What do Generation Connect youth delegates hope to achieve?

By ITU News

As the first Generation Connect Global Youth Summit kicks off today, some of the key participants have shared their motivations for attending the three-day gathering in Kigali, Rwanda. Many of the designated youth envoys, identified through Generation Connect hubs around the world, are intent on addressing specific digital transformation challenges.

“I expect a wide range of ideas and perspectives to be presented, resulting in rich and critical conversations that produce solutions and results,” says Tayma Abdalhadi, from Palestine, adding that she aims “to help shape the digital world – and to voice my perspective as a Palestinian youth.” 

Omurbek Abdullaev, a youth activist from Kyrgyzstan, would like to see governments and other stakeholders invest more in the young generation. “Investment in the youth is an investment for the future,” he says, underlining the need for better education, seed capital for young entrepreneurs, and dedicated capacity building for the “next generation of young leaders who will transform their countries.”

Milagro Suira, from Panama, will push for young people in rural areas to enjoy the same opportunities as those in cities. “I want to make sure that the people who still live without a connection – while their governments probably do not prioritize this issue – are at the centre of the conversation,” she says.

Suira hopes young people can help find concrete tools to address all the local problems that prevent universal Internet access. “Because it is the inhabitants who know the problems of their community and can design solutions that do not affect the culture and ecosystem of the most remote areas.”

Bright minds coming together

The 2-4 June summit, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the run-up to a landmark digital development conference in Kigali, offers the chance to network directly with like-minded peers and amplify the collective voice of youth. “I hope with all my heart that the contributions and discussions during the summit will enable a significant change in young people’s interest in digital,” said Emmanuella Ablé from the Ivory Coast.

A youth envoy from Namibia, Rejoice Amutenya, says her participation in the Generation Connect Africa Youth Group over the past year helped her make connections with brilliant people around the continent. “I am looking forward to meeting them in person in Kigali, along with the rest of the Generation Connect Youth Groups across the globe, to form meaningful and impactful long-term relationships and exchange ideas,” she adds. “And to do what we do best, which is tackling digitization issues.”

Interactive sessions should further expand the horizons of young participants and specialists. “All ideas matter,” affirms Sahnigar Dogan from Azerbaijan, adding that she hopes the summit will “show how important youth engagement is for the future of safer technology and the digital environment.”

Marko Paloski, from North Macedonia, calls ITU’s Youth Summit “the best example” of how youth can be heard an engaged in decision- and policy-making processes. “I expect to give as much as possible with my knowledge and experience from the South-East Europe region, hear what the youth from other regions of the world are facing as issues and challenges, try to share solutions, problems, and ideas to help each other, but also to help the youth in general,” he says.

The Generation Connect Global Youth Summit will be “a melting pot of brilliant minds from across the globe who all have a passion for connecting the unconnected,” enthuses Shergaun Roserie from Saint Lucia. “I am hoping that I can create linkages between my island… and other developing and developed countries, so that we can all leverage our information and resources through a collaborative process,” he says.

Exchanging perspectives

The youth envoys (all under 25 years old) are joined in Kigali by various Generation Connect board members committed to boosting youth voices.

“I look forward to sharing youth perspectives and ideas… while also promoting the Youth Declaration which represents the efforts of the global Generation Connect youth community,” says Bolutife Adisa, a board member from Nigeria and one of the panellists for a planned inter-generational dialogue.

Along with providing a much-needed platform for young people to connect, engage, and be heard on digital issues, the summit will enable learning and exchanges of perspectives on key topics like cyber safety, digital gender inclusion, climate change, and the meaningful use of affordable technologies.

Ihita Gangavarapu, from India, says: “I believe the summit will develop comfort among youth to debate issues with an open mind in a multinational, multicultural, multilinguistic, and multiracial group.”

Instigating action

The Generation Connect Global Youth Summit – like ITU’s subsequent 6-16 June World Telecommunication Development Conference – aims to mobilize digital development action in line with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations for 2030. For Ted Chen, a board member from Singapore, “it could also be a place where young people get the opportunity to connect to policy-makers, industry leaders, and mentors for guidance and support – to help make immediate grassroots action happen.”

US board member Diogo Ide calls the summit “a very significant milestone in the inclusion of youth” in UN decision-making processes. “I’m thrilled to go to Kigali and connect with young people from around the world,” he says. “Together, we will think strategically about how to tackle our global challenges, including the digital divide, environmental sustainability, the future of work, and skilling.”

Participation means more than asking for a seat at the decision-making table over the next two weeks in Kigali. Young people also expect to be engaged in subsequent implementation, suggests Roman Gojayev, a board member from Azerbaijan, who equates such inclusion with “important human rights” for young people. Otherwise, “what affects their future are decisions being made in their absence.”

Youth input could also enhance transformational pledges expected from companies, governments and organizations to step up global connectivity, such as through the new ITU-facilitated Partner2Connect platform. Another US board member, Shalin Jyotishi, observed: “This event has been co-designed with early-career leaders from around the world – giving them true agency, voice, and influence on digital inclusion dialogue, action, and change led by ITU and the Partner2Connect Coalition.”

Read more about the Generation Connect Global Youth Summit.

ITU thanks our gold sponsors Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Microsoft, and our silver sponsor Côte d’Ivoire for their generosity. And special thanks to Amazon for their kind support. We are grateful to all of them for helping us make the Generation Connect Global Youth Summit a reality.