Page 136 - FerMUN 2020 - Futurecasters Global Young Visionaries Summit, 8th-10th January 2020

Countries of origin of the students:

Australia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kenya,
Kuwait, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, Spain, Switzerland,
United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA

OUTCOME

“Raise awareness and empower women as a social group”

More than 4 billion people, almost 60% of the world's population, do not have access to the
Internet, and this digital divide affects women in particular. This promising, innovative and
modern field remains largely male-dominated. Delegates in the ITU Youth Assembly

acknowledged this problem, and also pointed out that ICTs can be an effective means for
women to improve their social, economic, and personal situations.

Delegates emphasized the importance of technological inclusion for individual women - for
instance, through proposals to train women in digital skills to enhance their employability and

access to crucial information. Empowering women to use ICTs enables them to broaden their
knowledge, for example in the area of health, bringing them closer to health facilities and the
community, and fostering resilience and entrepreneurship.

But some clauses also took into account the potential of ICTs to empower women as a social
group, for instance as a platform for self-expression on which women’s perspectives, needs

and demands for social change can be heard. This is especially important for those whose
marginalized situation prevents them from finding an audience elsewhere.

The particularity of the Youth Assembly format allowed delegates to propose, debate, and
adopt solutions at any scale: global, national, local or even individual. In the Action Paper

adopted by the committee, we find proposals for an international aid project; education
reform and allocation of public funds within countries; awareness-raising through film festivals;
and even anti-discrimination campaigns at the family level.

Some media-specific solutions, for instance relating to reducing sexism in video games and

preventing gender-based online bullying, were the most controversial among the committee
members, but following debate, compromise and amendments, they were included in the
Action Paper.

Despite the technicality and complexity of the issue, the 42 delegates at the ITU Youth Assembly

were able to adopt an original perspective on this problem, establish innovative solutions, and
create a strong consensus through detailed Action Proposals and numerous amendments.

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