At the IGF 2022 Global Youth Summit, Under Secretary-General of United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Mr. Li Junhua congratulated young people for their active participation. IGF is an excellent platform for youth to engage with people who make decisions in digital, he said.

At the IGF 2022 Emilia Hanna Zalewska, Youth IGF Poland Co-founder emphasised the need to recognise young people as serious stakeholders and have their voices heard. Regulations related to the Internet impact youth in a different way, comparing to other age groups. 

Emmanuel Vitus, Internet Governance & Tech Policy Researcher stated that young activists should have the right to participate in the legislative process. They have to express their opinions on laws related to the Internet that are being drafted in their country. 

IGF 2022 Open Forum #88 EU Delegation to the IGF & the Youth IGF - online & onsite in Addis Ababa

Join our exclusive Open Forum with the European Parliament Delegation to the IGF to discuss the role of the young in implementing the UN Digital Global Compact. Learn more about youth concerns and proposals, and how European Parliament decision-makers will react.

Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, Member of the European Parliament welcomes Youth IGF leaders at the IGF 2022. She says Global Digital Compact is very aligned with values and principles of the European Parliament. While introducing laws, the EU understands the global view and impact of them on the Internet as a whole.

We need to be open-minded and apply a balanced approach to data protection at the EU level, said Axel Voss, Member of the European Parliament during the discussion with Youth IGF leaders. Regulations like GDPR shouldn’t prevent the EU from using data-driven solutions to manage crises. 

We don’t only need general literacy among users about digital technologies, but more advanced skills like coding, stated Ivars Ijabs, Member of the European Parliament at the IGF 2022 Open Forum. The role of the Governments is to provide opportunities for learning, especially to young people. 

"We need digital skills, as early as possible", says Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General Elect of the International Telecommunication Union at the IGF 2022 High-Level leaders session. These skills should be taught at schools, as lack of them is one of the biggest barriers to uptake into digital transformation.

Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google underlined the importance of transparency & international cooperation to ensure accountability for data usage & protection. "Data is at risk, we must protect it". People need to understand how data is used, shared & corrected if needed.

Talking about AI, Karoline Edtstadler, Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery of Austria stressed the need for the human oversight of AI algorithms. The implementation of standards related to AI usage is crucial. They can be based on existing recommendations, like the ones by UNESCO.

Amandeep Gill, Under-Secretary-General and UNSG’s Tech Envoy: We need to distinguish between human rights with frameworks like UDHR and human rights in the digital age. Governments must protect human rights. In digital space private companies & platforms should also be accountable for that.

At the Opening Ceremony of the IGF 2022, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations at Prime Minister of Portugal urged the Internet Governance Forum Secretariat to bring together Governments, private sector, civil society to reach concrete actions for a more safe, sustainable and inclusive digital future that has to be human-centric. 

Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google: "Oh, to be young again!" Good to see the the IGF - Internet Governance Forum Leadership Panel supporting youth! "The Panel is committed to offering concrete examples of actions for the improvement in today’s Internet and digital environment."

Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication & Information, UNESCO: We need to answer key questions about digital transformation: why to transform, what & how. He announced that UNESCO plans to propose a global model for the regulation of digital platforms to contribute to safe transformation.

At the  IGF 2022, Muferihat Kamil, Minister of Peace at The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia said that trust between Governments is not only a technological issue, but an issue of relationships. It’s about peace, collaboration. To achieve this we need to empower people through skills & education starting from school.

One way digital technologies can contribute to security, is by reducing energy consumption, said H.E. Hiroshi Yoshida, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Technologies like 5G are expected to contribute to environmental sustainability.

Christopher Painter, President of The Global Forum on Cyber Expertise Foundation said about capacity-building in cybersecurity as the foundation for all states to maintain trust and security. A multistakeholder model is needed to successfully lead capacity building activities.

Speaking about the AI Act at the IGF 2022, Axel Voss, Member of the European Parliament said the EU is trying to build trust among citizens regarding the use of AI algorithms in everyday life. He emphasised human rights will be taken into account to ensure AI doesn’t bring harm. 

EU’s AI Act can have the global impact, inspiring countries around the world to adopt similar legislations. "This might be a key element for the future and for like-minded countries looking in the same direction", stated Axel Voss at the IGF 2022. 

At the IGF 2022 Open Forum #71, Pearse O'Donohue, Director for the Future Networks Directorate of DG CONNECT at the European Commission mentioned the significance of the Declaration for the Future of the Internet with a multistakeholder Internet Governance model at its heart. Youth IGF contributed to drafting recommendations for its implementation. 

At the IGF 2022 Parliamentary Roundtable, Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union said the Inter-Parliamentary Union is preparing the resolution that will compress the position of international parliamentary community about new risks to global security, like cyberattacks & cybercrime.

Seba Garcia, MP of Paraguay stated that parliamentarians need to have knowledge about cybersecurity threats, both from technical and political perspective. Also understand their implications for sovereignty, defence and daily lives of citizens. 

Bringing the technical perspective to the table, Edmon Chung, CEO of DotAsia emphasises that sometimes imposed legislations, like such related to digital sovereignty, risk to be technically incompatible and can harm the trust in the digital space.

At the IGF 2022 Open Mic session, Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, PhD called for a better inclusion of grassroots representatives in IGF High-Level sessions to bring their voices closer to decision-makers.

A representative of Sierra Leone addressed leaders at the IGF 2022 Open Mic, calling for the engagement of all stakeholder groups in future Internet Governance Forum Secretariat sessions, including people with disabilities and the media industry.

At the IGF 2022 Closing Ceremony, Huria Ali, ICT and Digital Economy Division State Minisiter for Ministry of Innovation and Technology Ministry delivers her final message to IGF participants. She mentions key highlights from Internet Governance Forum Secretariat in Addis Ababa, among which are connectivity, Internet fragmentation & data privacy.

"IGF is more than ever necessary, and much needs to be done", stated Internet Governance Forum Secretariat MAG Chair Paul Mitchell. He noted that the IGF will continue aligning its work with other United Nations agencies and with UN Tech Envoy to advance the Global Digital Compact.

Fiona Asonga, CEO of TESPOK stressed that the technical community in Africa saw discussions & ideas tabled at the Internet Governance Forum Secretariat translated into implementable best practices. One of them is the development of young innovators.