The results of the Global Youth Summit were summarized during the Internet Governance Forum (IGF 2022), which began on November 28 in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The Young Summit this year focused on digital transformation and the youth involvement in Internet Governance.
Currently, the digital revolution is changing every area of our life, from communication and entertainment to work and education. The strength and significance of digital technology have been made clear by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Internet has made it possible for many people to continue their education and employment when pandemic-related physical distance restrictions have forced family and friends to stay apart, forced schools to close around the world, and hampered people's capacity to work.
However, the increase in online activity brought by COVID-19 has made many issues related to digital politics worse and emphasized the growing divide between those who are online and those who are not. For instance, he emphasized the significance of concerns related to online security, data use and protection, as well as freedoms and rights online. The need to reduce the gender digital divide, as well as online segregation and discrimination of different groups, was widely debated even before the pandemic. Since the advent of the Internet, these issues have been present, and due to their complexity and global scope, multiple generations must work together to solve them. Youth of today will become Internet leaders and experts of tomorrow.
The IGF 2022 Youth Track aims to develop a series of events that help connect young people from all over the world with one another and provide them with a chance to network with experts in the field of Internet Governance based on the needs of youth, as well as the outcomes of last year's Global Youth Summit and opportunities to engage the younger generation.
Since digital transformation is one of the key topics of interest to young people, capacity development activities in this area can address the issues that arise when discussing such a broad topic. Following four capacity building workshops that outlined some of the most specific aspects of digital transformation and related digital policies, the IGF Global Youth Summit 2022 provided an opportunity to further explore and discuss the lessons learned from the workshops by talking directly to experts, influencing decision making. Experts and leaders from the following generation gathered with the present generation to discuss:
- improving education and the economy through the transition to digital technologies;
- learning how to reduce online harm, prevent cyberattacks and protect human rights;
- An action-oriented vision of how to create a safer, more secure and resilient digital environment through synergy between current and future generations of experts and leaders.
Instead of presenting messages to the youth, as has happened in previous years, this time the Global Youth Summit focused on discussing the opportunities for digital transformation, the challenges it faces, and the steps to achieve a better digital future. This year's Youth Summit was organized by a group of IGF Youth Coordinators from different regions and countries in close collaboration with the IGF Secretariat. The IGF youth track consisted of four thematic workshops at EuroDIG, African IGF, Youth APrIGF, Youth LACIGF held in previous months.
The summit participants agreed that youth should be integrated into the process of developing digital policies. An important topic of discussion was also the reduction of the knowledge gap and mutual understanding between generations.
“The younger generation should not only be given the chance to take part in Internet Governance activities at various levels, from local to global, but also be given the opportunity to participate in the development of digital policy. The voice of the young should be heeded,” the moderator of the session said in his final speech.
