GLAM/Newsletter/March 2025/Contents/Belgium report
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International Women's Day, Wikipedia officially recognised as Digital Public Good and invitation for the General Assembly
News from Wikimedia Belgium.
Successful Wikipedia writing sessions in honour of International Women's Day
On 10 and 11 March 2025, several heritage organisations and enthusiastic volunteers in Flanders participated in Wikipedia writing sessions on the occasion of International Women's Day. These initiatives were aimed at increasing the visibility of women on Wikipedia. Currently, less than a quarter of biographical articles are about women.
Some highlights of the sessions:
- Antwerp (Museum Plantin-Moretus): The Letterenhuis organised a session aimed at bringing more women out of the shadows of history.
- Library of Bruges: on women and heritage in Bruges or West Flanders.
- Ghent (meemoo): Participants wrote about various women to reduce the gender gap on Wikipedia.
- Ghent (Industriemuseum): The focus was on female business leaders, engineers or technicians who did not make it into the history books despite their influential role.
- Leuven (KADOC-KU Leuven): In collaboration with CEMPER, the focus was on women in music and performing arts.
- Erfgoedcel Waasland, City Archive Sint-Niklaas and Bibliotheca Wasiana: The focus was on highlighting women in local history, from beguines to artists and resistance women.
These joint efforts have led to a significant enrichment of Wikipedia with articles on influential women, making their contributions to society more visible.
| Location | # added pages | # editors | # recent edits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerp | 11 | 22 | 633 |
| Bruges | 9 | 11 | 36 |
| Ghent (meemoo) | 12 | 11 | 224 |
| Ghent (Industriemuseum) | 3 | 6 | 35 |
| Leuven | 33 | 21 | 453 |
| Sint-Niklaas | 22 | 15 | 357 |
Want to read more about these results? You can do so here!
We thank all participants and organisations for their efforts and look forward to future initiatives to further strengthen the representation of women in our digital knowledge resources.
And last but not least, we also give you a look behind the scenes.
-
Example page of an article. -
Group photo of the volunteers and organisation in Sint-Niklaas. -
Museum Plantin-Moretus. -
Sint-Niklaas. -
Women in Industry.
Wikipedia officially recognised as Digital Public Good
Did you know that Wikipedia is now recognised as an official Digital Public Good? An important milestone: the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA), a UN-backed initiative, has added Wikipedia to the Register of Digital Public Goods. This means Wikipedia is recognised worldwide as an open-source solution that contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Wikipedia plays a crucial role in promoting knowledge and inclusiveness and officially contributes to the following SDGs:
- SDG 4 - Quality education
- SDG 5 - Gender equality
- SDG 10 - Reduced inequality
- SDG 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions
- SDG 17 - Partnerships for the goals
This recognition underlines the importance of free knowledge for all and motivates us to continue building an inclusive, accessible and reliable source of information.
Read more about how this recognition strengthens our work and increases Wikipedia's impact worldwide here!
Wikimedia Belgium General Assembly
Dear members and supporters,
We cordially invite you to the General Assembly of Wikimedia Belgium on Saturday the 10th of May 2025, from 14:00 to 18:00, at Amazone in Brussels.
During this meeting, we look back on the past year, discuss future projects and strategic plans, and have the opportunity for questions and ideas. This is an excellent opportunity to help think about the future of our association and connect with other members. Confirming your presence is mandatory.
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