Working Group on Youth

How can we include youth in the conversation about connectivity?

The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development’s Working Group on Youth was Chaired by Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General of the ITU and Co-Vice Chair of the Broadband Commission. The 2015 Working Group aimed to give young people a forum and voice with which to speak to Commissioners, and to provide a platform for advocacy to draw attention to the importance of connectivity for any young person’s social and economic development.

Setting the Stage

The Beyond 2015 Global Youth Summit

The BYND2015 Global Youth Summit was a platform for young people to lend their voice and influence decisions at the United Nations on the Future We Want.

Young people from around the world have gathered in San José, Costa Rica to shape the sustainable development agenda in the post-2015 era. Along with some 700 participants meeting in San José, over 3000 young people around the world are logging in virtually to contribute their ideas from 43 hubs or workshops in 25 different countries using a unique crowd-sourcing platform and other social media channels. At the Summit, ITU engaged with a worldwide community to gather their opinions and ideas on how technology can contribute to a better world and shape the post-2015 development agenda.

Working Group Outcomes

Gathered inputs from young people to explain how broadband can be used as a force for human progress
Generated a vision statement by young people which emphasized their views in regard to broadband
Drew attention to the Broadband Commission and its objectives of establishing ubiquitous, affordable broadband for all.

This Working Group on Youth held its first meeting in Geneva on May 17, 2014, where 50 students and interns were asked to explain how they envisioned broadband technologies improving people’s lives in five key areas: Young Entrepreneurs, Global Voices, Peace & Democracy, Knowledge Sharing and Health. 

The outcome of this meeting was a vision statement, which was presented to the Broadband Commission in October. A representative of the Working Group attended the UN GA High-Level meeting on Youth in New York in July 2011. It held the second meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, 250 young Africans were asked to identify the best services and applications that could be delivered via broadband. The best two candidates were flown to Geneva to pitch their ideas to the Commission during the Broadband Leadership Summit in October 2011 to secure endorsement to turn their aspirations into reality and develop their project into a working prototype. This process included mentoring and tutorship to help develop their fledgling careers.

Focus Area