Committee of e-Leaders for ICT and Youth Réduire

During the Global Forum on Youth and ICT for Development held last 24-26 September 2007, in Geneva, Switzerland, youth participants from around the world proposed the establishment of a Global Youth Coalition / Network that would support the agenda of the United Nations on harnessing information and communication technologies for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Global Youth Coalition will enable the youth to exchange knowledge and experiences on ICT for development and youth issues, as well as spearhead initiatives and programmes in the regions. It will also allow the youth to communicate with other organizations and stakeholders working on the MDG agenda for youth and ICT.

The work of the Coalition will be governed and coordinated by a Committee of e-Leaders for ICT and Youth, a body under the UNDESA-GAID Strategy Council, composed of regional youth representatives and other successful youth leaders from various fields.

Composition

The Committee of e-Leaders for ICT and Youth is composed of active and committed regional youth representatives from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and the Arab World.

Functions

The members of the Committee of e-Leaders for ICT and Youth shall:

  • coordinate the work and initiatives of the Global Youth Coalition on ICT for development;
  • help in bringing multi-stakeholder actors together, representing relevant bodies, such as in government ICT-related agencies, foreign policy, finance, social, sectoral (health and education) and regulatory agencies; in the private sector – industry and workers associations, producers and consumers of ICT, the media; civil society NGOs, foundations, scientific, academic and ICT communities and individuals providing advocacy and oversight on Information Society issues and implementing programmes addressing MDGs;
  • help create youth networks in the region; develop and implement regional work programmes of the Global Youth Coalition on ICT for development along GAID’s four focus areas namely: education, health, governance and entrepreneurship;
  • promote awareness and advocacy campaigns, through multimedia, on regional ICT-for-development initiatives for the Global Alliance, with the support of the GAID secretariat;
  • promote fundraising and mobilization of resources for the Coalition in support of its initiatives, activities and events;
  • promote the objectives of GAID through outreach with young people, governments, business leaders, civil society, academic institutions and technology communities;
  • bring to the attention of the GAID Steering Committee, through the GAID secretariat, regional perspectives and needs of the youth relevant to ICT for development; informs GAID, through the secretariat, on significant regional developments and initiatives;
  • participate in ICT-related events periodically around the world, to serve as an UNDESA-GAID e-Leaders of Tomorrow for ICT and Youth, representing their respective region;
  • report periodically to the GAID secretariat and to its Strategy Council; and
  • prepare periodic report on activities and outcomes to all stakeholders in the region, including governments, business leaders, civil society, academia and technology communities.