The Generation Connect Youth Envoys (GCYE) are young leaders nominated by Member States and selected by the ITU Development Sector. As a volunteer-driven global network, their engagement strengthens youth participation in digital transformation by contributing to national, regional, and global ICT initiatives that promote meaningful connectivity and inclusive digital progress for all youth.
What do Generation Connect Youth Envoys do?
Acting as catalysts within their communities, Youth Envoys bridge local perspectives with regional and global processes, translating international digital priorities into practical, community-driven actions aligned with broader sustainable development objectives. The contributions of GCYE reflect their individual views and perspectives and do not represent the official positions of their respective countries or of the ITU. As changemakers, they actively engage in ICT-related initiatives within their regions and beyond, supporting the advancement of a sustainable, inclusive, and people-centred digital future.
Terms of engagement for Generation Connect Youth Envoys are:
- Support implementation of regional and global ICT initiatives at local level: Engage in and support the implementation of ICT-related regional and global initiatives, including WTDC Regional Initiatives, by contributing to projects, consultations, roundtables, events, trainings, workshops, and webinars, in both online and in-person formats. This includes helping adapt global and regional priorities into relevant local actions and youth engagement activities.
- Act as a local connector to advance global digital goals for youth: Serve as a link between youth in your community and regional/global ICT development efforts by gathering youth perspectives, identifying needs and challenges, and integrating feedback, insights, and proposals into regional and global ITU platforms.
- Promote digital inclusion for all youth and their empowerment: Amplify and champion digital inclusion of all young people, with a particular focus on those in vulnerable situation, by raising awareness and promoting digital accessibility to eliminate barriers in the use of ICT products and services, sharing digital skills knowledge, including safe technology use, and supporting opportunities for youth participation in the digital society, economy and ecosystem.
- Share knowledge, practices, and field insights: Proactively contribute youth-focused insights, good practices, innovative ideas, and lessons learned, as well as challenges observed in your local environment, to support evidence-based progress at national, and regional levels.
- Uphold neutrality and inclusiveness: Promote youth digital inclusion while respecting diversity of views, maintaining political neutrality, and remaining within the agreed ITU thematic scope and values framework, as well as following the United Nations System Code of Conduct.
Knowledge Development Programme
The GCYE Knowledge Development Programme was designed to equip Youth Envoys with the knowledge, skills and tools to meaningfully engage in and contribute to digital development at local, regional and global levels.
Through a dynamic combination of global and regional interactive sessions, workshops, intergenerational dialogues and exchanges with ITU and partner experts, Youth Envoys explore the UN system, ITU, BDT, WTDC-25 and its implementation framework, alongside key areas shaping our digital society – from digital inclusion and infrastructure to innovation, cybersecurity, AI, emerging technologies and beyond.
Ultimately, the Programme seeks to equip and empower today’s young people to become tomorrow’s digital leaders – able to bring youth perspectives into decision-making, turn knowledge into action, and help shape an inclusive, sustainable, and people-centred digital future for all.
Learn more about the Knowledge Development Programme
Explore our Generation Connect Youth Envoys cohorts.