WSIS Forum 2026
Rapport généré par l'IA

Knowledge Café - Youth Participation and Digital Inclusion Action Toward WSIS 2035

16 intervenants
Résumé

Résumé

La séance conistait en une discussion ouverte, et avait pour but de recueillir les points de vue des jeunes sur le SMSI. Leurs interventions seront intégrées à la documentation plus large de SMSI au moyen des notes des facilitateurs et des rapporteurs.

Un sondage d’ouverture a suggéré que la plupart des participants n’avaient qu’une idée générale de ce qu'est le SMSI ou en avaient entendu parler sans bien le comprendre, tandis qu’une part plus réduite a indiqué une familiarité plus approfondie avec l'événement.Fatima Gayoor a décrit le SMSI comme un processus intergouvernemental multipartite axé sur la transformation numérique et le développement, ainsi qu’un espace important pour apprendre comment le secteur public met en œuvre les technologies émergentes.Dans son allocution principale, Nadir Atayev a soutenu que la transformation numérique concerne autant les personnes que la technologie et qu’elle exige l'inclusion, l'éducation de la population, la coopération de différents acteurs et des partenariats entre les gouvernements, les organisations internationales, le secteur privé, la société civile, le monde universitaire, les communautés techniques et les jeunes.Il a souligné que les jeunes sont déjà des utilisateurs et créateurs actifs de technologies numériques, de sorte que leur participation doit être significative et pas seulement symbolique.Il a également insisté sur le fait que de nombreux enfants et jeunes se heurtent encore à des obstacles, notamment le manque de connectivité, d’appareils, de compétences numériques et d’éducation de qualité, et que les bénéfices du numérique doivent être accessibles à tous.Les discussions en groupes ont porté sur le libellé de l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies dans la résolution de décembre relative au SMSI et concernant les jeunes, l’inclusion numérique et la participation des parties prenantes.

Autour des différentes tables, les participants ont plaidé à plusieurs reprises pour un engagement plus fort des jeunes dans l’élaboration des politiques numériques, notamment au moyen de dialogues plus accessibles et ancrés dans les régions, de garanties juridiques ou de quotas pour la participation des jeunes, d’un langage plus clair et de canaux formels reliant les jeunes aux régulateurs et aux autres parties prenantes.

Plusieurs groupes ont également souligné la nécessité d’adapter les politiques aux contextes nationaux et communautaires, d’inclure les langues locales et de garantir un dialogue intergénérationnel plutôt que de traiter les jeunes comme une catégorie distincte et isolée.

L’inégalité numérique dans l’éducation et l’accès aux tecnologies ont constitué des thèmes majeurs. Les participants ont évoqué les populations non connectées, le coût élevé des données, la faiblesse des infrastructures et l’exclusion révélée pendant la COVID-19, en particulier dans certaines régions d’Afrique et dans d’autres contextes à faible revenu.

Ils ont proposé des réponses concrètes, notamment la culture numérique et la littératie en IA, l’éducation à la sécurité en ligne, des pôles locaux d’innovation, une planification des infrastructures fondée sur les données, la coordination internationale des fournisseurs, le renforcement des capacités au niveau communautaire et des financements par subventions plutôt que des prêts contraignants.

Les contributeurs en ligne et les jeunes ont également exhorté le SMSI à donner la priorité aux communautés vulnérables, à clarifier ce que signifient « engagement et action » et à créer des environnements numériques plus sûrs qui protègent la vie privée et le bien-être des enfants.

La session s’est conclue par un appel à transformer les idées en action, les organisateurs demandant toutes les notes des tables pour un rapport final, soulignant ainsi le rôle de l’événement dans l’élaboration des futures contributions des jeunes au SMSI.

Points clés

- L’objectif principal de la séance était de recueillir les points de vue des jeunes pour le processus SMSI et de les intégrer à un rapport officiel, en utilisant des facilitateurs et des rapporteurs à chaque table pour consigner les résultats des discussions à l’intention de la documentation plus large du sommet. - Un point majeur de discussion a été la compréhension du SMSI lui-même et sa présentation comme un processus multipartite axé sur la transformation numérique et le développement. Cela est apparu à travers le sondage d’ouverture et le nuage de mots, où les participants ont associé le SMSI à la collaboration, à la consultation, à l’inclusion numérique et à la transformation numérique, ainsi qu’à travers des explications donnée par Fatima Gayoor, qui a décrit l'événement comme un processus intergouvernemental multipartite lié à la transformation numérique et à la mise en œuvre dans le secteur public. - L’inclusion des jeunes dans la gouvernance numérique et la prise de décision du SMSI a été un thème central. Les participants ont insisté sur le fait que la participation des jeunes doit être significative plutôt que symbolique, que les discussions sur les politiques numériques doivent être plus accessibles sur les plans géographique et financier, et que des canaux formels, des garanties juridiques et un langage plus clair sont nécessaires pour que les jeunes puissent influer plus efficacement sur les politiques. - Les inégalités numériques et les obstacles à l’accès ont été soulignés à plusieurs reprises, en particulier en ce qui concerne la connectivité, l’accessibilité financière, les appareils, les infrastructures et les compétences. Les intervenants ont noté que de nombreux jeunes n’ont toujours pas de connectivité ou d’appareils, et les discussions de table ont mis en avant le coût élevé des données, les lacunes en matière d’infrastructures, l’exclusion des zones rurales et des populations à faible revenu, ainsi que la nécessité de subventions, d’évaluations des besoins et de renforcement des capacités locales pour réduire les coûts. - L’éducation, la culture numérique et la sécurité en ligne ont constitué un autre axe majeur. Les participants ont évoqué à la fois les promesses des outils d’apprentissage numérique et la nécessité d’un accompagnement humain de la part des enseignants et des parents, tout en mettant également l’accent sur la culture numérique et la littératie en IA, la protection des enfants en ligne, l’esprit critique, la santé mentale et l’utilisation sûre des réseaux sociaux et des plateformes internet. - La coopération multipartite a été abordée non seulement comme un principe, mais aussi comme une nécessité pratique pour la mise en œuvre. Plusieurs participants ont soutenu que les gouvernements ne peuvent pas, à eux seuls, atteindre les objectifs du SMSI et que la société civile, le secteur privé, le monde universitaire, les communautés techniques, les organisations internationales et les jeunes ont tous des rôles distincts à jouer dans le partage des connaissances, la recherche, les mécanismes de protection et l’appui à la mise en œuvre.

La discussion avait pour but de donner la parole à la jeunesse et de permettre aux participants d'interpréter le libellé récent de l’ONU sur les jeunes dans le processus WSIS, d'examiner ce que ces engagements signifient dans la pratique et formuler des recommandations concrètes pour renforcer la participation des jeunes, l’inclusion numérique et la mise en œuvre des engagements du SMSI. Il était prévu que ces contributions alimentent un rapport final et le processus du SMSI au sens large.

Les interventions ont été constructifives, participatives et dynamiques tout au long de la discussion. Au début, le ton était informel et accueillant, avec des activités pour ouvrir le débat, des sondages et un humour léger pour mettre les participants à l’aise.

Il est ensuite devenu plus sérieux et davantage orienté vers les politiques publiques pendant l’allocution principale et les discussions en groupes, en particulier lors de l’examen des inégalités, de l’inclusion, de la sécurité et des défis de mise en œuvre.

Vers la fin, les intervenants ont proposé des solutions et ont exprimé des encouragements et ont présenté des recommandations pratiques. Les remarques de clôture ont appelé au leadership, à l’action et à un engagement durable.

Intervenants

- Dunola Mgbachi - Responsable jeunesse à l’UIT ; modératrice et animatrice de la session. - Fatima Gayoor - Professionnelle de la gouvernance numérique et de l’IA. - Nadir Atayev - Ingénieur RF principal à l’Agence spatiale de la République d’Azerbaïdjan ; membre du Youth Advisory Board de la Secrétaire générale de l’UIT. - Elizabeth Duncan - Représentante du U.S. Council for International Business ; modératrice de la table 5. - Hamza Hameed - Du Pakistan ; membre du Youth Advisory Board de la Secrétaire générale de l’UIT. - Laura Mantilla Leon - Membre du Graduate Study Program à l’ONU. - Roser Almenar - Membre du Youth Advisory Board de la Secrétaire générale de l’UIT. - Marilyn Lorelei Conde Gomez - Du Mexique ; membre du programme d’études supérieures à l’ONU ; basée à Genève et poursuivant un master. - Asli Telli - Chercheuse et fellow à l’Université de Cologne au Global South Studies Center ; membre de la communauté Academics for Peace ; représentant une organisation de Turquie et également membre de la communauté European Digital Rights. - Diana Kuznetsova - Au GSP à l’Office des Nations Unies pour un programme d’études. - Daniella Esi Darlington - Du Ghana ; membre du Youth Advisory Board de la Secrétaire générale de l’UIT. - Elina Lampi - De Geneva International Model United Nations. - Abril Ortega Andrade - De Geneva International Model United Nations. - Amy Vargas Mendoza - De New York University. - Gayla Al Mannaee - Présidente des affaires stratégiques et du développement, UAE General Women’s Union. - Participant - Divers participants non identifiés qui sont intervenus lors des retours des tables et de la discussion. - Speaker 1 - Intervenant non identifié ; bref extrait audio/interjection uniquement. - Abdou Karim Badije - Est brièvement intervenu pour tester l’audio (« Hello, can you hear me? ») ; rôle non précisé. Intervenants supplémentaires : - Danola/Dunola Mgbachi - Même intervenante que Dunola Mgbachi ; s’est présentée une fois comme « Danola ». - Ana - Du Mexique ; fait des recherches sur l’éthique numérique ; représente le groupe de réflexion mexicain sur la transformation numérique. - Leo - Participant de la table 7 ; a présenté les retours des jeunes. - Liku - Participant de Chine ; a interprété ou relayé des remarques en chinois lors du retour de la table 7. - A rain - Participant de Chine ; a partagé une brève réflexion finale sur la manière d’aider davantage de personnes à comprendre WSIS. - Sebastian - Mentionné par la modératrice comme venant de la FAO. - Gitanjali - Responsable du WSIS ; mentionnée comme devant ouvrir la session / faire des remarques, mais n’est pas intervenue dans l’extrait de transcription. - Tadala - Mentionnée par la modératrice comme pouvant faciliter. - Dokka - Mentionné par la modératrice comme pouvant faciliter. - Troy - Mentionné par la modératrice au sujet du placement / de la facilitation. - Philippe Pollier - Secrétaire général adjoint aux affaires de la jeunesse ; mentionné comme intervenant ultérieur dans une autre session, et non comme intervenant actif dans cet extrait de discussion.

Intervenants
FG
Fatima Gayoor
132 wpm · 46 s
DM
Dunola Mgbachi
91 wpm · 33 min
NA
Nadir Atayev
130 wpm · 4 min
HH
Hamza Hameed
145 wpm · 2 min
P
Participant
122 wpm · 14 min
DK
Diana Kuznetsova
156 wpm · 1 min
AT
Asli Telli
131 wpm · 3 min
RA
Roser Almenar
130 wpm · 2 min
ED
Elizabeth Duncan
132 wpm · 4 min
ML
Marilyn Lorelei Conde Gomez
231 wpm · 2 min
AV
Amy Vargas Mendoza
121 wpm · 56 s
LM
Laura Mantilla Leon
117 wpm · 2 min
DE
Daniella Esi Darlington
140 wpm · 3 min
EL
Elina Lampi
160 wpm · 26 s
AO
Abril Ortega Andrade
154 wpm · 1 min
GA
Gayla Al Mannaee
146 wpm · 4 min

Cette séance a consisté en une discussion ouverte, ayant pour thème principal la jeunesse. Des jeunes intervenants ont alimentés les discussions. Dunola Mgbachi a expliqué que chaque table de discussion disposait d’un facilitateur et d’un rapporteur, et que les commentaires des participants devaient être consignés car ils contribueraient à un document global du SMSI ainsi qu’à un rapport ultérieur.Elle a rappelé plus tard à l’assemblée que le deuxième travail en sous-groupes avait pour but de produire des solutions pratiques, et que des notes détaillées étaient nécessaires car le rapport final serait publié sur le site web du SMSI.

Dunola Mgbachi a tout d'abord souhaité la bienvenue aux participants. Elle a proposé des activités pour faciliter la discussion et a utilisé un sondage Slido pour évaluer le degré de familiarité du public avec le SMSI.

Les résultats ont montré que la plupart des participants n’avaient qu’une idée générale du SMSI ou en avaient entendu parler sans vraiment le comprendre, tandis qu’un plus petit nombre a déclaré le connaître très bien ou n’en avoir jamais entendu parler auparavant.Un nuage de mots a ensuite demandé quel mot décrivait le mieux le SMSI, faisant ressortir des termes tels que consultation, collaboration, infrastructure numérique, transformation numérique et inclusion numérique.

Nadir Atayev a également pris la parole pour ouvrir la séance.

Fatima Gayoor, qui travaille dans la gouvernance du numérique et de l’IA, a expliqué que le SMSI.est un processus intergouvernemental et multipartite créé au début des années 2000 et a affirmé qu’il était « en avance sur son temps ». Elle l’a relié à la transformation numérique et au développement numérique.Elle a également indiqué qu’il représentait un espace important pour comprendre comment les technologies émergentes sont mises en œuvre dans le secteur public.Nadir Atayev a ensuite replacé la discussion dans un cadre plus large. Il a déclaré que la transformation numérique ne concerne pas uniquement la technologie, l’internet ou l’infrastructure, mais aussi les personnes, l’inclusion, l’éducation et la coopération.Se référant au langage du SMSI sur les sociétés de l’information inclusives, il a souligné que les progrès exigent la participation et le partenariat entre les gouvernements, les organisations internationales, le secteur privé, la société civile, le monde universitaire, les communautés techniques et les jeunes.Il a avancé que les jeunes ne sont pas seulement l’avenir du monde numérique, mais déjà des utilisateurs, créateurs, communicants et collaborateurs actifs, de sorte que leur participation doit être significative et pas seulement symbolique.Il a également mis en lumière les obstacles persistants auxquels sont confrontés de nombreux enfants et jeunes, notamment le manque de connectivité, d’équipements, de compétences numériques et d’éducation de qualité, et a affirmé que les opportunités numériques doivent être accessibles à tous, et pas uniquement à ceux qui disposent déjà de ressources suffisantes.Il a conclu en encourageant les participants à échanger librement leurs idées et à utiliser la session pour transformer les engagements mondiaux en actions, en partenariats et en opportunités.Le premier exercice en sous-groupes a été organisé autour d’une résolution de l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies relative au SMSI, qui a été adoptée en décembre de l’année précédente. Dunola Mgbachi a expliqué que la résolution mentionnait les jeunes à plusieurs reprises et donnait un mandat fort sur les questions de jeunesse, et elle a attribué à différentes tables des extraits sur la coopération multipartite et la participation des jeunes, l’accès et les défis technologiques touchant les enfants et les jeunes, les inégalités dans l’éducation numérisée, et le rôle des parties prenantes, y compris les jeunes, dans la mise en œuvre du SMSI.Il a d’abord été demandé aux participants de discuter de ce que signifiait en pratique le langage cité dans leurs propres communautés, plutôt que de passer directement aux solutions.Les premiers comptes rendus des différentes table ont montré une vive préoccupation concernant la qualité et l’accessibilité de la participation des jeunes. Hamza Hameed a déclaré que sa table avait insisté sur le fait que la participation des jeunes importe non seulement en principe, mais aussi sur le plan démographique : à l’avenir, une personne sur quatre sera jeune et une personne sur quatre viendra d’Afrique, de sorte que les discussions sur les politiques numériques doivent inclure les personnes de ces deux groupes.Son groupe a indiqué que nombre de ces discussions ont lieu dans des endroits inaccessibles aux jeunes en raison des obstacles liés aux visas, aux frais de déplacement et aux coûts d’hébergement, et a plaidé pour un engagement accru dans les pays et régions où vivent les jeunes.Ils ont également déclaré que les discussions en ligne peuvent être utiles, mais que l’engagement en présentiel crée souvent une implication plus forte, et ils ont considéré que les organisations du secteur public et liées aux Nations Unies étaient importantes pour maintenir ces discussions centrées sur l’intérêt public.La deuxième table a distingué le fait d'être présent et et le fait d'avoir de l’influence. Son intervenant a indiqué que le groupe préférait le terme d'« engagement effectif » à celui de « participation effective », estimant que la question n’est pas simplement de savoir si les jeunes sont dans la salle, mais s’ils sont réellement associés à la prise de décision.

La table a également soulevé la question de la participation intergénérationnelle et a déclaré que les jeunes sont souvent exclus de l’élaboration des politiques, même sur des sujets tels que la transformation numérique et l’IA qui les touchent directement.Un deuxième ensemble de comptes rendus s’est concentré sur l’adaptation des politiques, la protection et la compréhension et bonne utilisation des systèmes d'IA. Laura Mantilla Leon a indiqué que sa table avait discuté de la manière dont des conversations mondiales comme celle-ci peuvent façonner les cadres politiques nationaux, tout en soulignant que ces cadres doivent être adaptés aux différents contextes nationaux et communautaires.Son groupe a mis en évidence la nécessité de suivre l’impact des politiques dans le temps et d’associer les jeunes à la fois parce que les politiques leur sont destinées et parce que leur mise en œuvre devrait les inclure.Elle a ajouté que certains participants plus âgés exprimaient du scepticisme, car le développement numérique évolue plus vite que les politiques ne peuvent le réguler.La même table a affirmé que l’inclusion numérique ne se résume pas à l’accès à internet, mais concerne aussi la réglementation, la protection en ligne et le renforcement des capacités afin que les jeunes utilisateurs puissent participer de manière sûre et efficace.Roser Almenar a rapporté de façon similaire que 2,2 milliards de personnes ne sont pas connectées et que beaucoup de ceux qui sont exclus sont des jeunes et des femmes.Sa table a discuté des obstacles à l’accès, de l’importance des compétences numériques, et de la difficulté que les enfants peuvent rencontrer pour juger quelles informations en ligne sont fiables ou nuisibles.Cela a conduit à des appels en faveur d’une littératie numérique et d’une littératie en IA plus fortes, afin que les jeunes utilisateurs puissent distinguer les informations fiables de la désinformation et utiliser la technologie de manière bénéfique.Un autre ensemble de comptes rendus portait sur l’éducation, l’infrastructure, l’accessibilité financière et des obstacles structurels plus larges. Elizabeth Duncan a déclaré que sa table comprenait des représentants d’universités, des start-ups d’apprentissage pour enfants et des experts du numérique, et que le groupe avait discuté à la fois des promesses et des limites des technologies d’éducation numérique.Les participants ont souligné la valeur d’innovations telles que l’apprentissage en ligne et les outils d’apprentissage soutenus par l’IA, y compris pour les apprenants neurodivergents et les personnes handicapées, tout en insistant sur l’importance persistante des enseignants et des parents.La même discussion a mis en évidence le fait que la technologie éducative dépend de l’infrastructure physique, des équipements et de la connectivité, et a mentionné les câbles à fibre optique, les centres de données et les systèmes matériels nécessaires pour soutenir l’apprentissage numérique, en particulier dans les zones rurales et les contextes à faible revenu.Le groupe de Marilyn Lorelei Conde Gomez a illustré cela par des exemples tirés de la période de la COVID-19, lorsque de nombreux enfants n’avaient pas accès à internet, à des ordinateurs portables, ni même à un téléphone pour suivre des cours en ligne.Ils ont discuté des coûts élevés des données dans des pays comme la Tanzanie, l’Afrique du Sud et le Mozambique, des incitations limitées à faire baisser les prix dans certains contextes, et du manque d’attention publique portée à l’accessibilité financière.Le groupe a également soulevé des obstacles plus larges, notamment l’insuffisance des infrastructures, les contraintes économiques, les conflits et les catastrophes naturelles telles que les inondations et les ouragans.La discussion de la table sept et des intervenants en ligne a élargi la la discussion aux rôles des parties prenantes, à la sécurité des enfants et aux communautés vulnérables. Avant que la table sept ne fasse son compte rendu, Dunola Mgbachi a invité les plus jeunes participants assis au fond de la salle à prendre la parole, les décrivant comme « nos incroyables enfants » et la prochaine génération.Un jeune participant a déclaré que le seul soutien des gouvernements ne suffit pas et que la société civile, les jeunes, les communautés techniques et universitaires, ainsi que les organisations internationales, sont tous nécessaires pour faire fonctionner le SMSI dans la pratique.Une autre intervention, interprétée depuis le chinois, s’est concentrée sur la sécurité des adolescents en ligne et a proposé des systèmes de protection plus solides, notamment des contrôles liés à l’âge pour réduire l’exposition à des contenus dangereux et une protection renforcée de la vie privée sur les plateformes de messagerie et de réseaux sociaux.

Un autre intervenant de la table sept a décrit la mise en œuvre du SMSI comme un effort continu dans lequel les gouvernements devraient partager l’information avec les jeunes. La société civile et le secteur privé devraient également échanger des connaissances tandis que les communautés universitaires et techniques devraient fournir de la recherche et des bonnes pratiques. Ainsi, selon lui, les organisations internationales devraient continuer à réunir de tels forums.Le groupe d'intervenants en ligne a repris les grandes idées de la discussion en salle, mais ajoutait que la mise en œuvre devrait donner la priorité aux communautés les plus vulnérables et les plus touchées, que l’inclusion exige un renforcement des capacités institutionnelles et une collaboration entre parties prenantes, que le sens de « engagement et action » devrait être clarifié, et qu’une inclusion délibérée des jeunes peut renforcer la mise en œuvre et la durabilité.Le deuxième travail en sous-groupes avait pour but de proposer des solutions. Dunola Mgbachi a demandé à chaque table de donner trois recommandations viables liées, et a rappelé aux participants que seuls les points principaux devaient être rapportés oralement, tandis que les notes détaillées devaient être remises aux rapporteurs pour le rapport officiel.

Les deux premières tables se sont concentrées sur les mécanismes de participation et les points d’entrée. Diana Kuznetsova a indiqué a émis une première proposition d'un investissement direct dans les jeunes par le biais de formations et de conférences, combiné au fait d’organiser davantage d’événements au-delà de Genève, de l’Europe et des États-Unis, afin que ceux qui ne peuvent pas se permettre des voyages internationaux puissent quand même participer.Une autre proposition visait à garantir un espace aux jeunes par la loi, notamment au moyen de quotas ou d’une représentation en pourcentage.Une troisième consistait à expliquer les questions de politique numérique et les enjeux du SMSI dans un langage plus accessible aux jeunes, car les documents internationaux sont souvent trop complexes pour les publics plus jeunes.La table s’est également concentrée sur la manière dont les jeunes experts peuvent surmonter les premiers obstacles à la participation, en proposant que les jeunes soient tenus informés des cadres réglementaires, que la société civile contribue à instaurer la confiance entre les générations plus âgées et plus jeunes, et que les talents et les financements soient mobilisés pour soutenir l’implication des jeunes.Son groupe a également appelé à des espaces de participation en ligne pour ceux qui ne sont pas physiquement présents, tout en reconnaissant le défi persistant de créer de véritables points d’entrée dans la prise de décision.Les tables suivantes se sont concentrées sur l’inclusion localisée, les langues et le bien-être. Daniella Esi Darlington a indiqué que son groupe avait travaillé à partir des lignes d’action du SMSI et soutenu que les jeunes devraient être activement consultés au moyen d’enquêtes, de débats de rue, de réunions publiques et de méthodes similaires afin que les solutions soient cocréées avec eux plutôt que conçues pour eux.Le même groupe a proposé des usines numériques ou des pôles d’innovation où les jeunes pourraient travailler avec des acteurs et institutions locaux afin de développer des solutions adaptées à leurs propres sociétés.Ils ont également souligné que l’accès à la technologie et à l’information doit inclure l’inclusion linguistique, puisque de nombreuses ressources numériques ne sont disponibles qu’en anglais ou dans d’autres langues occidentales dominantes, plutôt que dans les langues locales.La table quatre a ajouté que les parties prenantes doivent d’abord définir ce que sont les « besoins numériques », que le contexte national importe, et que l’accès numérique pourrait être considéré comme un droit humain.Abril Ortega Andrade a déclaré que les approches uniformes ne fonctionnent pas et que les solutions doivent refléter les réalités locales en matière d’infrastructure, de compétences et de langue.Elle a également soutenu que l’éducation numérique devrait couvrir l’usage sain des réseaux sociaux, les tendances nuisibles en ligne, la résilience numérique, la sécurité en ligne et la santé mentale.Les tables suivantes se sont concentrées sur l’infrastructure, la planification et le financement. Un intervenant de la table cinq a déclaré que des processus multilatéraux tels que le SMSI devraient contribuer à fixer les priorités aux niveaux international, régional et sous-régional.La même table a proposé des évaluations des besoins fondées sur les données afin d’identifier quelles zones et quelles populations manquent d’accès, ainsi qu’une place de marché internationale pour les vendeurs et fournisseurs afin de soutenir les pays qui ne disposent pas d’une expertise nationale suffisante ou de prestataires capables de construire l’infrastructure.Elle a également insisté sur le renforcement des capacités au niveau local impliquant les enfants, les enseignants, les parents et les communautés au sens large afin que le cyberespace puisse être utilisé de manière sûre et appropriée.Amy Vargas Mendoza a ensuite rapporté depuis la table six que son groupe revenait de manière répétée au financement sous forme de subventions plutôt qu’à des prêts contraignants, afin que les pays ayant besoin d’infrastructures et de capacités puissent investir sans aggraver les pressions liées à la dette.La dernière table s’est concentrée sur le rôle des jeunes dans la mise en œuvre et sur la nécessité d’éviter l’isolement des discussions sur la jeunesse par rapport aux processus décisionnels principaux. Son intervenant a proposé des « thinking pods » ou des canaux de communication directe entre les jeunes travaillant dans différents domaines et les hauts responsables politiques, afin que les ministres puissent entendre les jeunes sans couches bureaucratiques excessives.Le même intervenant a également soutenu que les événements pour les jeunes ne devraient pas être limités par le fait d’être étiquetés uniquement comme événements pour les jeunes, car cela peut réduire le dialogue intergénérationnel et l’influence.Un dernier jeune participant venu de Chine a suggéré que les événements annuels du SMSI pourraient aider davantage de personnes, y compris des adolescents et des professeurs, à comprendre le processus et à faire valoir leurs points de vue.Gayla Al Mannaee a ensuite fait quelque remarques pour clore la séance. Elle a d’abord demandé à la salle d’applaudir l’UIT pour la préparation de la session.Elle a déclaré qu’après avoir écouté les idées et les questions soulevées, elle estimait que les participants étaient déjà prêts à diriger l’avenir et le monde numérique.S’appuyant sur sa propre expérience de gestion de plus de 300 employés dans le domaine numérique, elle a soutenu que les jeunes devraient se concentrer non seulement sur le renforcement de leurs capacités mais aussi sur la formation de la prochaine génération de dirigeants si leurs initiatives doivent être durables.Elle a déclaré que les dirigeants ne devraient pas simplement dire aux jeunes ce qu’est l’avenir, mais les associer à la création de cet avenir et créer un environnement dans lequel les idées peuvent devenir réalité.Elle a également souligné qu’investir dans les personnes est aussi important qu’investir dans la technologie, et elle a présenté la Fatima bint Mubarak Digital Leadership Initiative for African Girls, qui mettrait en relation des experts des Émirats arabes unis avec des filles et des femmes en Afrique pour un soutien pratique en compétences numériques.Son message final était que la curiosité, l’expérimentation et l’apprentissage importent, mais que sans action concrètes, ces concepts ne peuvent pas être réellement appliqués.Dunola Mgbachi a ensuite clôturé la session par des rappels pratiques, demandant aux rapporteurs de remettre leurs notes et annonçant plusieurs activités liées à la jeunesse, notamment des sessions sur le climat et le bien-être numérique des jeunes, des séances de yoga, et une fête des jeunes.

La session a premièrement proposé de revoir l'orientation générale en matière d'IA, puis a analysé la place des jeunes dans le SMSI et a enfin permis de proposer des solutions pratiques. Tout au long de la discussion, les participants ont appelé de manière répétée à une participation des jeunes significative plutôt que symbolique, à un engagement plus accessible sur les plans géographique et financier, à une littératie numérique et en IA plus forte, à une plus grande attention portée à la sécurité, à un respect la vie privée, à la prise en compte du bien-être mental, ainsi qu’à des actions concrètes sur l’infrastructure, l’accessibilité financière et le financement.

Dunola Mgbachi a rappelé à plusieurs reprises aux participants que la discussion faisait l’objet d’une documentation en vue d’un suivi formel, soulignant que le Knowledge Café était destiné à alimenter directement le rapport du SMSI.

Dunola Mgbachi
Sorry. Recording in progress. Hope everyone is doing well. Thank you all so much for joining this year's WISIS Youth Knowledge Cafe. Can everyone hear me? Great. Don't get distracted by the food that may or may not be being wheeled in right now. Just keep it here. Sorry. I can see some eyes. Can everyone hear me? Table seven? Table seven. Tadala. Dokka. Table seven. Yeah? And Troy, you're back there. Aren't you meant to be here? You switched again. Okay, wonderful. But again, Tadala and Dokka are fine to facilitate. Okay? So can everyone hear me? Great. Thank you so much for taking the time to join this year's Knowledge Cafe on youth. We're going to start with some icebreakers as we wait for the head of WISIS, Gitanjali, to open the meeting for us, as well as Nadir. And then you can see that you're in tables and you have some questions. We'll have time for you to really discuss. Thank you. the questions that you've been given and feedback to the group. We also have participants online that will have an online group. And why are we doing this? Actually, the things that you discuss, and that's why on each table you'll have a facilitator. Facilitators wave. So that's your table facilitator that's waving right now. And scribes wave on the tables, and you have a scribe. Please make sure that everything you're saying, the scribe is taking notes, because it's going to add to the overall document for the WSIS process. So we will start with finding out what people know about WSIS next, please. You can get your phones out and either use the QR code or go on slido .com. And we're going to have a fun little poll to find out how much people know about WSIS to start with. Okay, be very honest. Be very honest as you vote. So either type in slido .com on your browser or scan the QR code. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Danola and I'm a youth officer here in ITU. Thank you. Great, so we can already see how much you know about WSIS. If you have a general idea, if you've heard of it but you don't really understand the process, if you've never heard of it before this, it's okay to also say so. And if you know a lot, which seems to be 0%, please vote for that as well. Okay, we've got 19 people. I think we've got more than 19 people here. So I will allow you to keep on voting. Okay, so it looks like the majority of people have a general idea of the WSIS process. Quite a lot of people have heard of it, but they don't really understand the process. 15 % say a lot. Maybe we should ask who voted that. And some people said they've never heard of it, which is fair. Even if you are right now at the WSIS forum, but you've never heard of WSIS, it's quite interesting. But does anyone want to take the floor and share what they voted and why? If you've heard of it, if you haven't heard of it before, anyone feeling brave and want to share how much they know or don't know about the WSIS process? No one is being judged. People online, you can also put your hand up if you want to say something. Fatima, okay, great. And introduce yourself first.
Fatima Gayoor
Hello, everyone. My name is Fatima Gayoor. I'm a digital governance and AI. I'm a professional. So about WSIS, it's essentially an intergovernmental process with multiple stakeholders involved. And I believe it started in the early 2000s, if I'm correct. And it was, at least from my perspective, it seems to be way ahead of its time. And yeah, I think it's just a lot of things related to digital transformation, digital development. And as the world develops all of these new technologies, I feel like this is the place to be to learn more about it, especially in public sector implementation. Yeah.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you so much. Anybody else want to share what they know or don't know about the WSIS process? Not seeing any hands up, but we're going to hear from everyone soon. So we're going to start with some opening remarks. At the moment, we're still waiting for Gitanjali, who's the head of WSIS. to give us some remarks, but maybe we can also vote. Oh, more people are joining. Great, welcome. Try to find seats. Otherwise, please feel free to sit anywhere in the Innovation Hub. We're going to do a word cloud before hopefully Gitanjali joins us. Please, if you can think of one word that you think best describes the WSIS process, so still on the same slider, just put that word in, and let's see how many words we can get on the screen. One participant is typing. It should be 20 more. So please type and share. Digital transformation, interesting. Do we have more? You can join the slider either on your phone, on your laptop. Just go on the – welcome, Sebastian, from FAO. Wave. Okay, so the three people that have voted said consultation, collaboration, digital infrastructure, digital transformation. Okay, because I can see people are jumping in to eat your lunch, maybe I can ask the participants just for five minutes. So get up, just the participants please To grab some food and then come back to your seats And we'll continue the session I don't want it to be lunchtime and then none of your food is left So please participants of the session Quickly grab a snack, some fruit Or some bread or something And then we'll come back just in two minutes So grab food and head back to your seats If you're participating in the WSIS Knowledge Cafe Please grab something and then go back to your seat Don't just stand there because other people then won't be able to eat Please grab something and then move on No need to push people please just grab a fruit or a snack that will sustain you for the discussions i'll also grab one actually thank you grab some food because we're about to start and i can see we have loads more words on our board please hurry up back to your chairs Okay, please come back to your seats. There aren't much seats, so please, I hope you haven't taken anyone else's seats. Okay. So now we're all back to our seats. And we kick off the session, okay? It's great to see that conversations coming to a close. Thank you so much. So now we'll continue. It's great to see that digital transformation and digital inclusion and collaboration is at the heart of what people have voted, in one word, is how they would describe the WSIS process. So thank you so much for participating in that. Next, we have opening remarks. Ghatanjali will join us a bit later but for now let's make welcome Nadir Atayev who is a lead RF engineer from the Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and also he's a member of the ITU Secretary General's Youth Advisory Board. Let's make him welcome as he gives us some keynote remarks
Nadir Atayev
Hello everyone, dear guests dear guesting colleagues and fellow young leaders I'm really happy to welcome you all in this wonderful youth cafe and I'm sure that everyone will enjoy throughout this session It's actually a great pleasure to participate in this activity I'm really excited for all the outcomes that will be noted throughout this session Today we are here generally to discuss about an important part of our digital future Digital transformation, as we all know, is not only about technology, internet, or infrastructure. It is also about the people, the people with their unique inclusion, education, cooperation, and making sure that every one of us can benefit from the digital opportunities along the way. This is also what we call the spirit reflected and will be noted for the resolution 80 -173, and where the resolution reminds us generally to that the building and inclusive information society requires the partnership. It requires the participation from all of the stakeholders and governments along the way within the international organizations, the private sectors, the civil society. The academia and the technical communities are for all the young people across the globe. But for me, the role of the youth is especially important, as we know that the youth people are not only the future of the digital world. We are already taking a part in this flow, and we use the digital technologies. We create ideas. We learn. We communicate. We collaborate. We create the affordable entrance to the digital technology and infrastructure. This is why the youth participation should be meaningful and not only just symbolic. At the same time, we must remember that many children, many youths are still facing the serious barriers. Some do not have the relevant connectivity. Some do not have the proper device to go to that connectivity. Others lack the digital skills or the access to the quality of education and digital skills. But these benefits must be available. These benefits must be available to everyone, not only for the ones that already have that connectivity and resources. That's why today's activity is quite important. It gives us the space. It gives us the exchanging ideas, learning from each other. It gives us and allows us to participate in the practical solutions. Our goal should be to turn these global commitments into real actions, to real partnerships, and real opportunities for young people. As we begin, I encourage everyone of you, regardless of the age, regardless of the digital skill knowledges or the access, we are actively combining our ideas, share our ideas openly. Just allow us to enjoy the sessions throughout this time and support the digital future that is inclusive, that's safe, accessible, and people -centered, for sure. Thank you. Thank you, and I wish everyone a productive and inspiring session.
Dunola Mgbachi
thank you so much nadir um and we'll be hearing from um gatanjali the head of the whistlers process later on so now it's time for the first group exercise you'll notice that on your tables you have a specific question so tables one and two have one i mean a specific quote table three and four table five and six and table seven you'll have 10 minutes to discuss these questions so where did where did these quotes come from you may not know this but in december last year as part of unga the un general assembly there was a new resolution on whistlers that basically mentions youth several times and gives a strong mandate on youth so we have the the four places that youth are mentioned and they shared on your tables and we want to see what it means to you what you think it means so tables one and two you have the part that says we reaffirm the value and principles of multi -stakeholder cooperation and engagement and effective participation partnership and cooperation including youth has been and continues to be vital in developing the information society. So that's a lot of word salad there. So we'll leave you to decipher what does that really actually mean for young people? What does that mean for youth? OK, table three and four. Yours says we are committed to addressing the access and specific information and technology challenges faced by children, youth and those in vulnerable situations and to the needs of future generations. What does that mean to you? What does that make you think about? We're going to ask from table three and four, five and six. We recognize that digitalization has enabled new ways of providing education and training. We are concerned, however, that the benefits of digitalization are not yet available to many children and young people as a result of inequality, in connectivity, digital literacy, equipment, skills and educational facilities. there's a lot there around inequality education so we want to hear what this means to you from your context from your community okay and then table seven and our online group you will discuss we reaffirm that the ongoing implementation of WSIS will require the continued commitment and action of all stakeholders including governments the private sector civil society youth the technical and academic communities and international organizations you can see that youth has been included in the list of important stakeholders for WSIS what does this mean so I will set a timer for 10 minutes for each table to discuss just not to come up with solutions yet there will be time for that but just to discuss what this quote means to you okay so now I hand over to you and your facilitators to guide the conversation and I will bring you back in 10 minutes so that you're ready to go. So the facilitator can share with everyone what you discussed now
Elizabeth Duncan
We have a relatively small group, so I think it would be great if we started off with introductions from everyone so we can get to know each other. I can start. I'm Elizabeth Duncan. I'll be the moderator of this table. I work for the U .S. Council for International Business, which is an organization that's the voice of U .S. business interests at Multilateral Flora. So this includes the United Nations. And so when you think of companies that I maybe support, they're mostly large multinational companies, names that you might know like Amazon or Google, but also other non -tech companies like Walmart or Pepsi or Disney. So, you know, every company is kind of getting involved in tech policy these days. And my colleagues worked a lot on the negotiations of the WSIS Plus 20 outcome document that came out last December. And so we'll get to use this. opportunity today to discuss how the youth stakeholders can interact with the implementation of this resolution and so I think we briefly read the the topics above but if you want to look at them again the extract that we're going to discuss is I'll read the following we recognize that digitalization has enabled new ways of providing education and training in schools higher and adult education including innovation educational approaches such as distance learning you you
Speaker 1
Hi, everyone. Hi, everyone. Hi, everyone. Hi, everyone. Hi, everyone. Hi, everyone. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Dunola Mgbachi
feel free to join, there's some spare seats on table one and some I think on table six, so if you're at the back and you want to join, you can still join Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. we'll start with table one can we bring the conversations to a close table seven as always I can see you're still carrying on thank you so we'll start with table one to share can the facilitator share please thank you please can we stop the conversation so we can listen to the feedback from table one and then we'll come to the rest of the tables
Hamza Hameed
Thank you so much. Hi, everyone. Hi, everyone. My name is Hamza. I'm from Pakistan, and I'm part of the ITU Secretary General's Youth Advisory Board. It's great to see all of you. So on Table 1, we were talking about the importance of multi-stakeholder cooperation and engagement and effective participation, partnership, and cooperation, including youth to lead conversations around digital and the information society. So I think just as a starting point, we really reaffirmed how important it is for young people participation in dialogues around digital policy. Our participants shared with us that in the future, one in four people will be a young person, and that is a young person now, and one in four people will be from Africa. So it's so important that... Dialogues around digital policy and... policy around AI are taken to places where these people exist. So there should be opportunities to discuss these issues and shape these policies in all parts of the world, including in South America, in Africa, in the Asia-Pacific region. Our participants shared that often while there are opportunities to have these dialogues, they're in places that might be inaccessible to young people from all parts of the world, whether that be because of issues around visas, or the cost of accommodation, or the cost of flights. And so it would be helpful if these discussions were taken directly into countries, into regions where these young people are located. Additionally, it was also mentioned that while online discussions are helpful, it's much better to have these discussions and engagements in person, because an in-person interaction makes sure that people are very involved and motivated to go towards an outcome. And I think that's... The third important aspect that was mentioned is that these discussions around young people participation in digital policy... should largely be led by the public sector and by UN-related organizations to make sure that they're carried out in the public interest and for the good of all. So we're really excited and happy to have had these conversations. forward to seeing where they go. Thank you. T
Dunola Mgbachi
hank you so much. From table two, please can the facilitator come forward to share. Don't be shy. Please. And table three, please start getting prepared so that we can skip this little awkward 30 seconds next time. All right.
Participant
Thank you so very much. We had a lot to talk about in less than 10 minutes, and that's why I have my laptop with me to also open with some of those conversations. So what we talked about was the effectiveness of participation. So what does effective participation mean? And then we had conversations around how the question is not about effective participation, but effective engagement. So we had some of our folks talk about how you should have dialogues in digital transformation styles. How the youth is not speaking, of course. And when it comes to certain policy decisions, most youth are not involved in some of those policies. So there is a particular keyword that stood out, which is intergenerational participation, which is the fact that most youth are left out when it comes to policy decisions and policy making and the future conversation that we are going to have in this regard is how we can integrate more youth irrespective of their field, irrespective of their different experiences and how they can actually make genuine impact when it comes to decision making. And of course we've got examples from countries like South Africa where they have drafts of artificial intelligence but it has not been finalized yet. So majority of those things are mostly impacted by youth and then the key argument for us is for us to engage more. Not talking about effective participation but we lean more towards effective engagement. Thank you so much.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you so much. So if we can have from table three. to hear the feedback from the group. And if you're thinking of what the quote was, it's on the screen so you can see what everybody had on their table. So on table three, we firstly discussed how... Please introduce yourself as well.
Laura Mantilla Leon
I'm Laura. I'm a member of the Graduate Study Program at the UN. And on table three, we discussed how these discussions help set the framework for the policies that governments are going to apply in their countries and how it is important to discuss also how these different policies can be adapted to different contexts in different countries. We also talked about how these discussions can help track the impact of these policies through time and how important it is to include everyone in this, especially young people, because this is for them and these ideas should be designed by them but also implemented by them. Another point in our discussion, because we have a diverse group in terms of age, was how some people in the older generations are a bit skeptical about the implementations of these policies, especially because most of them are shaping the mind of young people, and sometimes they don't consider the different contexts and different communities they're going to be used in. And also the older generation expresses concern about the acceleration of the digital development and how it's developing faster than we can implement policies to regulate it. Another point was how we should be more aware of the online protection, especially. It's not always. It's not only about giving Internet access to everyone, but also. regulating that access, especially for younger people, and giving them skills and improving capacity building for them to make good use of the Internet they access. So in this regard, we talk about the democratization of new technologies, artificial intelligence, and that was mainly it. Thank you.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you. Very, very detailed. And can we have also discussing the same topic, Table 4? Someone from Table 4, please, to share what was discussed. Yes, sorry, I keep forgetting that the numbers are...
Roser Almenar
Hello, everyone. My name is Roser Almenar. I'm also part of the Youth Advisory Board of Madam Secretary General here at ITU. And in our table, Table 4, we discuss the same extract as Zuno already mentioned. Our focus was on, first of all, bridging the digital divide. If you are not aware, we still have 2 .2 billion people offline that are not able to benefit from digital society, commerce and other opportunities, being most of them still young people and women. So specifically, these opportunities should be addressed for the youth because of this particular bridge and divide. And we also noted that there are several barriers to access for the young people as well, for which developing digital skills is essential and leads to, of course, better outcomes. Because once again, we are the future generation. Generation says the extraction provides. There is a huge amount of information available at the same time, which. makes it more difficult for children who still don't have the abilities to discern what's good, what's wrong, to be able to make good use of this technology. So for us, it's very important to, as one of our participants mentioned, don't let the mind rust and equip them with the tools, with the abilities to be able to use this technology for the good. In this regard as well, we noted how important it is to have digital literacy and AI literacy for the very same reason, in order for these young users to be able to learn to distinguish reliable information from misinformation. For instance, so AI can benefit everyone and not only those with the skills or privileged situations and backgrounds. Thank you.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you so much for that very thoughtful response. From table five. and please don't forget to introduce yourself as well.
Elizabeth Duncan
Hello everyone, I'm Elizabeth Duncan. I'm a representative from the U .S. Council for International Business. For those of you that don't know, we're an organization that's a voice of U .S. business at multilateral fora including the United Nations. I'm excited to be here today moderating Table 5. We've had such a diverse group of participants that were very relevant. It was almost like they were hand -selected to speak about our topic. We had a representative from university, representatives from children learning startups, and other digital experts, so 10 minutes was not enough to dive into all there was to discuss. But in our brief overview, we were able to highlight that there's many new innovative digital technologies. Things such as, you know, online learning that really cropped up during COVID -19, different new AI and specialized learning programs for those who are neurodivergent or have disabilities, and there's many promise there. But our group also emphasized the need for human interaction when using these technologies. Teachers, parents are really critical to make sure the technologies can be used to their biggest benefit. And then another challenge that we identified was the connectivity and disparity gap, that these technologies may be great, but they can't get into the hands of those who really need it without the hardware that is needed to get to rural areas or lower income or developing areas. And so we actually spent some time discussing fiber optic cables and data centers and the more physical nature of these tools. So this challenge would be really critical to... discuss even when you think you're just talking about educational technologies it is all related so we're looking forward to discussing more.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you so much and now we move to table 6.
Marilyn Lorelei Conde Gomez
Hello everyone my name is Marilyn, I come from Mexico, I'm currently doing the graduate program at the UN and I'm based in Geneva doing a masters. In table 5 we discussed how digitalization enables new ways of providing education but also the benefits like are not yet available to many children due to different inequalities in terms of connectivity. We started by how during COVID -19 there were so many children that didn't have access to internet, to laptops, to even a phone to be able to take their online classes and that was such a struggle for them and we also discussed how So there is a really high cost of the usage of data in some countries, like mainly in Tanzania and South Africa and Mozambique. We sort of specified a bit more in, like, the African region and how, like, there are some countries where it's, like, mainly the source of government. So there's, like, no incentive to reduce the cost of the data coverage for those types of countries for children and young people to have access to connectivity. As well, data cost is very high. As it was mentioned before, so it is even less accessible for people. And there's also, like, not enough awareness on why this should be, like, more accessible. There are no that many conversations towards, like, why the data coverage is so expensive, so many countries cannot afford it. And also we talked about how there's, like, certain infrastructure in several countries to provide, like, this type of development, but they cannot, like, actually afford this development in general. Also, we talked about the issue of security and security. So in countries like Tanzania, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know where conflicts are arising more and more in different countries. So that's also such a big topic towards the lack of connectivity that people can have, as well as natural disasters like hurricanes and floods where the government is mainly in charge of things. But it's also hard to focus on everything knowing that these countries are also like struggling to be able to sustain themselves knowing the amount of conflicts that they have in different ways so yeah i was like we didn't have enough time to discuss this topic no and it's such important to like just be more aware on like how the utilization should be like i should have like access for everyone but that access is so limited and it's so hard to like have the approach to be able to have all of these children and youth and young people to have all of this access to connectivity knowing how their situation is so thank you
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you so much. I keep hearing that there wasn't enough. There wasn't enough time, but don't worry. There will be a second breakout, so you can finish your discussions. Then we come to Table 7 before we go to the online group, and then we'll hear from our incredible children that we have at the back there. okay you know what just let them go first sorry table seven just wait i can see that they're already ready so they want to jump the queue you know the next generation they're not waiting for anyone thank you
Participant
uh hello my name is leo i'm from table seven and uh i'm gonna give a speech and then we got the uh so so we got the question why we need all the stockholders to help in the process of wishes to require why we need all the stockholders and in my opinion i think it's a good question i think it's a good question i think it's a good question i think so if you actually just give an overview about it you might think it's just a government But the help that the government can give is just limited. So the government is actually just a lot of stakeholders. And we need everyone to give in help and able to go on with the WSIS project and actually make it successful. So I think we need all of the stakeholders, even the civil society youth and the technical and academical communities and international organizations. They can all give a little bit of help. And together, we can make this WSIS project a true thing that could Hello, everyone. My name is Liku. I come from China. Okay, next I will speak Chinese. andy okay uh okay so so he oh wow what a leader yes oh you can tell from the vibe right Exactly. Okay. So his main purpose focused on the safety for teenagers to go for the Internet. So he had several suggestions. For example, the government should build something like the control system. Like, for example, we can use the ID process to scan maybe if this is for teenagers or this is for adults. Because there are so many, you know, he just mentioned that sometimes the website is not that friendly to kids. Especially something about, for example, violence or blah, blah, blah, or cheating, something like that. So maybe we can cooperate together to build a much safer system for the kids to access in. Very good. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. okay very good uh he just mentioned another suggestion that is to to reset another uh the passport for our different you know for example whatsapp or or wechat or instagram because when you're just watch walking on the road maybe other will just take a look and then maybe it's very easy for you to lose your privacy so he just mentioned maybe we need another another you know firewall to protect our information okay very good thank
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you. No, thank you. Amazing. That was amazing. And also, they already jumped to the second part of sharing solutions, which is amazing. So I think, was it okay if we come back to you at the end? Thank you. We really have to go forward with the program. Thank you. So please now, Table 7. Thank you. Thank you
Participant
very much. I think for us, it was about three things. It's about an ongoing effort, efficiency, and that everybody should be brought on board. Now, when we talk about governments, governments should make sure that information is shared across different youth circles, different meetings where these youth can update government as to the advancement of different technologies that is going on. Because most times when technology has gone or advanced, that is when governments want. So different youth at different levels could be given the opportunity through these meetings to share their information. Now, civil society and private sectors could equally be sharing the information that is going on, the advancement or share. knowledge that you need to know to help them in the various processes that is going on. And the technical and academic communities can go on with sharing different research results from their different procedures, different methods, and what are the best practices that is going on in different countries. And international organizations could also continue through these research forums on different levels, share the knowledge that is happening and what different organizations can do. So it's a continuous effort. It doesn't end. It's a systematic way that different governments, different stakeholders using academic communities can actually work on. Thank you. T
Dunola Mgbachi
hank you so much. We're really running out of time, so we'll just hear from our online group. I believe someone will unmute and share what you discussed in the online group.
Asli Telli
Yes, thank you. I'm afraid I was given somehow mission of doing this. I actually just here to to learn from the young people, basically. But, yeah, happy to just try to summarize what what we've been chatting about here. And, you know, definitely very, very impressed with with the actual young people and hearing their challenges. And proposed solutions. It's been very exciting. Thank you for that. Very impressed. So what I can what we can add basically to what's already been said very beautifully and pertinently is to prioritize among the stakeholders. That's mentioned in the statement for table seven is to prioritize the most vulnerable in this equation of stakeholders and make sure that the implementation. Of the. WSIS is centered on the needs of these vulnerable, most harmed and impacted communities. That would be our item number one. And another item that would support that, which would be a sub -item, would be to say IT requires investment on institutional capacity building, stakeholders partnership and collaboration. So youth are a very important stakeholder to enable this understanding. And one participant actually just added that this would be a nice group. So table seven and the statements around table seven would actually form a nice group for better futures, which is on the positive side. And that's what I wanted to share. And there was a need for clarification. So we think it would be good to describe what is meant by commitment and action. And this statement, which I think. I think our youngest people did very beautifully just a few minutes ago in terms of just adopting this statement to their own challenges and setting and even providing solutions for that. We think it is also interesting that there is a deliberate inclusion of youth in the WSIS implementation framework. This will not only accelerate the process of implementation, but also guarantee sustainability, especially given the population. There were many remarks on wanting to connect and to continue the conversation to move forward. I think all of these tables had very, very pertinent remarks and proposals and very excited to move forward collectively. Thank you for providing space. Thank you so much, Ashley. You actually didn't introduce yourself and tell us your organization so we know. All right. Sorry. Sorry. Yeah, you're right. I actually wear a few hats. So I'm researcher and researcher. I'm a fellow at the University of Cologne here in the Global South Studies Center and also part of the Academics for Peace community, member of European Digital Rights community as well, representing an organization from Turkey. So happy to meet you all. T
Dunola Mgbachi
hank you so much. So because we've spent quite a bit of time with the feedback there, unfortunately, there's no break. But we'll finish on time so you can have a break before the next session. OK, so now it's time to go from just the discussions to solutions. And each table, again, you have questions that directly links to your statement. So now you've discussed what you think it means, but now it would be great if you can come up with three solutions, three viable solutions with details. And then you'll just nominate one person, maybe somebody different than who spoke the first time. And not to explain everything that you discussed, but just to give us the headlines of the three. But please share every single detail with a scribe because that is what will go into the final report, which will be published on the WSIS website and also part of the overall reporting. That's really important. OK, so table one and two, you're going to answer this question with solutions. How can young experts and youth communities be more visible and better engage and cooperate with diverse stakeholders? So government, private sector, academia in the WSIS process. So it's not to say, oh, we should cooperate. It's to say initiative one, there should be this, there should be that practical solutions, three practical solutions. Table three and four, how can the WSIS process better address specific digital needs of today's children, youth and the next generations? table 5 and 6, how can the inequalities in connectivity, digital literacy, equipment, skills and educational facilities faced by youth across the world be addressed through the WSIS process yeah, and the final table table 7 and our online group what should the unique role of young people in the implementation of WSIS process be, how can youth better leverage and contribute to this global process, so I'll set the timer now for 15 minutes and please in that time nominate somebody that will just come and read out the headlines of what you discussed thank you thank you thank you thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Speaker 1
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hello, can you hear me?
Abdou Karim Badije
Hello, can you hear me?
Participant
Yes. Yes.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Please nominate one person that will share with the rest of the group on behalf of your team. Thank you. Okay, everyone. Thank you so much for your lively discussions. Now we have a very short amount of time to hear from every table. So remember, as I said, we don't want to hear the list of everything that you discussed because we believe your scribes will have done a good job in noting it down. Just give us the headlines. Our first idea is this, second idea this, third idea this. That's it. Okay? So group one.
Diana Kuznetsova
Hello, everyone. My name is Diana. I'm here at GSP at the UN office for a study program. Please, can we listen? Thank you so much. Can we please listen? Yeah, I'll be real brief. We have a few solutions, and one of them is building expertise, so investing to young people so we can provide some trainings, organize conferences. And also it's important to include them because so many events happening outside of the U .S. or like Europe and Geneva, it's important to go to the region and talk to young generations. Because simply people can't afford coming to these expensive cities and countries. Our second solution is to guarantee by law that young people have space to participate and create an idea of code or percentage of the representation of young people. And our third idea is to create, to explain to young people things in a more comprehensive language because so many things created by adults or international organizations, they're created in a very complicated language. So it's hard for young people to understand this language, and it's important to create in a different and friendly language that everyone understands, especially younger generations that have not enough capacity yet. And that's the third idea. And they're still developing, and they're still learning, so they're in the process. Okay, thank you.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you. Let's give a round of applause to table one. Great. So table two, the headlines. Who's telling me? Yeah. Hi.
Participant
Oh, okay. Yeah, so I'm Ana. I'm from Mexico, too. I do research on digital ethics, and I represent the Mexican think tank on digital transformation. And what we discussed at our table is how young experts in youth communities can be more visible. And we tried to focus on, like, how do we, like, break that first barrier so that youth has, like, actual formal channels, like, into these discussions. And we proposed, like, well, at least firstly from the regulator's perspective, like, what would be three priorities that they should have. So, I'm Ana. So, we discussed that first, yeah, the importance of youth being up to date about these regulatory frameworks and, like, implementation processes so that they can actually try to participate. Second, we also discussed the importance in civil society to build trust among... older generations and younger generations so that there's this, like, communication flow and then the youth is not, I don't know, standing from the outside. We also, like, the second priority is, like, focusing on attracting the talent and the funding so that these young people can participate. And the third priority is think about tracing an actual implementation pathway so that, like, all regulatory figures are on the same page. And, yeah, someone also mentioned that maybe if we think about, like, how youth can participate online so that there's these online spaces so that even, like, people that are not actually on the table, they can, like, give their opinion and that can influence a little bit. But we still think there's the challenge of breaking the first communication barrier. Thank you so much. And I should say for our friends from Mexico, we saw what happened last night at the World Cup. It's still a bit painful. Sorry, I'm supporting England right now. Anyway. Okay, thank
Daniella Esi Darlington
you very much. My name is Daniela A .C. Darlington, and I am from Ghana, and I also happen to be part of the ITU Secretary General's Youth Advisory Board. And for our team, we had the question, how can the WSIS process better address specific digital needs of today's children, youth, and the next generation? And we approached it from different perspectives, but mainly guided by the WSIS action lines. So the first one speaks mainly to the action line on access to information and knowledge. So we deliberated that it's important that it's not just gathering information or providing access to Internet and whatnot, but it's important for young people to be aware of. what is happening in the digital age. And for us to also go to them and ask from them, whether via surveys or street debates or town hall conversation or something like what we are having right now, to really get their perspective on their challenges and what opportunities they see in the digital age and their needs before we can best co -create solutions for them. And this moves on to another point about creating more strong knowledge of technology. And this can be done through building digital factories or digital innovation hubs. And this could be done with actors such as local actors, local enablers in our societies, and organizations like GIZs, public ministries, among others. So the goal is to create the enabling space. Space where young people can come together, co -design, co -ideate solutions to solve the problems within their communities and local societies and ensure that they are also relevant. the digital world. So this is also in hand with promoting access to technologies and also making sure that we are all able to partake in the digital age. And then it brings us to the next point about, yeah, so I think we go back to language. One of the things in the digital world is that today, although we have a lot of technologies like artificial intelligence, the internet, most resources are in English and the dominant Western languages, but not in local languages. So it's important that we also create solutions like voice box to contextualize some of this information so that we are able to know what's out there and how we can also use this same information to better create new innovative technologies to support our livelihood. So at the end of the day, we also tackled both the access to information and also information and communication infrastructure, which is essential for inclusive information. society. So that's the solutions that we propose.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you so much. Because we're really, really running out of time, so please, I'm going to ask table four, if you can, in just 30 seconds, just give us the headlines. Thank you so much.
Elina Lampi
Hello, everyone. We are Elina and Abril, and we are from Geneva International Model United Nations. So the things we discussed were mainly that we need to define what digital needs are first in order to proceed properly. This also means that we need to be aware of national contexts when designing solutions, and one of the possible solutions would be to frame digital access as a human right. A
Abril Ortega Andrade
nd talking about true digital inclusion, and in line with what was presented in the previous table, we should include, we should take into account that one size fits all approaches do not work, and we should design solutions based on country -specific needs. And on the infrastructure and technologically ability and skills already present in the countries we're targeting. And of course, that includes the inclusion of less spoken, more local languages. And we also brought a point that is becoming relevant within the ITU, which is the inclusion on talks of mental health of young people in a world overloaded with so much information. And it should remain a priority within this WISES process. We were glad to hear that a declaration is being proposed by the UN Secretary General on youth and mental health well -being, and we would like to keep it that way. Right. And that and on that note, digital inclusion should sorry, digital education should include training on healthy social media use, critical awareness of harmful online trends. And finally, digital resilience and online safety for all youth and all people in general. Thank you very much.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you. Please. Can we have table five again? The headlines we know will receive everything in writing afterwards.
Participant
Okay, I'll be super quick. We have three solutions on multilateral processes, infrastructure and capacity building. The first one is to set priorities through multilateral processes such as WSIS. So this could be on an international scale, as well as regional, sub -regional levels as well. For infrastructure, we propose that there should be a data -driven needs assessment processes to identify which areas and which parts of the population don't have access. And we also propose to have an international marketplace for vendors and suppliers, since in a lot of countries, the issue is that they may not have the vendors or suppliers or enough technical expertise within. To build their national infrastructures. The last one that we discussed quite extensively was on capacity building. We think that having local. communities being involved is very important. So promoting entrepreneurship and also having trainings, workshops and other capacity buildings for kids, teachers, parents and the community at large to make sure that they're able to use the cyberspace in a safe and appropriate manner.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you so much. Very practical solutions there. We'll come to this table, table six. Just the headlines.
Amy Vargas Mendoza
Okay, headlines. I'm Amy Vargas from New York University. I think that we continue to talk a little bit about the first question and quote, acknowledging that there are becoming larger gaps between places like the United States and my new friends from Tanzania in terms of the digital work that we're doing. Thank you. And I think the solution that kept coming up was the need for grants, not just opportunities for funding, but actual grant opportunities where countries that need to create infrastructure, that need to continue to build out their capacity, have the ability to do that without having additional onerous loans being placed on them. Is that fair? Yeah.
Dunola Mgbachi
Thank you. Round of applause. Thank you. Thanks so much. And then last but not least.
Participant
Hello. So our table was discussing what should be the unique role of youth in the process and also how can youths better leverage and contribute to this process. And I think just, you know, our core idea is that, you know, with this generation of Gen Z and Gen AI, the primary difference is just how low the variability is. How low the barrier of entry is to entrepreneurship, to any sort of creative work. and i think in terms of like you know practical practical contributions we had a few ideas one thing is having these sort of thinking pods where we have the younger generation for actively working in the field so it could be you know let's say entertainment artists filmmakers if it's for the you know minister of you know like entertainment or culture and another pod for more technical and just having a direct channel of communication between youth and this you know older leaders and this i guess there are variations of this already existing but it's not an actual direct channel between let's say a minister and a younger generation there are layers of bureaucracy and i think just you know since we live in such an advanced information age there should be a faster and more efficient way to communicate that's not just you know doing a bunch of paperwork and i suppose the second thing is not limiting youth events as youth events so so not just labeling and segregating this you know like generation as its own thing because of course if you call something a youth event it's not going to you know attract the same caliber of guests that you know perhaps just calling it the the event for what it is and i also just think intergenerational dialogue happens more efficiently if the event is you know not you know bunched together as a youth event right because then it can almost be like irrespective of age when we discuss so that's what we discussed and yeah thank you so much
Dunola Mgbachi
just before we wrap up did you want to finish your thought please in 30 seconds do you want to finish the thought that you had before you had to leave
Participant
yes hello everyone my name is a rain i come from china and our team is called jenny to the west first we need to think for the future how can we help more people to understand what is vested My advice is every year we can hold the WESES event so that more people such as professors and teenagers can share their own opinions. Therefore, I believe this initiative is entirely correct. Thank you.
Dunola Mgbachi
Great. No, thank you. Is it done? Do you have something short to say? Okay. Great. Thank you so much. So we need to wrap up. And we would like to welcome for some closing remarks. Yeah. So we will wrap it up the session now and we'll share with you some of the big sessions that are happening. Hope to see you in about 20 minutes in room A where we'll be having a session with FAO WMO on climate. So please, if you're interested in that, be there. Also, at 4 p .m., we will have the Assistant Secretary General for Youth Affairs, Dr. Philippe Pollier. joining us in a youth debate on youth digital well -being. So that came up a few times. So I hope you all be there at four, still in room A. And then if you've had a long day and you want to relax, please come back here to the Innovation Hub at 6 p .m. for the yoga session. And then at 6 .30, be in the ITU cafeteria for the youth party. Okay? So now I'm going to hand over to someone incredible, Gayla Almani. She's the Chairwoman of Strategic Affairs and Development from the UAE General Women's Union to give us some closing remarks.
Gayla Al Mannaee
Thank you. First, good afternoon, everyone. Before I start, I would like to thank ITU. For sure, they have done perfect job and they're doing a lot of job preparing to this session. So before I start, I requesting all to clap for ITU because, thank you. So, So first, because I go around and I'm hearing your idea, I'm hearing your questions, and I feel within this session actually you're already ready, ready to lead the future. You are ready to lead the digital world, actually. However, because they are requesting me to share with you my experience as a leader, and just to give you a brief, yes, I am working with General Man Union, but previously I was managing more than 300 employees with any board group in digital field. They were developer, the QA, they was in methodology area. All, I can say, all experts in AI and IT field, I already managed them. So as a leader in this area, I feel the most things that all of you should focus on it, not only in the digital world, but also in the digital world, not only building your capability, because you can gain it, and we are in the... area that you can easily gain the knowledge however focus about how to build the next leaders because you would like the sustainability of the initiative that you have however if you don't from the start focusing about building the leadership you will not succeed because as a leader you need also to focus we are not um we need to involve you with the vision i am not my job to tell you what i see the future my job is to involve you within the future to involve you how to create the future to involve you how i can provide you the environment to change your idea to reality as example for that and most important you must invest on the people same as investing and technology because without people actually you will not reach what our target you so I will give you an example that we received a call today from Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak. She requests to launch the Fatima bint Mubarak Digital Leadership Initiative for African Girls. So this initiative actually focuses on the same concept. We're bringing together, it is easy, let's say, it is a simple idea. Share your knowledge, create opportunities to other people. So I will bring the experts from UAE, Marathian, young, who is same as you, the leader, the future leader, bring them together with Africa region. They will support the women, sit together with them, give them the practical digital skill, not only academic, and we will try together to building their ability in this field. So I will not take also a lot of time because you will know more any country that would like to join this initiative. So also there is official channel and we are most than welcome in UAE. to involve them. And there are things I'm reading all the time. What they are saying here. Be curious. Try new things. Never stop learning. However, I feel there is a big thing that is missing which is do action. Okay, do action. I can be curious. I can try. I can even complete learning. But without action actually there is no meaning for everything. So thank you all. Wish you all the best.
Dunola Mgbachi
everyone. And please don't worry if you didn't get to say everything. Just please speak to the scribe on your team to make sure they have it in the notes. Scribes, as soon as you can, email me everything that was discussed in your team so that we can have a great report that represents what everybody said. Thank you so much and see you in room A now for the Youth Climate Session. Take care.
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1

This is confirmed by the knowledge base description of the 'Knowledge Café: Youth building the digital future - WSIS+20 Review and Beyond 2025', which says the session was designed to gather youth perspectives that would feed directly into the high-level dialogue and into reports submitted to the UN General Assembly in December 2025 [S55].

2

The knowledge base adds that the reporting pathway was not only internal to the event: outputs from the youth session were meant to influence the December 2025 UN General Assembly review of WSIS+20, giving the note-taking exercise broader institutional significance [S55].

3

The knowledge base shows Gitanjali Sah speaking in another WSIS+20 Knowledge Café session, but it does not support the description 'head of WSIS'. It confirms she was an WSIS-related participant, yet the specific title in the report is not substantiated by the provided sources and should be treated cautiously [S124].

4

This is consistent with the knowledge base. WSIS is described as a two-phase summit held in 2003 in Geneva and 2005 in Tunis, and as a framework that continues through multistakeholder implementation and review processes [S58]. The WSIS Forum is also described as a multistakeholder mechanism coordinated by multiple UN bodies and stakeholders [S117].

5

The knowledge base supports this framing. It describes WSIS as the international community’s first policy response to the growing impact of ICTs on economies and societies and as a shared framework for building an inclusive, development-oriented information society [S58].

6

While the knowledge base does not state this in exactly those words, it supports the broader idea that WSIS remains a live venue for discussing emerging digital issues, including AI and new trends in digital governance, especially in the context of the WSIS+20 review and its interaction with the Global Digital Compact [S58].

7

This is strongly aligned with the knowledge base, which emphasises that inclusion is central to a stable digital society, that access alone is insufficient, and that broader issues such as skills, policy environment and participation of missing actors must be addressed [S53]. Related material also notes that infrastructure alone is insufficient without trust, skills and enabling policy frameworks [S121].

8

The knowledge base corroborates the multistakeholder emphasis. WSIS is described as an inclusive, participatory process involving governments, civil society, the private sector and intergovernmental organisations [S117]. Other WSIS+20 materials also stress meaningful partnerships and inclusive participation across stakeholders [S120].

9

This is confirmed by the youth engagement materials in the knowledge base, which stress 'meaningful youth engagement' and note the need to provide young people with meaningful opportunities to shape decision-making rather than merely symbolic inclusion [S60] and [S122]. The Youth Knowledge Café summary likewise highlights that youth should lead discussions and have their ideas operationalised [S55].

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University Diploma South School on Internet Governance | IGF 2023 Launch / Award Event #9 — Gracias. Gracias. Bueno, muy lindos. Siempre me termino medio llorando. Es como un hijo para mí. Es mi tercer hijo. Es como mi tercer hijo. It's over. Te dijo que sí. Bueno, anda el bus y se va. Spe...
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Feodora Hamza — https://diplo-media.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/2024/04/Feodora-Hamza.jpg Ms Feodora Hamza joined Digital Watch Observatory in 2022 as a knowledge fellow, where her research focuses on emerging technology and the lega...
Amrita Choudhury — Amrita Choudhury Director, CCAOI https://dig.watch/wp-content/uploads/amrita1.jpg Ms Amrita Choudhury is Director of CCAOI; President of Internet Society India, Delhi Chapter; and Asia Pacific Lead of SIG Women. She is a...
Laura Galante — Laura Galante
Laura Henderson — Laura Henderson
Laura Spiers — Laura Spiers
Rasha Hameed — Rasha Hameed
Feodora Hamza — https://diplo-media.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/2024/04/Feodora-Hamza.jpg Ms Feodora Hamza joined Digital Watch Observatory in 2022 as a knowledge fellow, where her research focuses on emerging technology and the lega...
Hamish Low — Mr Hamish Low currently lives in Wellington, New Zealand, where he works with New Zealand Red Cross (Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa) as Global Programmes Lead. He previously worked with the UN in the verification of the peace pro...
Web content accessibility guidelines — A.1 Participants of the AG WG in the development of this document: § Jake Abma (Invited Expert) Shadi Abou-Zahra ( W3C ) Chuck Adams (Oracle Corporation) Amani Ali (Nomensa) Jim Allan (Invited Expert) Paul Adam (D...
Bruce Patton — Bruce Patton
Boris Engelson — Boris Engelson Resident Contrarian https://diplo-media.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/2026/02/Gemini_Generated_Image_rx95bsrx95bsrx95.png a:1:{s:64:"wpcf-fields-checkboxes-option-7d18bafb4f85f118cfa75ad6dae51bae-1";a:1:{i...
Elizabeth McClintock — Elizabeth McClintock
Duncan B. Hollis — Duncan B. Hollis
Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud — Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud
Karim Attoumani Mohamed — Karim Attoumani Mohamed
Launch / Award Event #57 Governing Identity Online Nations and Technologists — So there has been interesting projects on the continent. So when you look out some form of research around this, you're going to find that World Bank has a big project going on, ID for Identification for Development, and...
Closing Ceremony and Orientation for WAIGF 2025 — Thank you very much, Akimbo. Thank you for facilitating us. Okay, so my name is Chinwe Ogbuja, I'm a Nigerian. And I work, I volunteer with the West African Internet Governance Secretariat. Yes, I'm human. And because I ...
Milka Pietikainen — Milka Pietikainen
Anita Lamprecht — https://diplo-media.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/2023/03/Anita-Lamprecht.jpeg Dr Anita Lamprecht is an international lawyer and researcher currently based in Geneva. After a career in litigation and arbitration, Anita h...
Liene Norberg — Liene Norberg
Launch / Award Event #126 Women in Internet Governance — And lastly, a very important perspective of our program is the community engagement. because the real change begins with dialogue, with collaboration, and building trust across the regions and backgrounds. So that five a...
Pedro Gomez — Pedro Gomez
Mabel Gomez Oliver — Ambassador of Mexico to the Kingdom of Morocco and concurrent to Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal. She has also been Ambassador to Argentina and Guatemala. Career diplomat since March 1987. In the bilateral...
Ursula Rojas Weiser — Ursula Rojas Weiser
Maria Victoria Romero Caballero — Maria Victoria Romero Caballero
University Diploma South School on Internet Governance | IGF 2023 Launch / Award Event #9 — Yes, Carolina, now translate. Thank you, Olga. Well, that's it, nothing more to thank you for being part of it. Carolina Gonzalez: Of course, you have all our support. The university will always be in ...
IGFSA | SIDE EVENT — I am Here representing the dynamic coalition on accessibility and disability where I am a co-coordinator I am also a a Secretary the treasurer of the both the The ISAC accessibility standing group and also the accessibil...
Michael Frendo — The Hon. Dr Michael Frendo, MP, currently, Speaker of the Parliament of Malta, has been a Member of the Maltese Parliament for the past 23 years. From 1990 to 1992, he was Parliamentary Secretary (Minister of State) for ...
Communications and competition law: Key issues in the telecoms, media and technology sectors — With over six years of experience in economic consulting, she is a specialist on credit and retail trade sectors. Her work includes the monitoring of economic activity indicators for the Brazilian economy and the coordin...
Raquel Aguirre Valencia — Raquel Aguirre Valencia
University Diploma South School on Internet Governance | IGF 2023 Launch / Award Event #9 — Gracias. Gracias. Bueno, muy lindos. Siempre me termino medio llorando. Es como un hijo para mí. Es mi tercer hijo. Es como mi tercer hijo. It's over. Te dijo que sí. Bueno, anda el bus y se va. Spe...
Closing Ceremony and Orientation for WAIGF 2025 — I'm a Nigerian. I work with Galaxy Bangba Limited. And I'm very excited to be here. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Good evening, everyone. I'm SP Thomas Joseph. I'm a Nigerian. I'm with the ICT Department, For...
Uchenna Okoli — Uchenna Okoli
Nenad Milićević — Nenad Milicevic https://diplo-media.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/2024/04/Nenad-Milicevic.jpg Mr Nenad Milićević is a journalist passionate about digital media and gaming. After graduating from the Journalism Department ...
World Economic Forum – Global Coalition for Digital Safety | IGF 2023 Side Event — https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/enhancing-digital-safety-the-world-economic-forum-global-coalitions-collaborative-approach Intervenants: Name: Courtney Gregoire, Affiliation: Chief Digital Safety Officer, Microsof...
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Isabella Bassani — https://diplo-media.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/2023/09/Isabella-Bassani.jpeg Ms Isabella Bassani is a Law and Technology researcher at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, currently focusing on illegal digital...
Su Sonia Herring — https://diplo-media.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/2023/10/Su-Sonia.jpg Ms Su Sonia Herring completed her BA in Linguistics at Hacettepe University and her MA in EU and International Studies at the Centre Internatio...
15 years of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) — For example, small and developing countries are underrepresented in the current digital governance process. Second, once actors are included, there is a need to ensure their meaningful participation beyond mere formal pa...
WSIS Forum 2017: Résumé of Day 4 — E-government services were considered important in supporting participatory decision-making, and economic and social development. When devising their national e-government strategies, governments should consider, among o...
Knowledge Café: Youth building the digital future - WSIS+20 Review and Beyond 2025 — So this involves not only integrating youth who are kind of older, who have heard about the process for a long time, but also kind of fostering a sense of digital literacy throughout time and providing this through reach...
 APT Web Dialogue: WSIS + 20 Review Process — On 10 April, the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) will host a web dialogue on the WSIS+20 review process, to improve awareness-raising and facilitate exchanges of views among APT members on the World Summit on the Inform...
Diplomatic dialogue: WSIS+20 review – Global South priorities — On 9 July 2025, Diplo and the Geneva Internet Platform hosted a dialogue on 'WSIS+20 review: Global South priorities' for Geneva-based diplomats from permanent misisons of countries from the Global South. The meeting ...
 WSIS+20 review: What’s in it for Africa?  — An expert-guided dialogue among diplomats | Dedicated exclusively to African Permanent Missions to the UN in Geneva. Co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania and the EU Delegation ...
Multilateral Intergenerational High-Level Dialogue: Youth Special Track — Please come to the front of the stage. Thanks to everyone. MMelissa Michelle Munoz SuroSpeech speed118 words per minuteSpeech length1264 wordsSpeech time639 seconds Youth are not waiting for permission to inno...
Meaningful Youth Engagement in Policy and Decision-making Processes | Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 3 — I propose, therefore, that Member States: Make a strong commitment to meaningful youth engagement in decision-making at the local, national, regional and global levels and endorse a global standard for meaningful yout...
Young people’s digital responsibility — What would you say if you had to read that on average, children in Europe start to go online at the age of seven? And how many children, aged between 9 and 12, do you think have a social networking profile? (Despite age ...
Youth and media literacy: EU – US lessons and practices — In Where policy and practice collide, Monica Bulger et al. point out that they thereby transcend the administrative and cultural borders that have historically been essential for effecting regulatory control over traditi...
Humanity needs a digital home — 75 years ago, humanity created the United Nations in order to safeguard peace, promote human rights, and enable development. Given the challenges of that time, it was a necessary step toward a more stable and secure worl...
High-level government perspectives at CONNECTing the Dots — Dr Alex Sceberras Trigona, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta and current special envoy of the Prime Minister of Malta, made a strong case in favour of proclaiming the Internet as a global public resource. Refer...
Unpacking the High-Level Panel’s Rapport on Digital Cooperation: Geneva policy experts propose action plan — In the era of ‘trust deficit’, the legitimacy of the help desk is of high relevance especially for actors from small and developing countries. Action: Ensure that help desks are associated to, or linked with, the UN syst...
YouthLead: Inclusive digital future for all — We need to simultaneously talk about how do we get more research in emerging technologies, but also focus on bridging the digital divide simultaneously because this is a once in a lifetime movement and point for us to ch...
E-participation means participate! — If we could do just one thing that would make a difference to our communication problems, to our understanding of the world, to the conflict we live in – what should it be? We could bridge the digital divide – dedicate m...
E-participation is not just remote observation — Thousands of groups meet online or by tele-conference daily, saving not only time and Euros but carbon footprint impact as well. However, my experience shows that public entities often have more difficulty in organising ...
Youth diplomacy — Bilaterally, it is a key component of public diplomacy between two nations. Countries manage scholarship programmes and cultural exchange centres to build positive relationships with the next generation of leaders in ano...
WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event: Open Consultation Process Meeting | IGF 2023 Open Forum #4 — However, challenges persist, particularly in the case of developing countries and LDCs, in terms of connectivity, legal frameworks, and logistical capabilities. Addressing these issues necessitates a collaborative approa...
WS #204 Closing Digital Divides by Universal Access Acceptance — The barriers to digital inclusion arise from multiple overlapping inequalities that must be addressed comprehensively. Preuves Two decades of research in the field demonstrates that supply side alone is not sufficie...
Status of internet access and connectivity in Africa — And there is also the issue of affordability: a monthly residential subscription to Starlink could go up to USD$100, which is more often than not a prohibitive cost. Across Africa, barriers to access are not only rela...
HLPF 2020: Leaving the digital behind? — Austria, which has incorporated digitalisation as one of its three focus areas, launched the ‘fit4Internet’ initiative that aims to leave no one in the digital age behind, whereas Bangladesh has undertaken measures to ma...
Global Digital Compact topics: How were they tackled in previous policy documents? — 14. Numerous barriers exacerbate the digital divide. First, installing traditional broadband connections is costly, and countries often face difficulties in financing the fibre-optic cables required. Second, market dynam...
Digital literacy for digital natives — Since its creation, the Internet has been regarded as a world of opportunities. Whereas it gives access to information, knowledge, and ideas, and contributes to faster communication and new business models, online engage...
WS #53 Promoting Children's Rights and Inclusion in the Digital Age — This includes training law enforcement and other relevant agencies to better understand and address online child protection issues. Preuves Mention of a department within India's Ministry of Electronics and Informat...
Top digital policy developments in 2019: A year in review — If security and privacy considerations are properly addressed these developments hold considerable promise. World Bank’s ID4D initiative The World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative is helping cou...
Status of internet access and connectivity in Africa — And there is also the issue of affordability: a monthly residential subscription to Starlink could go up to USD$100, which is more often than not a prohibitive cost. Across Africa, barriers to access are not only rela...
Digital inclusion by design: Leveraging existing infrastructure to leave no one behind — Co-organisers & host The event is co-organised by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), Giga, and DiploFoundation. It is hosted by the Giga Connectivity Centre in Geneva. AI Agents These AI agents are...
WS #204 Closing Digital Divides by Universal Access Acceptance — The barriers to digital inclusion arise from multiple overlapping inequalities that must be addressed comprehensively. Preuves Two decades of research in the field demonstrates that supply side alone is not sufficie...
Meaningful Youth Engagement in Policy and Decision-making Processes | Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 3 — I propose, therefore, that Member States: Make a strong commitment to meaningful youth engagement in decision-making at the local, national, regional and global levels and endorse a global standard for meaningful yout...
Young people’s digital responsibility — What would you say if you had to read that on average, children in Europe start to go online at the age of seven? And how many children, aged between 9 and 12, do you think have a social networking profile? (Despite age ...
IGF 2023 Global Youth Summit — This collective approach should incorporate global public interests, thereby avoiding a single focus on corporate-led policies common in areas heavily influenced by Big Tech. Achieving such multifaceted collaboration dem...
Youth and media literacy: EU – US lessons and practices — Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral, thus, Internet governance is by no means black and white. The governance concept adds a series of nuances for regulatory measures to prepare and protect users, parti...
WS #179 Navigating Online Safety for Children and Youth — Point majeur de discussion Strategies for Promoting Online Safety Accord avec Keith Andere AUDIENCE Accord on Importance of digital literacy and education Differed with Keith Andere Differed on Focus of o...
Framing an argument — Appeals to authority and precedent Another persuasive framing strategy involves the appeal to authority and precedent, in the form citations of great men. Ghandi, Kennedy and Martin Luther King are all cited by Obama, ...
New Technologies and the Impact on Human Rights — The challenge is not creating new frameworks but implementing existing ones through tools like readiness assessments and impact assessments. Preuves UNESCO readiness assessment methodology, UNESCO ethical impact ass...
Advancing digital inclusion and human-rights:ROAM-X approach | IGF 2023 — Sadaf Khan Speech speed 175 words per minute Speech length 1087 words Spee...
Watch out for the wording: a NETmundial vocabulary — This unhappy term has been challenged by some actors for the reason that it brings with it the connotation of a ‘need for new mechanisms that would address issues that could not be addressed by the existing mechanisms’ –...
Open Forum #60 Safe Digital Space for Children — Need for multi-stakeholder approach Ahmad Bhinder Haitham Al Jowhari Afrooz Johnson Develop national children's online protection strategies Private sector should invest in R&D and work with law enforcement and...
Safe Digital Futures for Children: Aligning Global Agendas | IGF 2023 WS #403 — Market concentration is also opposed, with a call for a more balanced approach to internet companies. Contrary to popular belief, the analysis argues that innovation and regulation can coexist, with regulations sometimes...
Multilateral Intergenerational High-Level Dialogue: Youth Special Track — Preuves Founder of Youth Climate Voice Caribbean, leading digital campaigns and webinars that connect young people with climate data, early warning systems, and SDG storytelling across the Caribbean region Major dis...
Diplomatic dialogue: WSIS+20 review – Global South priorities — On 9 July 2025, Diplo and the Geneva Internet Platform hosted a dialogue on 'WSIS+20 review: Global South priorities' for Geneva-based diplomats from permanent misisons of countries from the Global South. The meeting ...
Knowledge Café: Youth building the digital future - WSIS+20 Review and Beyond 2025 Knowledge Café: Youth building the digital future - WSIS+20 Review and Beyond 2025 Rapport de session Intervenants Graphe de connaissances In-depth ...
WSIS Forum 2017: Résumé of Day 5 — ), and global approaches and local actions (session 343). Bridging the gender digital divide is a way to promote the social and economic inclusion of girls and women. But connectivity alone will not solve the problem. It...
 WSIS+20 review: What’s in it for Africa?  — An expert-guided dialogue among diplomats | Dedicated exclusively to African Permanent Missions to the UN in Geneva. Co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania and the EU Delegation ...
 APT Web Dialogue: WSIS + 20 Review Process — On 10 April, the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) will host a web dialogue on the WSIS+20 review process, to improve awareness-raising and facilitate exchanges of views among APT members on the World Summit on the Inform...
15 years of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) — For example, small and developing countries are underrepresented in the current digital governance process. Second, once actors are included, there is a need to ensure their meaningful participation beyond mere formal pa...
WSIS Forum 2017: Résumé of Day 1 — When it comes to start-ups, the role of collaborative environments, innovation and start-up policies, and business incubators, can offer important support for new businesses (session 275). While the growing digital socie...
WSIS Forum 2017: Résumé of Day 4 — E-government services were considered important in supporting participatory decision-making, and economic and social development. When devising their national e-government strategies, governments should consider, among o...
Multilateral Intergenerational High-Level Dialogue: Youth Special Track — Preuves Founder of Youth Climate Voice Caribbean, leading digital campaigns and webinars that connect young people with climate data, early warning systems, and SDG storytelling across the Caribbean region Major dis...
Meaningful Youth Engagement in Policy and Decision-making Processes | Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 3 — The Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security plays a key role in facilitating this work. Elsewhere, however, youth participation is less structured. For instance, there is no formal mechanism for youth to engage s...
Status of internet access and connectivity in Africa — And there is also the issue of affordability: a monthly residential subscription to Starlink could go up to USD$100, which is more often than not a prohibitive cost. Across Africa, barriers to access are not only rela...
WS #204 Closing Digital Divides by Universal Access Acceptance — The barriers to digital inclusion arise from multiple overlapping inequalities that must be addressed comprehensively. Preuves Two decades of research in the field demonstrates that supply side alone is not sufficie...
Global Digital Compact topics: How were they tackled in previous policy documents? — 14. Numerous barriers exacerbate the digital divide. First, installing traditional broadband connections is costly, and countries often face difficulties in financing the fibre-optic cables required. Second, market dynam...
HLPF 2020: Leaving the digital behind? — Austria, which has incorporated digitalisation as one of its three focus areas, launched the ‘fit4Internet’ initiative that aims to leave no one in the digital age behind, whereas Bangladesh has undertaken measures to ma...
Developing ICT for youth and people in rural settings — https://www.diplomacy.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/3.-FUATAI-PURCELL.pdf https://www.diplomacy.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fuatai.png
Digital literacy for digital natives — Since its creation, the Internet has been regarded as a world of opportunities. Whereas it gives access to information, knowledge, and ideas, and contributes to faster communication and new business models, online engage...
WS #53 Promoting Children's Rights and Inclusion in the Digital Age — This includes training law enforcement and other relevant agencies to better understand and address online child protection issues. Preuves Mention of a department within India's Ministry of Electronics and Informat...
Youth and media literacy: EU – US lessons and practices — In Where policy and practice collide, Monica Bulger et al. point out that they thereby transcend the administrative and cultural borders that have historically been essential for effecting regulatory control over traditi...
Tunis Agenda for the Information Society — d. Common Country Assessment reports should contain a component on ICT for development. 101. At the regional level: a. Upon request from governments, regional intergovernmental organizations in collaboration with oth...
Digital Cooperation and Empowerment: Insights and Best Practices for Strengthening Multistakeholder and Inclusive Participation — This requires coordinated policies and efforts from multiple types of stakeholders working together. Preuves Reference to ICANN and ISOC report on IGF contributions, GNSO informal group mapping of ICANN contribution...
Diplomatic Services and Emerging Multidisciplinary Issues, such as Internet Governance — The WEF itself is a powerful example of informal networking and interaction between business and government, while the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre illustrates the capability of civil society to contribute peaceful...
GIP Session at WSIS Forum 2015 — The WSIS Forum 2015, with the theme Innovating Together: Enabling ICTs for Sustainable Development, will be held on 25-29 May 2015, at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Place des Nations, 1211 Geneva 20, S...
WSIS Forum 2017: Résumé of Day 3 — Session 14 revolved around the issue of innovation in the digital economy. A point was made that the digital economy brings new business models, new infrastructures and ICT applications, as well as a need for new educati...
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) Forum High-Level Event — Panellists: Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director, DiploFoundation Radka Sibille, Digital Affairs Advisor, EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva Sadhvi Saran, Strategy and Policy Advisor, ITU Adam Peake, Civil Society...
WSIS High-Level Dialogue: Multistakeholder Partnerships Driving Digital Transformation — This positive inclination towards greater involvement showcased by youth contributes to a balanced and future-facing outlook on the process. There is a distinct call to fortify and expand meaningful partnerships, with an...
Leaders TalkX: ICT application to unlock the full potential of digital - Part I — Major discussion point Digital Divide and Connectivity as a Human Right Topics Development | Human rights 2.6 billion people remaining offline represents a dignity gap with delayed futures and unheard voices Ex...
Pact for the Future   — 60. We stress the importance of investing in, and ensuring equitable access to, essential social services for children and young people, especially health, education and social protection, to advance their social and e...
LACIGF: Regional IGF success, RP success — Who were the biggest winners at the recent Latin America and Caribbean IGF preparatory meeting? Well, all Internet users, especially from LAC, I suppose. But from my point of view, remote participants (or local participa...
Knowledge Café: WSIS+20 Consultation: Strenghtening Multistakeholderism — So the third one, the third point at the international level was that opportunities going forward, because we're really crystallizing gains in international public policy, could we think about human rights impact assessm...
Transforming technology frameworks for the planet | IGF 2023 — Thank you very much. Onsite Moderator: Yes, thank you. Thank you, Paz, and also in addition to what role governments have in supporting these alternative models, I would like to also add how that suppo...

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