Guidelines proposed for Child Online Protection initiative

Guidelines for the protection of children in cyberspace were presented as drafts for discussion on Monday, 18 May in connection with the theme for the 2009 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The draft guidelines will be reviewed at the Strategic Dialogue on Safer Internet Environment for Children in Tokyo, 2-3 June. The final Guidelines on Child Online Protection will be issued at ITU TELECOM WORLD, 5-9 October 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. Comments will be accepted until 30 June 2009. ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré asserted that "we must do everything in our power to create a healthy online environment for our children". He said he was confident that "a secure cyberspace for our children will not remain an ideal but will become a reality". Dr Touré recognized the importance of the draft guidelines prepared in close collaboration with numerous UN agencies and other organizations, including UNICRI, INTERPOL, and the European Commission.