Feminist foreign policy and feminist development policy have been gaining traction in recent years, with governments around the world starting to embrace these approaches. Germany is one such country, with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) implementing a feminist development policy that recognizes the impact of gender inequality on development outcomes.
As digital technology continues to transform the world, it is essential to integrate a feminist approach into digital development policy. The BMZ has been leading the way in this regard, with its "Towards a Feminist Digital Development Cooperation" initiative. The goal is to promote gender equality in the digital transformation, particularly in developing countries.
The BMZ recognizes that digital technology can either exacerbate or reduce inequality. Therefore, an intersectional approach that addresses the entanglements and interactions of discrimination and inequality is essential. This approach must recognize and take into account people's different backgrounds and positioning, ensuring that previously marginalized groups can actively shape and change digital technologies and the internet.
One project that exemplifies this approach is "APP Morada" developed in Mexico. The application offers resources and information on support services for women who experience violence, and the app was developed by and with women with disabilities. It is barrier-free and addresses the specific needs of this target group.
Feminist digital development policy must go beyond merely closing digital gaps and effectively using digital tools. It must promote feminist principles such as access, participation, free software, and data protection. It is also necessary to ask more critical and intervening questions: Who and for whom is a technology being developed? Is it accessible to all? Who is empowered by it?
Even if there is no uniform understanding of feminist technology, there are promising approaches and concepts that are relevant for development cooperation, such as the Feminist Principles of the Internet or Data Feminism.
For feminist development policy to succeed in digital issues, working with civil society, especially in the global South, is irreplaceable. Civil society is not only the central driving force for social justice, but it can also help link feminist politics and digitalization. Various globally networked civil society initiatives have already been doing this for a long time.
The Women's Rights Programme of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), for example, has been creating an exchange and cooperation space for a creative and strategic use of technologies in and for the feminist movement with the Feminist Tech eXchange for more than ten years.
At Audiopedia Foundation, we are proud to be one of the digital projects listed by the BMZ on their gender equality topic section. We believe that our work in promoting women's rights and gender equality through knowledge sharing and empowerment aligns with the feminist development policy of the German government. We see ourselves as a crucial partner in advancing feminist digital development cooperation.
Our work on Audiopedia, the platform where we store and distribute audio files on topics such as health, nutrition, digital literacy, and agriculture, has the potential to make a significant contribution to feminist digital development cooperation. Through our collaboration with local partners and community-led initiatives, we aim to promote knowledge sharing and empower women to access information that can improve their lives and the lives of their families and communities. We also work towards this goal through our Open Source for Equality initiative and our Audiopedia Digital Feminist Movement.
The Open Source for Equality Initiative is a project launched by the Audiopedia Foundation to empower female open source developers in underrepresented regions around the world. Through this initiative, we provide training and support to local female developers to help them contribute to open source software projects and become more involved in the tech industry. Our goal is to create a more diverse and inclusive tech community while also supporting the economic empowerment of women. Our first projects in Uganda and Nigeria have already seen positive results, with women gaining new skills and confidence to participate in the tech industry. We believe that this initiative can have a profound impact on the lives of women in developing countries, and we are committed to continuing our efforts to promote gender equality in the tech industry.
The Audiopedia Digital Feminist Movement is a global community of people and organisations who support gender equality and women's empowerment. Our movement is based on the idea that everyone can contribute to making the world a better and more equal place for women. We believe that by working together, sharing knowledge, and advocating for change, we can create a world where all women can reach their full potential. The movement provides a platform for people to connect, learn, and take action towards gender equality, with a focus on the role of technology in advancing women's rights and empowerment.
In conclusion, feminist development policy must embrace a feminist approach to digital development. We need to recognize that technology can either exacerbate or reduce inequality and ensure that previously marginalized groups can actively shape and change digital technologies and the internet. Audiopedia Foundation is committed to advancing digital feminist development policy through our open and collaborative projects.