Session
Organizer 1: Dana Cramer, Individual
Organizer 2: Vladislav Ivanets, 🔒
Organizer 3: Aaron Promise Mbah, Tlit Innovation Lab
Organizer 4: OLAMIPOSI FASINA, ODR Africa Network
Organizer 5: Tabitha Wangechi Muthiru, Digital Rurals
Speaker 1: Tabitha Wangechi Muthiru, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Vladislav Ivanets, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Speaker 3: OLAMIPOSI FASINA, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 4: Dana Cramer, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Dana Cramer, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
OLAMIPOSI FASINA, Civil Society, African Group
Aaron Promise Mbah, Private Sector, African Group
Classroom
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: The classroom layout is ideal for our youth engagement session featuring a panel of young people. It allows for a comfortable and inclusive setting, facilitating interaction and engagement among attendees. With the capacity-building interactive discussion, the 60 minute duration provides ample time for each panelist to share their perspectives, experiences, and insights, as well as meaningful audience participation through Q&A sessions and discussions. The classroom arrangement fosters a sense of community and connection, particularly with online attendees showcased on a screen. This environment promotes collaboration, ensuring that diverse voices are not only heard but also appreciated and valued.
A. What specific provisions of the Global Digital Compact may pose the greatest challenges for regions to accomplish and how can young people contribute to overcoming them? B. How might youth be robustly involved in public-private partnerships to help enhance the principles and objectives of the Global Digital Compact? C. How can we learn from other Internet Governance spaces involving young digital leaders and apply these lessons to how the Global Digital Compact might be implemented?
What will participants gain from attending this session? The session will allow participants to better contextualize youth perspectives relating to the provisions of the GDC through diverse, open-dialogue conversation. Other global telecommunications and Internet Governance documents have highlighted youth involvement (e.g., the Kigali Declaration and Action Plan from the 2023 World Telecommunications Development Conference). Section 12(c) of the GDC Zero Draft document highlights youth perspectives, with youth mentioned in 12 other provisions of the Zero Draft. These include youth engagement by both public and private entities. By hosting a youth dialogue on the GDC, participants can better plan and coordinate roadmaps to how they will involve youth in fulfilling the GDC. As well, civil society actors and others identifying ways they might facilitate greater youth involvement. It is the goal of the panel to structure answers which recognize multiple stakeholder groups and diverse regionality to highlight the ways the GDC might be felt by different youth groups.
Description:
The final version of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), a United Nations (UN) initiative aimed at shaping a shared vision for an inclusive, open, free, and secure digital future for all, is set to be released in September 2024 at the UN Summit of the Future. Questions of the GDC remain such as, what role will youth play in it, as they are the focus of attention for digital industry leaders and Internet pioneers today? It is already clear that young people must become an integral part of the driving force involved in implementing the best practices and adhering to the provisions presented in the GDC. This workshop aims to serve as a platform where young people from different regions and backgrounds can participate in discussing the main goals, principles, and approaches to implementing the final version of the GDC, expressing their views on key topics such as digital accessibility, data privacy and security, digital skills training, and the digital divide. Speakers, represented by young professionals of various stakeholder groups from different continents, will explore how young people can be empowered to participate in shaping the digital future, including their role in promoting digital inclusion, addressing internet fragmentation, advocating for freedom of speech, and ensuring data protection. With a strong focus on different social, cultural, and economic contexts, as well as national realities, capacities, and levels of development needed to implement the GDC, the discussion will also provide an opportunity for young people to engage with each other, share their diverse experiences, and learn from each other's approaches to addressing digital challenges. By engaging young people, the workshop aims to ensure that the GDC reflects the needs and aspirations of the next generation, who will be most impacted and benefited by the digital future.
1. Increased awareness of critical provisions in the GDC and the regional hurdles they present, especially for youth, will guide focused policy adjustments and resource allocation. 2. Clear demonstration of innovative models for youth involvement in public-private partnerships strengthens dynamic collaborations to uphold GDC principles. 3. Increased knowledge of global Internet Governance processes through demonstration of actionable strategies to seamlessly integrate GDC objectives into diverse digital ecosystems.
Hybrid Format: To facilitate effective interaction between onsite and online participants, the workshop will be overseen by two moderators: one onsite and one online. The onsite moderator will lead the session by posing questions and managing the overall flow, while the online moderator will engage virtual attendees through the chatroom, summarizing key points and unmuting participants who wish to contribute verbally. Adhering to strict time limits for both onsite and online speakers and attendees will ensure robust participation, allowing as many individuals as possible the chance to contribute their insights. Ensuring the workshop's lasting impact and fostering ongoing engagement, a feedback form will be provided after the session, as well as contact details for continuous networking.