Gender Equality & the Environment in Digital Economies:

A Policy Brief Summary, 3 critical areas to prioritize in AI and Data policy innovation, and 11 Recommendations to inform and guide Sustainable Natural Resource Management, Cyberdiplomacy and Digital Economy Partnerships.

This is a summary of a policy brief prepared for the United Nations’ 8th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, New York, May 2023. The full paper and list of authors are available here. AI Impact Alliance’s Stakeholder Intervention can be read here.

At the intersection of AI, gender equality and climate management lie critical implications for the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda. This is particularly true when it comes to deployment of AI systems in natural resource management sectors such as fishing, agriculture, energy, mining and other extractive industries. The absence of women from consequential decision-making in the sociotechnical pipeline of AI systems significantly impacts their intended use and leads to biased outputs, technically and socially, and to an unequitable distribution of the benefits AI can bring.

Macrophotography of watercolour, Valentine Goddard

To prevent new forms of exclusion and inequity, it is important to investigate gendered disparities and limitations to decisional powers in the AI value chain. This includes the choice of use and design of AI systems, as well as gender-aware regulatory innovation mechanisms and funding policies and so on. Gender-blind AI strategies in natural resources and extractive industries will lead to a deepening of global socioeconomic gaps and polarization, posing national security risks to all nations as AI’s geopolitical implications are disrupting the old order of territorial integrity. Furthermore, AI and digital economy policies must consider the protection and promotion of decisional power across AI value chains with gender equity, intersectionality, and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples as a priority. This will facilitate equitable trade opportunities and shared resources.

These are some of the reasons why we believe that all levels of government should explore and then adopt a gender-aware, sectoral strategy that incentivizes a sustainable co-governance model of Natural Resource Data. *Please refer to the full paper for more information.

We propose 11 recommendations for SDG-Oriented Cyberdiplomacy and Digital Economy Partnerships. These areas of policy action aim to seize the opportunities presented by AI while mitigating risks and contribute to shaping SDG- oriented AI solutions and partnerships.

They include 3 key policy areas

1- The Solution-Design-Responsibility Loop

2- A Resource Ownership and SDG-Oriented Governance

3- Feminist and Intersectional Foreign and Climate Security Policies

Summarized List of Recommendations

1. Address preconceived notions and definitions in Natural Resource Management (NRM). Ex: What is a farmer in 2023? ; 
   2. Adopt a multidisciplinary approach to AI design and deployment;
   3. Respect and weave Indigenous AI and Data Protocols into the value chain for AI systems while promoting traditional matriarchal models of knowledge and environmental protection;
   4. Identify, monitor and report on gender disparities in the AI value chain and including limitations on decisional power and resource ownership; 
   5. Put in place interministerial, multidisciplinary workgroups that are enabled to gather data, assess the impact of AI on women, and of women on AI, and setting concrete targets to drive gender balance in NRM;
   6. Create accessible learning opportunities, creative outreach engagement and conduct continuous assessment of their impact;
   7. Facilitate multifaceted investment strategies for informed and independent civic engagement and AI literacy fundamental to social license in responsible AI value chains;
   8. Research and facilitate the creation of social innovation spaces to explore new business models for NRM Data Collaboratives (social purpose trusts) and incentivize SDG-oriented governance models;
   9. Increase access to data collection technologies and facilitate ownership of Natural Resource Data for women;
   10. Adopt a holistic flow to the assessment, analysis and evaluation processes of the ESG of AI;
   11. Increase support and access to AI and data resources for Civil Society Organizations (NGOs, non-profits, social entrepreneurs with SDG-oriented missions).

Authors and Expert Group Members:

Valentine Goddard, AI Impact Alliance;

Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, United Nations University Centre for Policy Research;

Mercy Atieno Odongo, International Relations, United States International University;

Jane Ezirigwe, Law Faculty, University of Ottawa, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Nigeria;

Daniela Chimisso dos Santos, Invenient Consulting Solutions Ltd.;

Sarah Moritz, Dept. of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University;

Millicent Ochieng’, International Relations, United States International University;

Blair Attard-Frost, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto.

If you are interested in being informed of further Call for Proposals and join other AI Impact Alliance workshops, please drop me a line at v .g oddard @ allianceimpact. org.