Although more than 25 years have passed since the Beijing Declaration,
women still trail men by a long margin in many realms, including technology
policy-making and leadership.
The governments that adopted the declaration at the fourth United Nations
(UN) Conference on Women were convinced that "Women's empowerment
and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society,
including participation in the decision-making process and access to power,
are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace."
In adopting the declaration, UN member states pledged to take action to
"further the advancement and empowerment of women all over the world.
While progress remains uneven, the overall picture is improving. Slowly but
surely, more women are taking the helm at major telecommunications, and
information and communication technology (ICT) organizations, as well as in
key international standards and policy-making bodies.
Last year, Bernadette Lewis became the first female Secretary-General of
the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization, an intergovern‑
mental agency established more than 122 years ago. Previously, she was the
first female Secretary-General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union
(CTU). "My time at CTU has certainly prepared me," she said upon making
the move.
Many of the women interviewed here — all currently or recently active in the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and its Radiocommunication
Sector (ITU–R) — went through the experience of being the sole or first
woman at the head of their organization, committee or standards body.
"I want every woman, every young girl to know that there is nothing to stop
them from attaining such a position," Lewis added. "But it calls for a certain
amount of dedication, discipline, and integrity to be able to navigate the
many obstacles that will be thrown in their way."
The only woman in the room
There has been no shortage of obstacles. But supportive colleagues, man‑
agement and role models, as well as fair working conditions, help outstand‑
ing women advance.
"When I started my career, people would come to a meeting who didn't
know me, and automatically assume I was an administrative person,"
recalls Veena Rawat, first woman to chair a World Radiocommunication
Conference (WRC‑03), former Chair of ITU–R Study Group 4 on satellite
services, and supported by Canada in 2010 as candidate for the position of
Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau.
"But I had such good support from my supervisors. They made sure to
introduce me as an equal partner, part of the team. That kind of support is
needed, especially when women are fewer in terms of numbers."
In a varied public- and private-sector career, Rawat recalls:
"I was the only woman for a long time. Right from the beginning when I did
my PhD at Queen's University in Canada."
