One of the most important achievements of the 2009 Internet Governance Forum in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, was undoubtedly the integration of young people in the debates on diversity, openness, privacy and development, and most importantly on empowerment and online safety issues.   This achievement was emphasized during an honorary session entitled "Preparing the Young Generations in the Digital Age: A Shared Responsibility,” chaired by H.E. Mrs Suzanne Mubarak on the final day of the Forum.

In her remarks, Mrs. Mubarak stressed the need to work harder to ensure that the focus of internet governance becomes more people-centered, and that the internet itself becomes a catalyst for human development. “For therein lies the real promise of the internet of tomorrow, she said. “It is being able to look at our computer or mobile screens and see a world where people are living in dignity, in security and in peace”.

 

Mrs. Mubarak also spoke about the recent developments of the Movement’s Cyber Peace Initiative, and specifically the important work that had been accomplished throughout the region on the topic of Internet Safety. “Our youth focus group, who have called themselves Net Amman, have been extremely active, travelling across the globe to disseminate safety messages, to collaborate with other young people to find innovative ways of protecting children online; of protecting them from exploitation and abuse”.

 H.E. Suzanne Mubarak remarks IGF 2009

You can also visit the IGF webcast to see Honorary Session

 http://www.un.org/webcast/igf/ondemand.asp?mediaID=pl091118am1&start=00:01:55&end=00:14:04