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Digital access is the great equalizer of the times and digital opportunities are a means to development. While the number of higher educational institution graduates has been growing from year to year, the availability of jobs has been affected by economic uncertainty. Challenges for young talents are increasing. Governments are mobilizing resources to bring in new opportunities so that these young talents can take steps to foster and fulfil a vision of full and active citizenship, without leaving their communities.

The primary aim of the Youth Forum is to kick off transformation in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) sector and to empower a selected group of university-age youth to take on the reins 
of leadership. This Youth Forum will also enhance synergy between governments and universities or higher educational institutions for the greater benefit of the region as a whole. 

Contents

• Youth Forum Programme

• Fellowship Programme

• Eligible Countries

• Post-Fellowship Programmes

• Selection Procedure

• Sponsorship Options

Participants in the Youth Forum will visit the ITU TELECOM ASIA 2002 Exhibition (Hong Kong, 2-7 December 2002) and will attend the Forum sessions of their choice. Four sessions will be specifically devoted to the Youth Forum, with the following four basic themes:

Training and Technology:
Building Digital Capacities in Youth
Telecommunications for Transformation
The Right to E-Vote

Regulation and Policy:
The Digital Divide: More than just a Technology Divide
ICTs: Innovation, Adoption and Inclusion

Financing and Investment:
Empowering ICT Entrepreneurs
Sharing the Digital Dividend
Unlocking Digital Opportunities

Social/Cultural Factors:
Youth: Problems to Solve or Problem-Solvers?
Content Creates Context
A Gender Agenda
Specific subjects will include: the basics of technologies and their possible uses; the relationships between policy/regulation and market structure in Asia-Pacific countries and elsewhere; the fundamentals of building a dynamic communications environment; the relationships between policy, regulation and the business world; how business is related to the world of communications; applications and business concepts entering and evolving in Asia.

For further information:

If you wish to be a speaker at the Youth Forum on one of the above mentioned topics, please send your abstract and copy of your short biography to (sunny.bekele@itu.int) Tel: +41 22 730 5179, Fax: +41 22 730 6444). Your request will be reviewed at the preparatory meeting of the Youth Forum on 13 to 14 June 2002 in Geneva.

The ITU will initiate a Fellowship Programme to fund one young woman and one young man of university age (18–23) from each of its Member States in the Asia-Pacific Region to attend ITU TELECOM ASIA 2002 event, within the scope of its ongoing commitment to fellowships programmes. The candidates will be selected on the basis of a competition, which aims to broaden the talent pool of future leaders in Telecommunications specifically in the Information and Communication Technology sectors. For each candidate, travel, accommodation and subsistence costs will be borne by the ITU. The Fellowship Programme will assist approximately 110 fellows from the Asia and Pacific region.

Applicants from the following countries must be both nationals and residents in order to be eligible for the ASIA 2002 Youth Forum Fellowship Programme:

Post-fellowship training is planned in the country of origin where an opportunity exists for a placement within an ICT company or an operator/company which can offer such a training. A post-fellowship career advancement component is also planned; this could include internships offered by Government agencies and companies.

Youth Forum Declaration | Youth Forum | Frequently Asked Questions | Selection Procedure | Sponsorship Options