Generation Connect
As the overarching initiative of the ITU Youth Strategy, Generation Connect aims to engage global youth and encourage their participation as equal partners alongside the leaders of today’s digital change, empowering young people with the skills and opportunities to advance their vision of a connected future.
The world today is home to around 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24, with close to 90 per cent of them living in developing countries. In Africa, where the population is 1.2 billion, about 41 per cent of the people are below 15 years old while another 19 per cent are youth between 15 and 24 years old. Youth, in many developed and developing countries, especially girls and young women, face disproportionate exposure to poverty and unemployment.
The ITU Youth Strategy aims to improve and have a real impact on the lives of young people around the world and to ensure meaningful participation of youth in ITU as key stakeholders in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It aims to be Fit4Purpose and to reduce the youth digital divide.
The three pillars of the ITU Youth Strategy are: Empower, Engage and Participate.