Swiss Youth IGF 2025 will take place on
May 15 from 14:00 to 17:30 CET
Geneva International Conference Centre
Rue de Varembé 17, 1211 Geneva
This event is part of Geneva Cyber Week
Registration is open until May 12 at 12:00 PM CET!
The Youth IGF Movement is an officially recognized Youth National Regional Initiative (NRI) under the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (UN IGF).
ORGINISING COMMITTEE
Based in Switzerland, Zhi Li is a young professional with experience in internet governance and digital transformation. Drawing from a global career across diverse regions, Zhi specializes in navigating the complexities of cross-border digital policies and fostering international collaboration. Fluent in English, Mandarin, and German, Zhi bridges cultural and linguistic gaps to build strong networks and drive inclusive governance initiatives. Zhi is passionate about promoting innovation, sustainability, and equitable access in the digital ecosystem.
Sofija Stevanovic, an 18-year-old student of "Work and Organizational Psychology" at FHNW, has been actively involved in youth leadership and digitalization initiatives. For the past three years, she has served on the board of the Youth Parliament in Bern and contributed to the SGG and UNESCO project "Future Council U24". Passionate about digitalization, Sofija recognizes its profound impact on society, particularly for Gen Z, who can harness tools like AI for growth and innovation. She advocates for maintaining a balance and fostering empathy to ensure the internet remains a safe and inclusive space for all.
Murillo Salvador currently leads the Geneva Hub for Young AI Leaders at AI for Good while conducting doctoral research on multistakeholder technology governance at the University of Geneva. He also acts as web culture expert at poliScope, the University’s platform for secondary schools, where he engages youth on the implications of social networks for future citizens. Multilingual in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, Murillo’s work is grounded on the spirit of ‘la Genève internationale’ by leveraging emerging technologies to foster innovative collaboration and collective action on global challenges.
ADVISORY BOARD
Yuliya is a Barrister with over 15 years of professional expertise, specializing in digital affairs and cybersecurity.
Yuliya is a dedicated advocate for youth engagement in digital policy discussions, evidenced by her founding of the Global Youth IGF Movement. Her legacy includes serving on the Advisory group to the UN Secretary-General on the Internet Governance Forum for three consecutive terms, highlighting her significant impact on shaping internet governance.
Switzerland has been at the forefront of international digital developments in the 21st century. It hosted the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva in 2003, and played an instrumental role in launching the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Switzerland has been among the most prominent contributors towards more inclusive and impactful digital governance globally.
It therefore makes perfect sense for Switzerland to have formed the Swiss Youth IGF that will bring the voice of Swiss youth on Internet Governance.
The Swiss Youth IGF is co-founded by Swiss Youth and the Swiss Youth IGF Advisory Board.
The 1st Edition of the Swiss Youth IGF was co-founded by Fabio Monnet from Switzerland.
The Swiss Youth IGF secretariat is hosted by the Global Youth IGF, of which the Swiss Youth IGF is an affiliated member. The Swiss Youth IGF is an independent Youth IGF.
The Global Youth IGF is the global Youth IGF Movement, which is a capacity development initiative of an international scope. The Global Youth IGF is part of the UN IGF.
OBJECTIVE
Our main objective is to allow the voice of young people to be heard by Information Society leaders on issues related to Internet Governance and to help young people to take an active part in the decision-making processes in Switzerland.
VISION
By allowing the young people to take an active part in the discussions and to have a real impact on ICTs and Internet policies nationally, we have a mission to assist in creating future Swiss ICTs Leaders with a solid vision and knowledge on Internet Governance.
BACKGROUND
The importance of hearing the voice of the younger generations on digital cooperation was underlined by different stakeholders during the annual UN Internet Governance Forum.
In efforts to fulfil the UN IGF’s mandate and build on the recommendations of the UN IGF’s Retreat in 2016, the UN IGF Secretariat is conducting systematic efforts to engage young people on internet governance.
Learn more about the UN IGF!