Maja Andjelkovic 14 June 2003

Why Youth as Partners in ICT4D?

Youth Leadership: Reality Check Almost 6,000 youth age are infected with HIV every day, accounting for more than half of all new HIV infections In nearly all countries, youth unemployment is at least double the adult rate. Youth are among the most vulnerable and marginalized people on the planet.

Women in the ICT “Revolution” Women in developing countries face: Lack of access to technology Lack of ICT tools and knowledge Obstructions to employment in the ICT sector Lack of entrepreneurship opportunities ___________________________________ = The Usual Story about Gender Inequalities

Youth Creating Digital Opportunities Vision – Realizing the potential of young people as leaders in using information and communications technologies (ICTs) to achieve more sustainable development in their communities and around the world. Objectives – Support the involvement of young people in ICT for development projects Ensure the meaningful participation of young people in ICT for development policy-making at the national, regional, and international levels Promote continuous learning through facilitating the emergence of a global community of young people working on ICT for development policy and practice (a.k.a YCDO Community)

The YCDO.net Community Community Organizations Projects and Policy Events Opportunities SIGN UP

The YCDO Gender Imbalance

Gender Imbalance “Symptoms” Lack of fellowship applications Lack of content contributions Lack of young women leaders of projects and policy processes

YCDO Gender Strategy Working with Gender NGOs Working with Youth NGOs Working with educational institutions Community facilitation

YCDO - Current activities Enabling youth participation in ICT decision-making Empowering youth working on concrete ICT projects Fostering a global network of young people involved in ICT policy and practice

What is WSIS? Two high-level meetings: Geneva, December 2003 Tunis, November, 2005 Two products: Declaration Action Plan “What values and actions do we embrace to ensure that the Information Society becomes a vehicle for democracy, justice, equality, and respect for personal and social development?”

Key Youth and YCDO Activities at WSIS Involvement at a global and regional level – policy & meetings National Information Society youth campaigns – workshops, policy-input, networking and projects At the Summit – “Youth Hub”, workshops, celebration, and launch of new commitments and partnerships.

Young Women and ICT “Let us step up our efforts to create an environment where progress towards gender equality is not a daily struggle, but a natural part of all our actions. Let that resolve underpin all our work to translate the Millennium Declaration into reality.” Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General

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