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Key Message

Young people are the leading creators and earliest adopters of information and communications technologies, but their engagement in ICT policy processes often suffers from a lack of continuity, institutional support and capacity building opportunities.

Youth and ICTs

Engaging the next generation of sustainable development leaders

IISD has been working with young people in the area of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on two levels:

  1. to ensure participation of young people in policy-making; and
  2. to engage youth in putting ICTs to work in the development process.

Our role in facilitating the work of the Youth Caucus to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) (2003–2005) resulted in stronger recognition of young people as leading creators and earliest adopters of information and communications technologies in the WSIS Geneva Declaration of Principles.

Earlier, in partnership with the Global Knowledge Partnership, IISD brought together opinions and ideas of youth from around the world in the debate on bridging the “digital divide,” the gap between those who have effective access to ICTs and those who do not. The Global Knowledge Youth initiative provided input for the Global Knowledge Action Plan in 2000 and to the G-8 Digital Opportunities Taskforce. In 2001, IISD produced a paper on their experiences in a paper entitled, Hidden Assets: Young Professionals in Knowledge Networks (PDF - 430 kb)

As a founding member of the Youth Creating Digital Opportunities (YCDO) Coalition, IISD served as the facilitator for youth involvement in WSIS, building on its prior support of the work of the Youth DOT Force and the Youth Building Knowledge Societies Conference.

At the first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, IISD helped organize a youth panel and a follow-up online consultation with young people on Internet governance issues.

These experiences have led to a research project engaging young people in national-level practice and policy research to explore the links between the tools of the information society and the goals of sustainable development, and to the production of two publications: a collection of papers authored by young researchers, and a working paper on youth engagement (PDF - 220 kb) based on IISD's experience with the project.

Through the Emerging Leaders in Governance and Communications Program, IISD places young professionals with organizations in developing countries to assist with research and technical support to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ICTs in undertaking governance activities.