Page 10 - SAMENA Trends - September 2019
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FULFILLING NATIONAL ICT VISIONS BY BUILDING TRUST IN THE INTERNET AND PROTECTING THE CONNECTED SAMENA TRENDS
FULFILLING NATIONAL ICT VISIONS BY BUILDING TRUST
IN THE INTERNET AND PROTECTING THE CONNECTED
For the Sake of Children and Business
We need meaningful connectivity
that can help us to achieve the UN
Sustainable Development Goals by
2030 of which SDG 16.2 calls for ending
abuse, exploitation and all forms of
violence against children.
The ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable
Development, on October 1st this year, launched a new report
on Child Online Safety: Minimizing the Risk of Violence, Abuse
and Exploitation Online. In the launch at the United Nations
headquarters in New York participated HM Queen Silvia of
Sweden and the Executive Director of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore.
The report was developed by the Commission’s Working
Group, co-chaired by CEO-Operations of the Zain Group and
SAMENA Telecommunications Council’s board member, Scott
Gegenheimer, and Joanna Rubinstein, President and CEO of
World Childhood Foundation USA; two of the 60 Broadband
Commissioners. The report is accompanied by a Child Online
Safety Universal Declaration, which we hope will serve as an
instrument for growing the army of child protectors.
Why did the Broadband Commission decide that child online
safety deserves attention?
There are several reasons. First, today one third of all Internet
Dr. Joanna Rubinstein users are children who spend endless hours online and it is our
responsibility to do no harm to them. Second, the expansion of
President & CEO broadband to the developing countries will connect hundreds
World Childhood Foundation USA of millions more children. While we want them to benefit from
access to information, education, skilling, entertainment, and
markets, we know that they will also be exposed to many
risks, among them: bullying, abuse, exploitation, sextortion,
trafficking, gaming addiction, radicalization and so much
more. Third, we need connectivity to fuel economic growth
and sustainable development but also social inclusion. In
sum, we need meaningful connectivity that can help us to
achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 of
which SDG 16.2 calls for ending abuse, exploitation and all
forms of violence against children.
10 SEPTEMBER 2019
