During the past decade the political situation and the economy in the FR of Yugoslavia has been very difficult. The war in neiberhood resulted in an enormous brain drain followed by a lack of resources in every area. This was, and still is, a very hard period and particular for women who have been carrying a heavy burden, in their personal and family lives. Those facts will be emphasized in relation to digital divide and access to information. Even where there may be the opportunity for women to access, they may not do so because the content of the information may not be relevant to them and/or, because they have the language barrier. How to empower them and how to bridge gender divide in the emerging Society? Worldwide effort to enable equal opportunities for all will be discussed on World Summit on Information Society - WSIS, which is being held under the high patronage of Koffi Annan, UN Secretary-General. It is expected that in relation to gender the WSIS will:

• provide a global platform to energize and educate the world community on the emerging issues related to gender divide in the Information Society


• discuss the way to bridge the gender divide


• include the gender perspective in universal Declaration of Principles and a Global Action Plan and


• generate a catalytic effect for future actions related to gender.

The first phase of the WSIS will take place in Geneva hosted by Government of Switzerland, from 10 to 12 December 2003 and second in Tunis from 16 to 18 November 2005.

Therefore, NGO "Equal Opportunities, Ministry for Science and Technology and WSIS Gender Caucus organize the Round Table with following objectives: to make more visible all actions about WSIS, to make lobbying and advocacy in support of gender integration and women's rights in the WSIS process and to draw attention on gender perspective in National program for building the Information Society and use of the ICT. The following questions like:

• What is National program in developing Information Society?


• What is socio-economic aspect of Information Society?


• How to influence the global platform with gender perspective in transition economies?


• What is the infrastructure for Information Society?


• How to make more pragmatic approach to WSIS in relation to gender?


• What is the contribution of media to promote Information Society?

are planed to be address by panelists.