On the 10th of October the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society (MFWS) strengthened their cooperation in the field of child online protection. This was acted by the signature of a Joint Declaration between Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunications Development Bureau, Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Chair of the MFWS and President Emeritus of Malta. This signature was held in the margins of ITU Council Working Group on Child Online Protection (CWG-COP), during which ITU welcomed the Maltese delegation.
Since 2021, ITU has actively supported and implemented several initiatives in collaboration with the MFWS, focusing on creating a safe and prosperous online environment for youth and children online in Malta.
The MFWS was the first stakeholder in Europe Region to raise the hand for rolling-out the ITU Training of Trainers module for Educators on child online protection. Upon their request, ITU firstly conducted such training program for psycho-social teams of two Maltese colleges in December 2021, before scaling the initiative to colleges across the country. This led to building the capacities of 110 participants. Of which, 81 became ITU certified COP trainer that can be deployed to disseminate knowledge at the local level, establishing a robust ecosystem for safeguarding child online protection in Malta. In this regard, the ITU has also extended support to the MFWS in activities aimed at data-driven decision-making and coordinating stakeholders' efforts in addressing child online protection issues. The ITU COP Guidelines are also now available in Maltese language.
“In a digital world, where technology transcends borders, and where our children are living an almost virtual life, it is necessary that they are empowered with digital resilience, to be able to cope and overcome the global scourge of online abuse.” - H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Chair of the Foundation.
The Joint Declaration signed on Tuesday 10 October serves as an instrument to continue and further reinforce the collaboration, providing guidance on the next initiatives to be jointly undertaken. In that regard, ITU and MFWS will work on the development of the self-sustainability of the train the trainers’ model in Malta, facilitate the exchange of information and experiences in the field and scale up capacity building activities in interested countries of the Mediterranean region.
The ITU Office for Europe is delighted to advance its cooperation with MFWS in the realm of child online safety and look forward to promoting the joint experience and initiatives at the larger scale. ITU and its Europe Office is committed to continue creating an online environment that is safe and accessible to all in Europe.
