Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD) Annual Meeting Opening Session
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
23 March 2021
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening everyone.
ITU is honoured to serve as the next co-chair of the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development.
We are looking forward to working closely with our other two co-chairs, UNDESA and the Youth Caucus, and of course with all members of this important network.
Let me take a moment to thank the team from our outgoing co-chair, UNODC, for their commitment over this past year, despite the many difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the words of UN Secretary-General Guterres: ''it is often young people who are showing courage, and demanding courage from the rest of us.''
As we approach our target date of 2030, we will certainly need some of that inspiring young courage to take us over the finish line.
And to harness that courage it is critical that young people are given platforms to innovate, drive change, and co-create solutions aimed at achieving our 17 SDGs.
Young people all over the world have clearly demonstrated their desire to contribute to their communities.
Unfortunately, for many youth, disproportionate exposure to poverty and unemployment is depriving them of opportunities to meaningfully partake in social and economic development.
A recent report by ITU and UNICEF reveals that roughly two-thirds of the world's young people aged 3 to 24 do not have any kind of internet access at home.
Without ready access to the online world, these children and young people lack access to the education, skills and resources that could dramatically transform their future prospects.
As an IANYD co-chair, ITU is committed to changing that picture, fast.
Through our own Generation Connect youth strategy, we are working with partners on projects aimed at eliminating the youth digital divide, and at empowering youth from around the world to play a more active role in our work to put digital at the heart of efforts to meet the SDGs.
This coming November, Ethiopia will host ITU's 2021 World Telecommunication Development Conference, with the theme “Connecting the Unconnected to Achieve Sustainable Development."
At this landmark global conference, we will be striving to harness an unprecedented tide of political will around connectivity to develop innovative models for multi-stakeholder collaboration that will drive global digital development.
And youth will play a key role.
We will hold our inaugural Generation Connect Global Youth Summit just ahead of the opening of WTDC-21, engaging young people from all over the world to share their ideas on better ways to leverage 'digital for development'.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Tomorrow you will be discussing how to enhance future partnerships and collaboration within and beyond the IANYD network.
It is increasingly clear that successful efforts to meet the SDGs will rest on global, regional and local partnership between a diverse range of stakeholders.
As keynote speakers for tomorrow's IANYD session, we have invited Sarah Gaffney, Senior Director for Partnerships and Delivery at GSMA, and Kate Wilson, CEO of the Digital Impact Alliance. I am sure we will all benefit from their observations and rich experience.
We are excited to be here and look forward to playing a very active role during our year as a IANYD co-chair, to engaging with all of you through regular dialogue, and to exploring effective new ways of working together to improve the lives of young people, everywhere.
Thank you.
