Attending the first Generation Connect Global Youth Summit

In early June 2022, around 500 young people from more than 100 countries descended on Kigali, Rwanda for the International Telecommunication Union’s first Generation Connect Global Youth Summit. Throughout my brief visit to Kigali, a number of themes emerged:

• Young people are engaged and insist on a seat at the table. Broad participation in the Youth Summit, both in person and with thousands more online, was a testament to the urgency that global youth feel to make their voice heard.
• The stakes are high. Global stakeholders were called upon to recognize the central role digital policy plays in shaping our current and future lives.
• Digital inclusion is paramount. The transformative power of digital connectivity begins with granting young people access to the Internet, building digital literacy, and promoting digital hygiene.
• Human rights extend to online spaces. Governing online spaces requires nuanced and thoughtful approaches to sensitive problems, and young people are capable of participating in these evolving debates.

[Peal Risberg is an intern in NTIA’s Office of International Affairs.]