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More than 3000 young people
around the world participated in the Global Youth Summit: BYND 2015 Photograph:
Lisa B./Corbis
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The
Global Youth Summit: BYND 2015 gathered together youth from all over the world
to convene on using technology for social good, and gave them a chance to
influence UN decisions
Technological innovation has advanced in unprecedented ways over the past decade. Digital and mobile technology, when used safely can give children and adolescents the chance to make a difference and voice their concerns in schools and communities. With the right tools and information, young people are better placed to access opportunities for healthcare, education and employment.
UNICEF and the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) have been closely collaborating on two specific work streams,
giving children and youth a voice in a digital era: the Global Youth Summit: BYND 2015 and
the draft Child Online Protection (COP) Guidelines.
Global Youth Summit: BYND 2015
ITU
organized the Global Youth Summit: BYND 2015 in September 2013, in Costa Rica.
The purpose was to convene young people, both online and offline, to
participate in a discussion on the use of technology for social good while
seeking to prioritize ICT inclusion as a central pillar of the post 2015
development agenda, which was shaped in part by the Summit. It was a platform
for young people to express their opinions and influence decisions at the
United Nations.
Along
with some 700 participants that physically attended the meeting in Costa Rica,
more than 3000 young people around the world participated virtually from 43
hubs in 25 different countries to contribute their ideas using a unique
crowd-sourcing platform and other social media channels.
Despite
the profound benefits technology has to offer, children and young people can
face a number of risks while using ICTs. In order for young people to actively
participate in the world around them in the digital era, it is critical that
they are able to take full advantage of the unprecedented opportunities
afforded by ICTs and proactively manage any risks they encounter online.
For
this very reason UNICEF, ITU and The Walt Disney Company hosted the BE SMART BE SAFE track, which specifically
addressed four key themes: 1) cyber bullying, 2) self-exposure, 3) online
reputation/grooming, and 4) online privacy.
In
addition, ITU, UNICEF
Voices of Youth and Mastercard hosted a Global Video Competition to invite youth
to submit a concept for a video film that seeks to raise awareness around safe
and responsible online behaviour amongst their peers as they surf the web. The
winning concept will be used by UNICEF and ITU as part of a global campaign on
Internet safety.
Finally,
at the end of the Summit, the young participants defined child online safety as
a priority, which was highlighted in the Beyond 2015 Global Youth Declaration
presented by President Chinchilla of Costa Rica at the UN General Assembly in
New York in September 2013.
The draft Child Online Protection (COP) Guidelines
UNICEF
and ITU are working with a number of partners including with businesses and
other UN agencies to help place children's rights at the heart of their
operations and to both protect and promote children and youth when using
technology.
The
ITU Child Online Protection (COP) is
a multi-stakeholder initiative to promote awareness of the importance of child
safety in the online world and to develop practical tools to assist
governments, industry and educators in this domain.
As part of the initiative,
a set of Child Online Protection Guidelines
has been prepared by ITU in collaboration with the COP partners for the
following stakeholder groups: children, parents, guardians and educators,
industry, and policymakers.
The current Guidelines for Industry on Child Online
Protection (COP) were introduced four years ago and the need for an updated and
broader set of guidelines has been evident for some time due to substantial
advances in technology, convergence and regulation.
The review process to
update the current COP Guidelines for Industry was initiated in early 2013 by
the COP members together with UNICEF and ITU taking a lead in editing,
co-ordination and consultation. The draft Guidelines have been developed
through an initial consultation of the ITU COP members and are intended to be
more aligned with the UN Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights and also reflect the specific
issues related to ICT sub-sectors.
They
are now open for broader consultation until 20 December 2013
to engage diverse audiences across all regions.
Such
initiatives not only contribute to providing both the tools and a safer
framework to help voice out children and youth's needs and concerns, but also
give them a chance to make a difference.
Copy
on this page is provided by UNICEF, supporter of the children: the next business agenda hub
Source: http://www.theguardian.com
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