Session
Organizer 1: Vladimir Stankovic, International Telecommunication Union
Speaker 1: Vladimir Stankovic, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 2: Gitanjali Sah, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 3: Ruth Marlyn Grace Sidabutar, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Vladimir Stankovic, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Ruth Marlyn Grace Sidabutar, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Vladimir Stankovic, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Break-out Group Discussions - Flexible Seating - 90 Min
Increasing awareness and proactiveness among policymakers and developers: How do we ensure that technology developers, digital corporations, policy makers and policy processes consistently consider the impact of the Internet and digitalisation on sustainability and climate change?
Environmental education: How can policymakers leverage the Internet and Internet governance processes for expanding and strengthening environmental education? Should computer science curricula, Internet governance capacity development and digital literacy programmes include awareness of environmental sustainability?
In the context of the WSIS Special Track on ICTs and Youth this session will strive to highlight the interplay between youth, ICTs and the environment and how youth are using ICTs to engage in environmental protection and to scale up their ideas and solutions. Issues to be discussed are aligned with the WSIS Forum 2021 theme: ICTs for Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Societies and Economies (WSIS Action Lines for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals).
4. Quality Education
Targets: The UNGA overall review on the implementation of WSIS resulted in a UNGA Resolution A/70/125 that was adopted on 16 December 2015. The resolution provides guidance on the implementation of the WSIS Outcomes till 2025. In particular it calls for close alignment between the WSIS process and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (para.5) and requests all stakeholders to integrate ICTs into their approaches to implementing the Goals, and request UN entities facilitating WSIS Action Lines to review their reporting and work plans to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda, (para.12). ICTs are identified as targets in the SDGs for education, gender equality, infrastructure (universal and affordable access to the internet) and in the implementation goal as a cross cutting tool to be utilized for the achievement of all of the SDGs. The effective implementation of the WSIS Action Lines can help accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. To that end, the WSIS SDGs Matrix, developed by the UN Action line Facilitators, clearly shows the linkage between each Action line and the 17 SDGs and provides rationale for each.
The mapping exercise www.wsis.org/sdg draws direct linkages of the WSIS Action Lines with the proposed SDGs to continue strengthening the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for sustainable development. Each UN Action Line Facilitator has analyzed the connections and relations of their respective Action Line with the proposed SDGs and their targets.
Description:
The session will gather young people who have been a part of the WSIS Forum 2021 special track on ICTs and Youth, who have emerged as the first-ever WSIS Youth Campaigners. They will share their experiences on how it feels to be working on the WSIS Youth Campaigns in regards to the environmental sustainability and climate change, and how they see the role of youth in international development, with particular focus on the use of ICTs.
Young people have many ideas for innovative solutions and the drive to make a change, but it can be difficult for changemakers to make their voices heard and reach the right people to turn ideas into action.
ICTs can be part of the solution. The speed and scale of digital innovations not only provide a growing number of opportunities for sustainable development, but ICTs are enabling ideas to be heard and scaled up globally.
We expect to highlight how the WSIS Youth activities are furthering the contribution of the global youth in the implementation of environmental sustainability and climate change, promoting the indispensable role of ICTs in shaping the information society to better serve all stakeholders, building capacities and raising awareness about environmental issues among the youth communities.
During the previous WSIS Forum events, we have been able to sparkle many youth communities and their representatives to join the discussions on the implementation of the WSIS process, and several youth-related sessions were held that resulted in shaping and developing the Special Track on ICTs and Youth. We strive to provide young people and to representatives of youth communities with a platform to share and exchange their insights related to the information society and international development, including the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
This session strives to create a space for youth to network and share their vision for the good use of ICTs in enabling sustainable environment, the challenges they might encounter on this path, and the solutions young people are already providing to their professional and personal communities.
Last year’s sessions brought an understanding of how young people are using ICTs in the times of digital transformation and the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, while striving to achieve the SDGs. There were more than 300 participants from 40 countries during the WSIS Forum 2021 Special Track.
Usage of IGF Official Tool. Additional Tools proposed: We plan to livestream the session on the WSIS Process Facebook page, and interact with participants in a follow-up discussions on the WSIS online networking platform ImeetyouatWSIS.