E-government design for women’s empowerment and gender equality is an emerging domain, which is being increasingly recognized as pivotal to effective gender mainstreaming in public policy and programming. It brings together insights from multiple disciplines, ranging from gender and development, public administration, and digital design to technology governance.

Building institutional capabilities in this domain involves multilayered capacity-building efforts that support:

• technology design specialists and ICT policy experts in effectively integrating gender perspectives in their work.
• policymakers in the national women’s machinery in understanding the gendered implications of technology and data governance choices.
• officials in social welfare, local development and other sectoral ministries/agencies in tracing the intersections between their portfolios and the strategic vision of gender-inclusive e-government.
• monitoring and evaluation officials in different ministries in designing assessment frameworks that adequately capture the gender-based outcomes of e-government interventions.

The content of the toolkit, therefore, has been developed in a broad-based manner, to allow for its effective customisation in these varied capacity-building efforts. Further, the multidisciplinary foundation of the toolkit means that trainees will be exposed to conceptual terms from varying and at times unfamiliar, disciplines; hence an expansive, pop-up glossary has been provided in every module.

The toolkit can be used to support training programmes that cover all aspects of gender-responsive e-government design and implementation, or those that focus on just one dimension. It is recommended that the target group include representatives from the ICT ministry, e-government agency, institutional mechanisms for national women’s empowerment and gender mainstreaming, as well as sectoral line ministries that are involved in e-government initiatives. This will help promote understanding among all relevant ministries on the effectiveness of e-government policy and programming as a strategic instrument for women’s empowerment and gender equality through shared discussion and collective reflection around women’s empowerment and gender equality priorities, and on how e-government can be a public policy instrument to achieve these objectives. The training can thereby provide a platform to facilitate dialogue and coordination between technical ministries/agencies and implementing ministries.

Some specific suggestions on training programmes, including time estimates, are provided below:

2.1. E-government for women’s empowerment and gender equality: An in-depth exploration (face-to-face and online training)

Target group: A mixed group comprising officials from ICT ministry, e-government agency, national women’s empowerment machinery, and sectoral ministries such as rural development, social welfare. The purpose would be to build awareness of e-government as a public policy instrument to achieve gender equality amongst critical wings of governance and public administration. The training can also promote dialogue and coordination between different agencies for development of plans of action and programme implementation.

Modules to be used: All modules from 1-5. This would allow for an in-depth introduction and exploration of all key dimensions of e-government and its gender dimensions.

Time required for implementing a face-to-face training programme:

5 to 6 days, as detailed below.

Module	Time required for implementing training sessions
Participant introductions and orientation	2 hours
Module 1 - Gender, governance and e-government	4 hours Unit 1.1 E-government for women?s empowerment and gender equality requires 2 hours. Unit 1.2 Designing e-government systems for women?s empowerment and gender equality requires 2 hours
Module 2 - Gender-responsive e-service delivery	8 hours Unit 2.1 Incorporating a gender lens in service delivery requires 4 hours. Unit 2.2 Institutional design of gender-responsive e-service delivery requires 4 hours
Module 3 - Gender-responsive e-participation	4 hours Unit 3.1 Design guidelines for gender-responsive, digitally-mediated citizen engagement requires 2 hours. Unit 3.2 Legal-institutional frameworks for gender-responsive, digitally-mediated citizen engagement requires 2 hours
Module 4 - Gender-responsive connectivity architecture	6 hours Unit 4.1 Women?s exclusion from connectivity architectures requires 2 hours. Unit 4.2 Designing gender-inclusive connectivity architectures: Insights for policy and programming requires 4 hours.
Module 5 - Assessing gender-responsiveness of e-government systems	8 hours Unit 5.1 Overview and Unit 5.2 A framework for a whole of e-government assessment on gender inclusion require 4 hours. Unit 5.3 Outcome evaluation of e-government interventions for women?s empowerment: Introducing a capabilities approach requires 4 hours.
Final day participant group exercise on evolving a cohesive gender strategy	8 hours

Time required for implementing an online training programme

The training can be implemented in online mode, by creating a Moodle-based 8-week course. Every week, the class would meet virtually with the course instructor, and this interaction would be supplemented with self-study of the modules and self-directed completion of the mini quiz. An indicative timeline for this is provided below:

Module by week	Duration of online classroom sessions (weekly interactions on Moodle platform with course instructor)	Self-study time (reading the module content and completion of mini quiz)
Week 1 Module 1 - Gender, governance and e-government	1 session of one hour length Unit 1.1 E-government for women?s empowerment and gender equality. Unit 1.2 Designing e-government systems for women?s empowerment and gender equality.	2 hours
Weeks 2 and 3 Module 2 - Gender-responsive e-service delivery	2 sessions of 1.5 hours each Unit 2.1 Incorporating a gender lens in service delivery. Unit 2.2 Institutional design of gender-responsive e-service delivery.	4 hours
Week 4 Module 3 - Gender-responsive e-participation	1 session of one hour length Unit 3.1 Design guidelines for gender-responsive, digitally-mediated citizen engagement. Unit 3.2 Legal-institutional frameworks for gender-responsive, digitally-mediated citizen engagement.	3 hours
Weeks 5 and 6 Module 4 - Gender-responsive connectivity architecture	2 sessions of 1.5 hours each Unit 4.1 Women?s exclusion from connectivity architectures. Unit 4.2 Designing gender-inclusive connectivity architectures: Insights for policy and programming.	6 hours
Weeks 7 and 8 Module 5 - Assessing gender-responsiveness of e-government systems	2 sessions of 1.5 hours each Unit 5.1 Overview and Unit 5.2 A framework for a whole of e-government assessment on gender inclusion. Unit 5.3 Outcome evaluation of e-government interventions for women?s empowerment: Introducing a capabilities approach.	6 hours

2.2. Gendering e-service delivery (Options for short duration face-to-face trainings)

Target group: Officials from ICT ministry, e-government agency, national level ministries and departments for women’s empowerment, and sectoral ministries such as local development and social welfare. The presence of participants from across e-government agencies, departments/agencies engaged in women’s empowerment, and sectoral ministries will provide an opportunity for cross-fertilisation of ideas and initiatives to identify concrete follow-up action plans.

Option 1.

Objective of the training:

To build capabilities of officials in gender-responsive e-government design, which will feed into the development of a flagship e-service delivery initiative, such as a conditional cash transfer project linked to mobile phone based tracking or smart cities programme.

Modules to be used: Module 1 and 2.

Module 1 will help establish an understanding of the linkages between gender and e-government, amongst participants. It will also help familiarise participants with a framework through which to better understand and implement gender-responsive e-government. This foundation can then be built upon through Module 2, where concrete examples of measures and tools to craft gender-responsive e-services are introduced.

Time required for implementing Option 1: 2 to 2.5-days, as detailed below.

Module	Time required for implementing training sessions
Participant introductions and orientation	1 hour
Module 1 - Gender, governance and e-government	4 hours Unit 1.1 E-government for women?s empowerment and gender equality requires 2 hours. Unit 1.2 Designing e-government systems for women?s empowerment and gender equality requires 2 hours.
Module 2 - Gender-responsive e-service delivery	8 hours Unit 2.1 Incorporating a gender lens in service delivery requires 4 hours. Unit 2.2 Institutional design of gender-responsive e-service delivery requires 4 hours.
Participant group exercise	4 hours

About 11 hours are required for a training programme that aims to cover Module 1 and Module 2. In order to allow space for orientation and participant introductions, and open brainstorming on strengthening gender inclusiveness of existing e-service delivery programmes, around 17 hours are required. Therefore, a 2 to 2.5-day timeline would be optimal.

Option 2.

Objective of the training:

To build capabilities of ICT ministry officials in understanding the interrelationship between connectivity policy and strategic design of e-service delivery.

Modules to be used: Module 2 and 4, along with a brief reference to Module 1.

Module 1 will introduce the concept of e-government for women’s empowerment and gender equality. Module 2 will build on this foundation, to highlight how the technical design of e-service delivery has significant implications for women’s empowerment and gender equality. Module 4 can then be used to demonstrate how universal, affordable, and equal access to connectivity is critical for gender-inclusive service delivery.

Time required for implementing Option 2: 2 to 2.5-days, as detailed below.

Module	Time required for implementing training sessions
Participant introductions and orientation	1 hour
Module 1 - Gender, governance and e-government	2 hours Unit 1.1 E-government for women?s empowerment and gender equality Unit 1.2 Designing e-government systems for women?s empowerment and gender equality
Module 2 - Gender-responsive e-service delivery	4 hours Unit 2.1 Incorporating a gender lens in service delivery Unit 2.2 Institutional design of gender-responsive e-service delivery
Module 4 - Gender-responsive connectivity architecture	6 hours Unit 4.1 Women?s exclusion from connectivity architectures requires 2 hours. Unit 4.2 Designing gender-inclusive connectivity architectures: Insights for policy and programming requires 4 hours.
Participant group exercise	4 hours

Around 11 hours are required for a training programme that aims to cover Module 2, 4, and a brief overview of Module 1. Nevertheless, a 2 to 2.5-day timeline (around 17 hours) would be optimal to accommodate orientation and participant introductions, and open brainstorming on designing connectivity architectures that support gender-inclusive service delivery.

Option 3.

Objective of the training:

To trace the transformative possibilities for state-citizen engagement that are opened up by digitalised governance.

Modules to be used: Module 2 and Module 3, along with a brief reference to Module 1.

Module 1 will introduce the concept of e-government for women’s empowerment and gender equality, and Module 2 can be used to draw out the key features of gender-inclusive e-service delivery systems. Module 3 will then provide an overview of what is needed to promote uptake of e-services and active participation of women in e-government systems.

Time required for implementing Option 3: 1.5 to 2-days, as detailed below.

Module	Time required for implementing training sessions
Participant introductions and orientation	1 hour
Module 1 - Gender, governance and e-government	2 hours Unit 1.1 E-government for women's empowerment and gender equality Unit 1.2 Designing e-government systems for women's empowerment and gender equality
Module 2 - Gender-responsive e-service delivery	A 3 to 4 hour session covering the key highlights of Unit 2.1 Incorporating a gender lens in service delivery Unit 2.2 Institutional design of gender-responsive e-service delivery
Module 3 - Gender-responsive e-participation	4 hours Unit 3.1 Design guidelines for gender-responsive, digitally-mediated citizen engagement requires 1.5 hours. Unit 3.2 Legal-institutional frameworks for gender-responsive, digitally-mediated citizen engagement requires 1.5 hours
Participant group exercise	2 to 4 hours

Around 9 to 10 hours are required for a training programme that aims to cover Module 2, 3, and a brief overview of Module 1. Nevertheless, a 1.5 to 2-day (around 12 to 15 hours) timeline would be optimal to allow for orientation and participant introductions, and an open session on promoting women’s uptake of e-services and building a gender-inclusive e-participation culture.

2.3. Assessing gender-based outcomes of e-government interventions (short faceto- face training)

Target group: Officials handling monitoring and evaluation portfolios in different ministries. The training can furher enhance their capabilities to assess the gender-inclusivity of e-governance systems, and to evaluate the gender-based outcomes of e-government interventions.

Modules to be used: Modules 1 and 5. Module 1 will provide an overview of gender, good governance and e-government, while Module 5 will help participants understand what it takes to monitor and evaluate e-government systems, for their women’s empowerment and gender equality outcomes.

Duration: 1.5 days, as specified below.

Module	Time required for implementing training sessions based on this module
Participant introductions and orientation	1 hour
Module 1 - Gender, governance and e-government	2 hours Unit 1.1 E-government for women?s empowerment and gender equality Unit 1.2 Designing e-government systems for women?s empowerment and gender equality
Module 5 - Assessing gender-responsiveness of e-government systems	8 hours Unit 5.1 Overview and Unit 5.2 A framework for a whole of e-government assessment on gender inclusion require 4 hours. Unit 5.3 Outcome evaluation of e-government interventions for women?s empowerment: Introducing a capabilities approach requires 4 hours.
Participant group exercise	4 hours

A minimum of 10 hours are required for a training programme that aims to cover Modules 1 and 5. Nevertheless, a 1.5-day timeline (around 15 hours) would be optical to allow for orientation and participant introductions, and open brainstorming on designing monitoring and evaluation frameworks for national e-government systems from a gender perspective.