The United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is organizing an expert group meeting on "Participation and access of women to the media and its impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women". The meeting will take place at ESCWA in Beirut, Lebanon from 12 to 15 November 2002.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), as part of its multi-year programme of work for 2002-2006, decided to consider the topic "Participation and access of women to the media, and information and communication technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women" as a priority theme at its up-coming session in 2003. The Commission's deliberations should also serve as a contribution to the World Summit on the Information Society (Geneva (2003) and Tunisia (2005)). The EGM will contribute to the deliberation with the CSW.

The Expert group meeting will consider the experiences and approaches that have proven successful in specific contexts, and will draw out generalised lessons and recommendations for policies and actions directed at various levels - national, regional and international, taking into account the rapid pace of technological change in the area of media and communications, the group will try to look to the future in an attempt to anticipate new challenges and emerging trends.

In preparations for the meeting, an on-line discussion on "Participation and access of women to the media and its impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women" is running from 26 August to 27 September 2002. The results of the on-line discussion will be presented at the Expert Group Meeting in the Beirut, Lebanon, 12 to15 November 2002. (The theme "information and communication technologies" will be the subject of a separate expert group meeting.)

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