways that maximize its benefits and enhance its social well-being.

Our activities include:

Female hands holding 2 pieces of the puzzle in the background of trees

Mapping initiatives and creating partnerships and synergies with chapters, special interest, and standing groups (SIGs and SGs) to strengthen and enable the Internet Society and Internet governance bodies to be part of a global gender-diverse network.

women sitting and listening to a conference

Conducting technical training or holding capacity-building sessions on online safety for girls and gender-diverse people to empower and give them tools to be agents of change in the Internet governance ecosystem.

A woman sitting in front of the laptop and two kids showing her something on the phone

Conducting online campaigns on topical issues such as online gender-based violence, Internet for peace, and other gender-related digital rights.

Meet the Leadership Team

Chair: Umut Pajaro Velasquez (Colombia)
Vice-Chair: Zeina Bouharb (Lebanon)
Secretary: Thoko Miya (South Africa)
Treasurer: Eileen Nay Kwiponya (Kenya)
AMS Admin: Jannett Ibañez (Bolivia)
Planning and Reporting Officer: Wadzanai Ndlovu (Zimbabwe)
Chapters Advisory Council Representative (ChAC): Carola Betzabé Huaringa Ospino (Peru)

Get Involved

We are open to all who believe that we all have equal rights to opportunities on the Internet. If you’re a member of the Internet Society and you’re interested in what we do, please join our group now.

Interested, but not an Internet Society member yet? Join today!