Gülseren Onanç
“Venice was an exceptional refugee woman. This city, consisting of 114 small islands, embraced everyone. It contributed significantly to civilization by developing diplomacy, the banking system, and inventing the passport,” remarked one participant.
Although currently facing the threat of submergence in water, Venice’s focus is not on self-preservation but on saving the world. Venice has consistently supported those dedicated to advancing humanity. Humanity should regard Venice as a prime example of civilization.
“I am 78 years old, and I have never witnessed a state of the world like today’s. Women and women’s leadership are vital in finding solutions and creating allure,” added the same participant. She, a highly successful businesswoman who has been supporting women leaders through awards given on behalf of her foundation for years, posed a question that, in my view, constituted the most fundamental query of the two-day meeting:
Is it possible to pursue both profit and benefit humanity?
Since Tuesday morning, I have been in Venice for the Global Dialogue meeting hosted by the Vital Voices Foundation. Vital Voices is an organization dedicated to supporting women’s leadership worldwide, and I am proud to be part of this group. The aim of the 2023 Global Dialogue meeting was to deliberate on the impact of emerging technology trends on women’s leadership, engage in discussions about new technological solutions in response to the challenges we face, and explore how to coordinate collective action to accelerate global change.
The Global Dialogue Meeting brought together women from diverse geographical regions, including Africa, the Americas, India, Brazil, Venezuela, Egypt, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and represented Turkey.
Over the course of two days, we engaged in discussions on issues and potential solutions. We heard compelling real-life examples of how technology has adversely affected women’s leadership. Our primary focus was on generating solution proposals and collaborating on collective action campaigns aimed at producing concrete results.
Transitioning from a more closed-off homeland to such an international environment, one quickly realizes that women face identical challenges everywhere. However, it’s heartening to witness women actively engaged in finding solutions.
Although I can’t disclose the participants’ names, a reputable journalist remarked, “Falsehoods are spreading far more swiftly than truths; governments and dictators are manipulating us, with technology companies aiding these efforts.” She continued:
“Women endure ten times the attacks on social media. Women politicians, journalists, and activists are in peril. If we don’t impose regulations on technology, it will soon be too late. Technology should not ascend to godlike status. Profit-driven technology is detrimental to humanity.”
I will provide more detailed information on the topics discussed during the meeting.
However, the common themes we unanimously agreed upon are as follows:
- The technology crisis can be effectively addressed through global cooperation, much like the responses to the climate and pandemic crises.
- In the short term, it is imperative to establish a global network for collaboration, ensuring that we all speak the same language.
- In the medium term, we must actively seek ways to regulate technology companies.
- In the long term, a fundamental shift in the profit-driven business model that underpins the technology sector is essential.
In summary, women have resolved to confront both capitalism, often seen as an extension of patriarchy, and technology companies that support authoritarian regimes.