From June 24 to 26, 2026, partner training sessions of the global initiative “Women’s Leadership in the Public Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Sector” (Women Leadership in ICT Sector – WLICT) took place in Paris, France. Project partners met to refine the initiative’s objectives, expected results, and implementation approach.
The initiative is implemented by a consortium of agencies from six European Union Member States: Expertise France (France) as the lead partner, the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA, Latvia), Enabel (Belgium), the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV, Estonia), FIAP (Spain), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ, Germany).
The initiative’s inception phase concluded in May, and an implementation report is being prepared by the end of July. The main focus of the training was the introduction of the MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) approach, which will ensure systematic evaluation of project activities at all levels—from engagement to results and impact. During the meeting, partners reviewed the project’s objectives and tasks based on data gathered during the inception phase and a situational analysis of women’s participation in digitalisation processes in the initiative’s target countries.
The training also addressed strategic directions and analysed the advantages and disadvantages of various data collection tools to ensure effective gathering of both quantitative and qualitative results. The MEAL approach enables the development of a transparent implementation report on project progress, making it essential for partners to understand its components and tools.
The meeting also included a regular consortium working session, where project progress, identified challenges, and future cooperation directions were discussed together with a representative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA).
The initiative, funded by the European Commission, aims to reduce gender inequality in the digital transformation process and to promote women’s participation and leadership in the public ICT sector. Within the project, CFLA will implement a range of activities in Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Tanzania.
The initiative is part of the implementation of the European Union action document “Multilateralism and Digitalisation II,” with a total budget of EUR 15.1 million. The project focuses on strengthening digital skills and capacities, as well as promoting digital inclusion for women and girls worldwide.
Key objectives of the initiative:
- strengthen the capacity of public sector leaders by developing gender-responsive digital transformation policies;
- expand STEM education opportunities for young women;
- create a safer digital environment by reducing technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
Overall, the initiative covers 16 priority countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, aiming to reduce the gender digital divide and ensure inclusive, fair, and needs-based digital transformation.
As Latvia’s development cooperation agency, CFCA has signed an agreement with the European Commission for the implementation of the WLICT initiative, thereby strengthening both the European Union’s and Latvia’s commitment to promoting gender equality and digital inclusion.