In March 2003, the 47th session of the United Nations Commission for Women published its Agreed Conclusions that focused on the importance of increasing women's access to and use of ICT. The areas particularly identified by the Commission as important include education and training for women and girls in ICT and via ICT; and support to women's economic activities. In their statement they reported the following: A focus on the gender dimensions of information and communications technologies is essential for preventing and combating an adverse impact of the digital revolution on gender equality and the perpetuation of existing inequalities and discrimination. Efforts are therefore necessary to increase women's access to and participation in ICT, including their decision-making processes and new opportunities created through ICT. The World Summit on the Information Society Declaration and Plan of Action later in 2003 added a focus on education and entrepreneurship as key information issues for women.
To address this issue, a group of 32 internationally active organizations focusing on a component that will directly benefit women and ICT for development are meeting to formally establish the International Taskforce on Women and ICT. This is one of several outcomes from a meeting held in Baltimore, Maryland on June 13th and 14th 2005, hosted by the Center for Women and Information Technology, in partnership with the Women in Global Science and Technology. From that meeting, several objectives were established and outcomes have been achieved, including the hosting of a second meeting (by invitation only) of leaders to be held November 12 - 14 at UNESCO with three primary foci:

1. Primary and Secondary Formal and Nonformal Education: Providing Access and Literacy to Girls and Women
2. Tertiary Education and Workforce Recruitment, Retention and Development
3. Entrepreneurship for small and medium enterprises and collaboration with large companies and global corporations.