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Today’s young people, broadly speaking, are digital natives. They are early adopters of information technologies – quicker on the tech uptake, as well as ahead of their parents in catching fast-evolving trends in the digital landscape.
ITU estimates that worldwide, nearly 80 per cent of today’s 15-to-24-year-olds use the Internet, about 14 per cent more than other age groups. The youth of today cannot imagine their lives without technology and are positioned to exert enormous influence over the direction of digital cooperation and development.
In that light, the countdown has begun for this year’s Global Youth Summit organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for digital technologies. Young digital experts, along with a range of decision-makers and stakeholders, are saving the dates, 11-13 March, for future-shaping discussions set to take place in Varadero, Cuba.
We look forward to honouring the commitment to exchange insights with youth and work toward full digital engagement around the world.
Communicating across generations
The Global Youth Summit will provide a forum for young people to find inspiration and mentorship and prepare to be part of a sustainable digital transformation. The young participants, in turn, will share their visions, voice their concerns, and enrich discussions with their creativity and enthusiasm.
The summit agenda is already shaped by input from global youth. The coming discussions will delve into cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), bridging the digital skills gap for decent employment, youth as agents of change for green digital transformation, and harnessing technologies for health and wellbeing.
A succession of networking sessions will set the stage for cross-sector and cross-generational conversations. By pooling our talents and perspectives, we can find new ways to improve education and boost socio-economic prosperity through tech – for everyone.
Growing with the millennium
The Global Youth Summit will produce a summary report, aimed at providing a lasting resource that consolidates the voices, ideas, and challenges that youth face across regions. Stakeholders of all ages can draw on the report as they align national, regional, and global digital agendas, and its insights will feed into ITU’s upcoming World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25).
ITU has long been a pioneer in driving regional and global dialogue to nurture upcoming generations in technology and digital skills.
We are confident this year’s Global Youth Summit builds further on those gains, sparking fresh ideas and new collaborations.
