Radiocommunications are not a man's world - women turn up in numbers at WRC-23

"Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change." This is the motto the CEPT Network of Women for the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (NOW4WRC23) chose to highlight the importance of encouraging and empowering more women to participate actively at WRC-23. And change is finally happening, writes ECO Expert Doriana Guiducci

There is still a long way to go to reach gender parity and to provide equal opportunities for women but the numbers from the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) confirm a positive trend. There is a continuous increase in women ́s participation, writes Doriana Guiducci.

Women accounted for 22% of the almost 4 000 delegates who attended the conference. With nearly 880 women attending, it was the highest attendance of women at any WRC to date.

There were 216 women heads of delegation, 28 women ministers, 14 women deputy ministers and 17 women ambassadors. Three of the seven committee chairs and 10 committee vice-chairs were women, as well as two working group chairs and eight sub-working group chairs.

CEPT representation of women was in line with these figures: about 190, nearly 23%, out of nearly 800 delegates from CEPT countries were women. In addition, one quarter of the coordination team comprised women, who led the CEPT strategy and promoted European views at WRC-23.

The Radiocommunication Assembly which preceded WRC-23 in Dubai in early November was also chaired for the first time by a woman, Carol Wilson from Australia. It was that assembly which approved the new Resolution on "promoting gender equality and equity, and bridging the contribution and participation gap between women and men in ITU-R activities". This Resolution is based on the WRC-19 Gender Declaration and applies to the entire ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) with the aim to “strengthen and accelerate” all efforts to ensure that its policies, work programmes and so on “reflect the commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women”.

The approval and adoption of this Resolution follows four years of preparation by a dedicated correspondence group of the Radio Advisory Group. It has been the result of the joint effort and cooperation at global level between all the six Regional Telecommunication Organisations recognised by the ITU.

Figure CEPT NOW4WRC23 facts (see more here)

The Network of Women for WRC-23 in CEPT

The involvement of the Regional Telecommunication Organisations and the introduction at regional level of the NOW4WRC23 initiative have been significant enhancements, started for the first time in the preparatory cycle toward WRC-23. When the NOW4WRC23 was launched at the World Radiocommunication Seminar in December 2020, CEPT responded promptly by appointing Amela Hatibovic Sehic from Sweden as the CEPT Regional Co-chair (see also the ECC newsletter from May 2023).

By June 2021 the co-ordination team was formed. The activities were then started and progressively increased at the Conference Preparatory Group and in all the project teams involved in the preparation of WRC-23. Forty interactive sessions have been organised for those groups, such as panel discussions and presentations of prominent guest speakers from all over the world and from different sectors, who shared their inspiring stories, as well as their knowledge and experience.

One of the most appreciated initiatives in CEPT has undoubtedly been the Mentoring Program (see the survey) which was successfully launched back in September 2021 with the intent to develop and share knowledge and experience for women newcomers in the WRC-23 preparations. Mentees were matched according to their specific needs for skills or competence with experienced delegates, without regards to gender. Thirty-two participants joined the programme and 20 mentoring pairs were arranged.

Additional activities were made available to newcomers, such as ad hoc mentoring and the CEPT workshop on spectrum management in Europe and on the European process for the preparation of WRCs. This workshop was organised by the European Communications Office in 2022 and was specifically designed for newcomers in the area of regulations for electronic communications. It also had the aim to support the inclusion of women in all aspects and levels of ITU-R activities.

The CEPT NOW4WRC23 at the conference

During WRC-23, the work of the CEPT NOW4WRC23 continued. Following the successful pioneer experience from the second meeting of the Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-23, held last year from 28 March until 4 April, the CEPT NOW4WRC23 invited all delegates attending the conference to its "open house". Two informal rendezvous took place on 23 November and 7 December, where female and male delegates both from CEPT and other regions were welcomed in an informal environment.

The NOW4WRC23 co-chair and coordinators were available with the aim of providing information on CEPT activities and, more importantly, to offer ad-hoc mentoring support during the conference. The open house was also an excellent opportunity to meet, exchange views and connect with delegates from organisations outside CEPT, providing information on our activities and learning more about the actions in their regions. Many visitors participated in the open house events, with many clusters of delegates engaged in stimulating conversations.

Figure – CEPT NOW4WRC23 "Open House"

Looking ahead to the NOW4WRC27

WRC-23 was also the place to discuss the future of the ITU Network of Women for the WRC-27 cycle. The Radiocommunication Bureau organised a goal setting session, where representatives from the ITU, regional co-chairs and many female delegates joined. They talked about the results achieved and the lessons learned within the NOW4WRC23 and collected suggestions to define the goals for the future initiative towards WRC-27.

CEPT representatives shared their ideas with the attendees, joining the very inspiring discussion and recalling the importance to undertake a variety of specific actions to promote and increase the interest of and opportunities for women. The debate also highlighted the relevance of establishing and strengthening contacts and cooperation with the academic world to facilitate access in the world of spectrum and satellite regulations for girls in STEM fields, particularly in electrical engineering and computer science.

Figure – CEPT Coordination team at the NOW4WRC27 goal-setting sessions

In CEPT, the Conference Preparatory Group already endorsed in May last year the continuation of the NOW initiative for the WRC-27 study cycle. Furthermore, the administrations and sector organisations were invited to encourage women delegates to participate actively in the preparatory work and to assume leading responsibilities. To further define the goals and actions for CEPT NOW4WRC27, the feedback, views and proposals of the European delegates were sought through two questionnaire last August and during the WRC-23.

Therefore, CEPT was not caught off guard when the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau, Mario Maniewicz, announced and launched the new cycle of the ITU Network of Women for WRC-27, anticipating that the Regional Groups will be asked in early 2024 to nominate or re-nominate their co-chairs so to start planning the future activities in a timely manner.

CEPT preparation for WRC-27 will officially start in March when the ECC will appoint the new chair of the Conference Preparatory Group, but the message is already clear. The future of radiocommunications does not go only through the updating of regulations for the use of spectrum and satellite orbits but requires also an open approach to provide gender parity, equal opportunities and bridge the gap between women and men. Be the one who makes the difference!