Nordic Youth Forum at EurodiG Stockholm June 2012
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was created at the World Summit on
Information Society in Tunis in 2005 in response to calls for an international
platform where public policy issues relating to the Internet might be discussed.
The Summit asked Secretary General Kofi Annan to summon such a forum – a
forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue. The IGF, which meets annually,
is open to all: governments, civil society, international organisations, teachers
and scholars, organisations in the private sector and others. The purpose of
the Forum is to examine issues relating to the Internet from a broad variety of
perspectives; these range from purely technical aspects to human rights issues.
All participants are free to speak and share their experiences. Unlike many other fora in the UN community, the IGF has no legislative or executive powers.
Young people are a frequent topic in IGF discussions, but to date very few
young voices have been heard. Young people have not found a place at the
table.
The aim was to bring young people from all the Nordic countries – Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – together to discuss the future of the
Internet with respect to issues like openness, diversity, accessibility, safety
and personal integrity, and not least, human rights. The forum should bring
policy-makers, experts, operators, and media companies face to face with
young people’s knowledge and experience and to heighten young people’s
awareness of the opportunities the web affords as well as its limitations and
specific characteristics. Writ large, it is about the potential of Internet to be
a tool for democracy that transcends local and national frontiers in decision-making processes that relate to children and youth.
The Nordic countries are known for their early adoption and development of
IT, as well as for a long tradition of legal safeguards for freedom of expression
and freedom of the press. Almost everyone in the younger generation uses
Internet and mobile phones daily. The countries share the same political and
cultural views regarding children and young people’s use of digital technology.
Thus, there was reason to believe that Nordic collaboration on the subject might
bear fruit that may be of broader international interest. A Nordic initiative that
might be introduced into the global arena via t the IGF. At the same time it might
also contribute to promoting media literacy.
The project could be launched thanks to support from the Nordic Culture
Fund.