Baseline Study:Version 2, March 2008
The Cyber Peace Initiative"Youth Utilizing ICTs for Peace Enhancement"
The Cyber Peace Initiative (CPI) was launched at the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement's InternationalYouth Forum, "Youth Speak, We Listen", Sharm el Sheikh 1-3 September 07. CPI is a dynamic process that aims at systematicallyenhancing usage of ICT and Internet based tools to enable youth to participate actively in the communication, interculturalunderstanding, empathy creation, exploration of different cultural and national realities, and skills development that underliesustainable peace enhancement. The Initiative consists of six main tracks:
¯ Empowering Youth
¯ Internet Safety for Young People
¯ Youth Peace Camps
¯ E- Peace Contests
¯ E- Content Development for Peace.
¯ IT Enabled Services, a New Means to bring Youth From Different Cultures Together
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Contents
1. Introduction 4
2. Vision 5
3. Situation Analysis 6
4. Guiding principles and Program Objectives 8
5. Work Program 9
5.1 Empowering Youth 9
5.2 Internet Safety for Young People 10
5.3 Youth Peace Camps 11
5.4 E- Peace Contests 12
5.5 E- Content Development for Peace 13
5.6 IT Enabled Services; a New Means to bring Youth from Different Cultures Together 13
6. Deliverables 14
7. Partnerships 14
8. Initiative Management and Governance 15
Annex: Preliminary List of Relevant Organizations 19
1.0 Introduction
Information and communications technology has been
recognized as a major driver of the globalization process.
By making information more accessible and usable and
communications faster and more widely available, ICT has
reduced the traditional constraints of distance and culture
and dissolved many distinctions between national and global
economies.
Nations are focusing on building their information and
communication infrastructure, policies, and strategies and
investing in human resources with the goal of furthering
both innovation and knowledge within their respective
countries. Technology is a major facet of all aspects of the
global economy and the demand for related tools and skills
will continue to increase especially among youth as the main
component of the nascent working force. ICT has become
an enabler of key industries today -- and an essential
component of competing and succeeding in the global
economy.
Inevitably, ICT is changing the way people, especially young
people, think, learn, play, and interact with each other and
with the society around them. ICT is allowing youth to
exchange ideas and information freely. In many societies,
it is providing the means to foster their involvement in social
and political movements and helping them impact public
opinion.
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Anan stated, “The new
technologies that are changing our world are not a panacea
or a magic bullet. But they are, without doubt, enormously
powerful tools for development. They create jobs. They are
transforming education, health care, commerce, politics and
more." (Kofi Anan, Secretary General of United Nations,
2001 ICT Task Force Meeting)
The UN and other multilateral agencies are increasingly
highlighting the potential of ICTs to facilitate and support
development efforts in health care, education, environmental
protection, civil society, conflict resolution, enhancement
of peace and many other sectors. While the potential of ICTs
in development is strong, there is no doubt that without a
serious and sustained examination of the dynamics of conflicts
and strife, of intra-national and international conflicts,
whatever is invested in development is by definition
unsustainable. In order for development to be truly
sustainable, an infrastructure of peace and a “culture of
peace” must be promoted so that the accomplishments of
years of development are not destroyed in days of war. In
this context too, ICT has a crucial role to play.
ICT is an enabler to help transform not only realities, but
mind sets and perceptions as well. Youth, in particular, are
the first beneficiaries and users of these tools and technologies
which offer unlimited opportunities for creativity and
innovation and can dilute barriers between cultures and
societies. If harnessed effectively, ICT has the potential to
enable youth to play a role in accelerating social, economic
and political development; build bridges across geographical
boundaries and increase understanding among cultures;
create new economic, social and cultural opportunities and
broaden the horizon of youth; shape a better future, with
opportunity, prosperity, harmony and peace; and accelerate
prosperity.
2.0 Our Vision
One of the basic principles to emerge from the World Summiton the Information Society (Geneva 2003, Tunis 2005) isthe need to explore ICT in the furthering of the UnitedNation’s Millennium Development Goals. This principle,combined with the growing conviction of the internationalcommunity that peace is a necessary prerequisite for socialand economic development, led to the launch of a newprogram designed to build the capacity of today’s youth toharness the power of the new information and communicationtechnologies to promote a culture of peace.
The Cyber Peace Initiative Program was launched at theInternational Youth Forum, “Youth Speak, We Listen”, inSharm el Sheikh on 1-3 September 2007. The mission ofthe Initiative is to empower youth of any nation, throughICT, to become catalysts of change: to create safe and betterfutures for themselves and others, to address the root causesof conflict, to disseminate the culture of peace, and to createinternational dialogues for a harmonious world.
The Cyber Peace Initiative is an integrated effort to rallythe local, regional and the international youth communityto use ICT for the purpose of forwarding the cause of peaceenhancement and promoting the "Peace Culture". The PeaceCulture is defined by the United Nations as “a set of values,attitudes, modes of behavior and ways of life that rejectviolence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causesto solve problems through dialogue and negotiation amongindividuals, groups and nations."1
The vision of the Initiative emanates from the SuzanneMubarak Women’s International Peace Movement principles,as articulated in its founding document, that “… whilst majorwars have been averted, they have been replaced by morepersistent conflicts, border strife, civil wars, foreignoccupation, and terrorism that characterize our world today.These crisis situations have deprived people of their dignity,violated their human rights and subjected them to unnecessarypain and suffering. This state of affairs exacerbates extremepoverty and unemployment, and patterns of economic,political and social injustice. Conditions that are marked bydiscrimination, rejection or oppression have often led todespair and loss of hope. Women, the youth and childrenhave been the hardest hit.” The Cyber Peace Initiativeintroduces a technological means to realize the vision of theMovement.
The Initiative is working to improve communications acrosscultural and geographical barriers through contentdevelopment and platform creativity, by exploring thesociopolitical impact of IT enabled industries, by researchingthe potential for ICT as a channel for economic opportunitiesand innovation for youth, and by engaging youth in securingthe Internet as the medium through which these objectiveswill be achieved. The Initiative rests on capitalizing on thecreative spirit of youth to innovate constantly to reflect thepace of sociopolitical changes and developments in today’sworld
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1 Un Resolutions: Culture of Peace and Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.
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3.0 Situation Analysis
The Cyber Peace Initiative is an integrated attempt tocomplement and build on the current call and expectationsof Secretary General of ITU Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré that“… Cyber security and cyber peace are the most criticalconcerns in this information society age, with more than abillion Internet users in the world today to break into networksnot only for financial gain but also to collect information,invade privacy, steal identities, sow hatred and, worst of all,pander to the nefarious habits of pedophiles. Financial lossalone is estimated to run into several billion dollars both fromfraud on the Internet and from the costs of rebuilding networksthat have suffered cyber attacks…'85The future is wired -- andwireless: more mobile applications and an exponential growthof the Internet which is today in its infancy…'85More will beachieved in speech recognition technologies, breaking alllanguage and literacy barriers, making the world a trueKnowledge Society”.2
We recognize the effort exerted by the Global Alliance for ICTand Development in this respect, as well as the pioneering workof the ICT4Peace Foundation.3
We acknowledge the effort done in the area of using ICT as atool for peace. Early warning systems, conflict prevention andcrisis management are of special significance, as is the currentcoordination to foster international dialogue towards enhancingthe competency and professionalism of the internationalcommunity in utilizing ICT for promoting peace and crisismanagement.
We also note the idea of developing a sustainable institutionalframework at the international level for using ICT inhumanitarian and peace operations through improved inter-agency interoperability and collaboration.
We share GAID's view about youth as “… participants, actors,promoters, influencers and in some cases, leaders of ICT…that (youth) are avid users of new technology, and successfulin adapting to and understanding the potential for ICT…, andGAID's notable work with youth in education, health,entrepreneurship and governance.4
We note diverse efforts undertaken by various NGOs andinternational organizations, in promoting the culture of peacein ICT platforms.
We hope to be contributing in furthering and complementingthe agenda of the international community in harnessing ICTfor Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by focusing onpromoting usage of ICT in enhancement of the Peace Culture,an area that requires further focused and concerted work andcreativity. Our aim is to synchronize such efforts to increasevalue added to all, regionally and internationally. In addition,the Initiative aims to understand the socio-political and culturalimpact of IT-enabled industries on dialogue creation andempathy, moving from an IT-centered approach to a moresocio-political one. Our contention is that IT-enabled industriesand innovative tools have the potential to broaden economic,social and cultural horizons and thus deflate tensions createdby geographical, cultural or other restrictions, hence, the needfor more creativity in this domain .5
Information and communication technologies offer youth around
the world the tools to become to become promoters of a Culture
of Peace, to become “Social Entrepreneurs for Peace.” Once
ICT is accessible to the population at large, it can play numerous
roles in promoting peace.
Communication among peoples, especially those engaged in
conflict, is essential if alternative futures are to be scripted.
When people across cultural and linguistic divides talk, the
dialogue that emerges lays the groundwork for a culture of
peace. This "Culture of Peace" re-conceptualizes conflict as
emanating not from greed or hatred, but from a clash of interests
that can and should be resolved. At the root of resolving conflict
must be the interweaving and the intermeshing of the interests
of people on both sides of the conflict divide to create win-win
situations where the gains of one side do not have to be at the
expense of the other side. This is most obviously done by
creating economic interdependence, i.e. jobs and markets for
each group in the territory of the other, or alternatively, in a
cyberspace that brings them together, without the constraints
of political boundaries.
ICT is playing a major role as a medium for interaction. An
example is the growth in the number of chat rooms of various
types that enable youth, from wherever they are in the world
(next door or across a hostile border) to exchange ideas and
discuss current issues. This has opened windows onto different
cultures and enabled youth to narrow the gap between their
different perspectives. It has also enabled youth to discover
issues as third parties to conflict, look at issues from the
perspective of each side, and work to bridge gaps in perception
and understanding. To bridge these gaps, the development of
secure and accessible work spaces (beyond simple chat rooms)
where key partners can meet, share information and discuss
ideas without fear of repercussions or reprisals from their
respective societies or from the authorities in their countries
becomes necessary. Enough people must be able to engage in
the discussions to contribute to 'cross fertilization' and the
credibility of the results as reflections of real sentiment and
possibility.
The United Nations’ 2015 Millennium Development Goals
cannot be achieved without the enhancement of cultural
dialogues and peace among youth. The Initiative raises a call
for the creation of a concerted momentum to build a framework
for content that will enhance peace. Accordingly, the Cyber
Peace Initiative was launched at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in
September 2007 as a multi stakeholder attempt to safeguard
the Internet as a medium of communications and to transform
it in the hands of its most avid users to a medium of peaceful
dialogue.
The Initiative will capitalize on existing dispersed efforts with
a special focus on youth and an organized program of work.
By harnessing technology, the Initiative should enable public
expression and elaboration of contending interests and voicing
of differences of identities, experiences, values and histories
for better understanding through diverse applications. The
Initiative is an open- ended mechanism that takes off with
specific tracks but which can expand to others depending on
stakeholders’ priorities and needs.2 About the Cyber Security initiative:http://www.itwire.com/view/12744/127/.About ITU Cyber Security and Cyber Peace: http://www.unspecial.org/UNS663/t21.html3 Stauffacher, Daniel, Willian Drake, Paul Currion and Julia Steinberger. Information and Communication Technology for peace; the Roleof ICT in Preventing,
Responding to and Recovering from Conflict. United Nations ICT Task Force, 2005.4 About “Youth and ICT as Agents of Change Forum in Geneva”; http//www.un-gaid.org/gfyouth5 Effort done by various organizations in this respect is acknowledged. A preliminary list is included in the annex and will be amended
The question guiding the development of the Initiative’s work
program is how best to contribute to empowering the youth of
any nation, through ICT, to be catalysts of change, to create
better futures for themselves and for future generations. How
can ordinary youth become leaders of tomorrow by acquiring
and later applying ICT skills to enhance their education, secure
a good living, improve their health, extend a helping hand,
support a useful cause, promote the cause of democracy and
human rights? How can youth save themselves and protect
future generations from Internet crime to sustain the positive
contribution of the Internet to welfare and to peace?
4.0 Guiding Principles and Program Objectives
The Initiative’s guiding principles, developed to address thisquestion and guide its efforts, are:
A focus on youth : Enhancing skills to acceleratedevelopment
Creativity: Developing creative thinking skills
Opportunities: Creating avenues for dialogue, understandingand new opportunities
Leverage: Building on what already exists and catalyzingactivity elsewhere
Partnerships: Partnering with various stakeholders tomaximize impact
Sustainability: Creating a sustainable, scalable model withenduring value
State of the art training: Fostering peace and productivityamong youth by building their practical communicationskills
Networking: Building a national, regional and globalnetwork of young leaders to bridge divides and build channelsof communication and trust, and creating a platform forknowledge sharing, collaboration and the exchange of ideasand experiences among youth
Empowerment: Empowering youth to create a prosperousfuture where tolerance and understanding of different culturesand peace are the prevailing values, and enabling them toengage in peace-building and global healing
Incubation: Encouraging and incubating the output ofyouth.
The Initiative's primary strategic objectives are to:
Prepare youth for success in a world of expanding democracyand globalization by helping them learn informationtechnology skills, gain global awareness, and experiencepositive communication with local and international peersand mentors;
Empower youth through the use of ICT for the creation ofa prosperous future where tolerance and understanding ofdifferent cultures and peaceful coexistence are the prevailingvalues;
Educate, mobilize, energize and empower youth to undertakechange for a peaceful, vibrant environment, whereacceptance, understanding and tolerance can prevail as theincome gap, the digital gap, the education and skills gapsas well as the employment and productivity gaps aregradually bridged;
Build a national, regional and global network of young
leaders to build channels of communication and trust;
Create a platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration and
exchange of ideas and experiences;
Engage youth, in safeguarding the Internet;
Assess the value of IT enabled industry on the peace culture;
Leverage and capitalize on the innovative strength of youth
in creating peace-conducive platforms and content.
5.0 Proposed Work Program
The Cyber Peace Initiative will provide youth with opportunities
for creativity through knowledge, tools and access. The Initiative
selected Egypt as its first site for implementation, due to the
development of its ICT infrastructure, large pool of human
resources, and centrality and stability in a region that has
suffered extensively from conflict.
The Initiative will be implemented using as a platform Egypt’s
existing network of IT clubs as a platform for launching the
programs and weaving partnerships with similar networks
internationally.
The Initiative includes the following six tracks:
1- Empowering Youth
2- Internet Safety for Young People
3- Youth Peace Camps
4- E- Peace Contests
5- E- Content Development for Peace
6- IT Enabled Services: a New Means to bring Youth From
Different Cultures Together
The Cyber Peace Initiative builds upon synergies among these
six tracks as well as collaboration between partners. Evaluation
and assessment of the Initiative’s efforts will form a critical
element for the success of the program. A youth advisory group
will assist the Initiative’s international executive board in
effectively targeting youth interests. Two initial target groups
have been identified as the focus of the Initiative’s efforts:
youth aged 12-15 years old and 18-25 years old.
5.1Track One: Empowering Youth
This track focuses on implementing a training program that
addresses needs required to build the ICT capacity of Egyptian
youth, blended with the soft skills and communication skills
required to equip the youth to be active contributors in their
relevant communities. The Peace Module will also include
interactive tools to enhance dialogue, understanding and
tolerance and internet safety tips and tutorials.
1. ICT skills: This component will draw on different training
programs provided by the technology partners of the Initiative
to foster technology and innovation, and create new
opportunities. Examples of programs include IT Essentials,
CCNA Discovery and Exploration Program, and Intel
Learn… etc
2. Personal and communication skills: This component will
enhance the communication skills of youth to more effectively
interact with peers locally, regionally and globally. These
skills include online etiquette and a primer on globally
accepted exchange standards. Through this track, youth are
expected to build networks and to pass on their skills tofamilies and friends.
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3. Peace related skills: These include skills of dialogue, team
work, and communication, team work, flexibility and the
concept of peace. Curricula for training are tailored based on
the age bracket of the audience and in cooperation with different
partners. Those skills are coupled with a training on web 2
tools which enable youth to have a participatory and interactive
role on the internet and to generate content.
4. Internet Safety tutorials: where youth are trained on the
safe use of the Internet and are made aware of potential hazards
and risks. The tutorials draw on experiences developed in
different parts of the world and on localized programs.
5. Trainers’ capacity building: To ensure continuity, expansion
and sustainability, this track will train trainers in technology
clubs/ tele-centers in urban and rural areas. Trainers will receive
IT tailored Training of Trainer (TOT) preparation aiming at
improving their skills to disseminate knowledge across the
cities and villages in Egypt, regionally and around the globe.
The track aims at implementing its training, as suitable and in
agreement with concerned entities, through existing programs
delivered at schools and in NGOs. In addition, a Mobile Internet
Unit will be dedicated to disseminate the peace culture and
peace training module in governorates and remote areas.
5.2 Track Two: Internet Safety for Young People
The Middle East is becoming a major regional force in
information technology. The expansion of the use of the Internet
in Egypt, the proliferation of affordable computers and Internet
connections, advanced access technology and unregulated
cyber-cafes where young people meet, share network information
and surf without any parental guidance or technical blocs, has
been both a blessing and a curse. Unattended surfing of the
Internet or use of mobile phones may expose young users to
risks related to content, contacts or commercialism.
Our youth are often becoming the involuntary recipients of
materials that are repulsive or potentially damaging. The
proliferation of Internet sites depicting violence, brutality and
crime desensitizes youth to their horrors. This necessitates
immediate action to raise awareness among youth about the
potential dangers associated with the use of the Internet.
Since various forms of filtering, blocking and monitoring
software are sometimes ineffective and as their development
is outpaced by those who would post such material on the web,
circumventing such security measures and reaching our children
anyway, it is necessary to work with youth and parents and
perhaps also public providers of Internet services whether at
the network level or at the supplier end. As part of their interests
in the affairs of women and children, relevant NGOs are
important not only as a source of funding but also as a source
of information sharing as well as a source of expertise in
conducting survey research and analyzing results.
This track aims at establishing a Youth Internet Safety Focus
Group to spread awareness about Internet safety issues in order
to empower children and youth with the ability to identify
harmful content and use computers, the Internet, IT tools, and
mobile phone services safely and responsibly.
The Youth Internet Safety Focus Group will meet regularlyover an initial 18-month period beginning February 2008. Thegroup has four major goals:
Research the current e-safety needs of young people inEgypt to better understand the wide range of concernsshared by youth and their families.
Assess the most appropriate guidelines for young peoplein safe use of the Internet.
Create and design effective education and awarenessresources to communicate e-safety information to youngpeople and their parents.
Contribute to wider strategic programs and assess thoseprograms from the youth perspective.
Key strategies for achieving these goals include holding focus
groups and workshops for parents on Internet safety as well as
monthly awareness meetings with youth to identify and promote
Internet safety tips to parents, youth and children; partnering
with key international organizations and NGOs active in the
field; meeting periodically with heads of NGOs for raising
awareness and discussing issues; considering a code of ethics
for young users; and promoting a system of classification, tools,
and filters.
As a first step, the Focus Group is organizing a national
conference on Internet safety issues under the title “Young
People in the Internet and Mobile Age: Safe and Empowered
!”. The conference, will held in March 2008 at Egypt’s Smart
Village, will bring together a range of stakeholders to hear
about lessons learned from organizations around the world
dealing with these issues, as well as youth, library professionals,
parents' groups, representatives of the Egyptian government,
and professionals from education, industry, media, law
enforcement, and civil society sectors. The conference will
showcase best practices, identify potential hazards, and plan
for future action to trigger a national and regional dialogue
about safety on the Internet.
This track will also establish an e-Safety Focus Group for
Parents in collaboration with Childnet International. This focus
group gives members of Childnet and the Cyber Peace Initiative
the opportunity to review with parents the kind of efforts that
are needed to increase parents’ understanding of the issues as
well as enable them to keep pace with their children’s use of
the Internet. The initial focus group will bring together 25
parents for a four-hour workshop to assess current awareness,
explain risks and other issues such as Internet governance, hear
from parents about their fears and anxieties, discuss possible
messages, and review with them similar campaigns from around
the world.
5.3 Track Three: Youth Peace Camps
Under this track, an annual gathering for youth will be held,
where youth leaders from around the globe will get together
and participate in a Peace Youth Camp. We expect that
participants taking part in the Peace Contests will meet in
person to engage in a one- week dynamic interaction.
Throughout the week, participants will take part in an
educational, fun-based camp that promotes cross-cultural, inter-
racial, and religious tolerance and understanding. Egypt would
be happy to host the first camp, which could be hosted by other
interested partner countries in the following year(s).
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The camp will provide resources and capacity building to youthleaders so they can network and spread the vision of CyberPeace in the camp which may include the following:
Further training on basic ICT skills, communicationskills, e-content, development and management
Knowledge sharing for updated applications and trends inInternet tools
Training on e-content development
Cultural e-content projects implemented between groupsof youth
Electronic games deployment and operation
Sports and cultural activities in recognition of eachparticipating country
Recognition of the e-peace contest participants
Training on anger management, negotiations andleadership skills
Lectures by motivational world- renowned speakers on thePeace Culture.
5.4 Track Four: E-Peace Contests
Track four focuses on the development of contests and awards tostimulate awareness and interest in e-Peace issues among theyouth. These contests are designed to build a dialogue amongstparticipants and a coherent regional and global youth communitywhich will be fostered by subsequent contests, develop peace-based content to be used by students worldwide, and contributein developing ties between youth regionally and globally.
The E- Peace Contest, which had its soft start at the InternationalYouth Forum on 1-3 September 2007, is designed to buildpeace-related online content while fostering professional,
technical and managerial skills. Youth will participate in anannual contest by preparing written or multimedia online contenton topics such as:
Human rights,
Religious tolerance,
Social respect,
Cultural understanding and common history,
Peace building,
Socially-unifying sports.
The themes of the competition will focus on promoting mutualunderstanding, respect and harmony enabling social changesand healthier lives with peace as the underlying principle. Thecompetition will:
Unite and empower youth from Egypt and other countriesby publishing their essays online and empowering them tofully utilize their creative and technical skills. The bestessays will be judged online by a jury of peers and willreceive recognition which will be given during the YouthCamps gathering.
Build a dialogue amongst participants and a coherent regionaland global youth community which will be fostered bysubsequent contests.
Develop peace- based content to be used by studentsworldwide.
Contribute in developing ties between youth regionally andglobally.
5.5 Track Five: E-Content Development for Peace
In this track, efforts will focus on encouraging the developmentof digital content in different disciplines and types (audio, video,text). Digital content should demonstrate the coexistence ofdifferent cultures and religions. In addition, these efforts willsupport the concept of cross-border incubation of IT platformscreated by youth to give youth the chance to interact and testtheir ideas on other societies and cultures and adopt a youthdriven method of work in content creation, which rests on youthteams updating content and platforms to match the pace ofchange in today’s world so as to preserve their relevance andinterest to youth. The track will additionally identify sustainabilitymodels for youth created content and platforms, in terms ofmanagement structures and funding, in such a way as to preservethe integrity of the platform and allow for its continuity.
To provide youth with the necessary platform for content generation,a portal will be designed for this purpose. The portal will rely ona youth-drive- method of work in content creation, which rests onyouth teams essentially and constantly updated content and platformsthat match the pace of socio- political changes in real life. Theportal will rely on web 2 tools which aim to facilitate , cooperation,and sharing among youth users. The portal will include a webbased media center for knowledge sharing and stocktaking andwill be used as a main tool for dissemination of work andachievements of the Initiative.
5.6 Track Six: IT Enabled Services
We are currently witnessing IT-enabled global business processesthat are developing at different paces and intensity throughoutthe world. Through Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO)and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), an interesting byproduct has emerged, exemplified by the changes that occur in
youth perceptions, belief systems, knowledge andconceptualization of "the other". It is high time local, regional,and international stakeholders examine in depth the socio-cultural product of this industry which is having such a greatinfluence on the life of youth in our age. In this context, wesuggest a number of practical steps:
Conducting a study on the socio-political and culturalimpact of the IT-enabled industry on youthHolding a regional workshop where results of the study arepresented.Raising awareness about the impact of this industry andcapitalizing on its positive effects.
In recognition of BPO and KPO and their impact on youth, acomparative study is suggested to examine the impact of thisindustry on the Culture of Peace. In addition, a regionalworkshop should examine the results of the study. Youthshould become aware of the effects of these industries on theirlives through an awareness campaign.
Questions to be raised by the study include:What are the varieties of new services available in today'sglobal economy that are delivered by youth? How do young people assess such services in terms of valueadded and potential for growth?What are the challenges encountered by young people who
are engaged in this new service industry?
How do new services foster understanding between cultures
across boundaries?
What services are envisioned to develop in the near future,
and how can young people be prepared for that?
How are the new industries promoting multilingualism and
e-content generation?
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Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement, with thesupport of the Ministry of Communications and InformationTechnology.
There are three levels of partnerships in the creation,development, and implementation of the Cyber Peace Initiative:founding partners, partners and associate partners.
Founding Partners of the Cyber Peace Initiative are: The SuzanneMubarak Women's International Peace Movement (SMWIPM),The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology(MCIT), The International Telecommunications Union (ITU),The UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID),Microsoft and Cisco
New partners include Intel Corporation, and associate partnersinclude Childnet International and the UNDP Egypt.
Partners are expected to play different roles:
Government(s)
Host the initiative and coordinate between foreign government entities, civil society groups and stakeholders
Provide access to ICT through leveraging tele-centers/technology clubs in the training of youth
Provide trainers and support
Train NGOs
Contribute to the revolving fund.
International Organizations:
Raise funds
Select new projects
Suggest new areas of work.
NGOs:
Manage the implementation of the Initiative and itsroll- out
Leverage existing capacity building and peace educational literature for the success of the initiative
Mobilize and engage youth from different communities in the initiative.
Corporations:
Offer state of the art tools
Offer training
Raise awareness
8.0 Initiative Management and Governance
On the international level, the Initiative will be run by:
8.1 The International Executive Board:
The International Executive Board will function regionallyand internationally. It is headed by H.E. the First Lady ofEgypt, President and Founder of the Suzanne MubarakWomen's International Peace Movement, with theparticipation of distinguished representatives of the Partners.The International Executive Board will set up the policies,guiding principles and strategic vision of the Initiative. Theboard will follow up and monitor implementation of theInitiative. It shall meet at least twice a year. Boardmembership is open to new partners.
Each of the partners should designate a Cyber Peacerepresentative to ensure international coordination of efforts
What are the socio-political side effects of the new cross-
boundaries service industry?
The study should rest on internationally recognized standards
of key relevant international organizations.
Indeed, a Culture of Peace and understanding requires the
development of a commonality of interests among youth and
must be created out of real, natural and tangible needs. The
new job market generated by the ICT revolution is not only
serving the economic needs of youth, but also creating a meshed
society and global community where interaction and
understanding between societies are not imposed, but become
economic necessities for both recipients and providers of new
ICT services. These services can be found in medical fields,
the entertainment industry, marketing services and more and
are thus better entrenched in the culture of youth. Youth can
no longer afford any more to be absorbed exclusively in their
own cultures and societies; they have to go beyond these
artificial borders in order to survive in today’s global economy.
In addition, economic prosperity generated by these new cross-
borders emerging ICT-enabled services enhances the propensity
to tolerance and understanding.
Young people from different societies work together in various
areas using ICT in the new global market that rely increasingly
on outsourcing and off shoring. These new economic activities
have diluted economic boundaries and cultural sensitivities in
an increasingly multilingual "new world order".
Some argue that the neutral nature of ICT skills in their different
forms allow youth not only to explore market opportunities in
their societies, but to transcend political and cultural boundaries
and serve other societies and economies, increasing empathy
and tolerance based on reciprocal needs. This is made possible
through the development of different service models which
rely primarily on youth. Call centers, medical transcription
centers, data entry centers, entertainment industry, service
centers and even creation of business content like sales kits
and presentations are excellent examples.
6.0 Deliverables
The expected deliverables of the Cyber Peace Initiative are:
A Cyber Peace network operating in at least 20 countries
to provide support and deliver value added services to youth;
A Cyber Peace Young Leaders Group
Cyber Peace training modules based on innovative and
attractive technology platforms
Guidelines for safety on the Internet
Development of a Cyber Peace web portal for knowledge
sharing and stocktaking, - A study on the socio-cultural
impact of IT enabled services on the Peace Culture among
youth.
7.0 Partnerships
The integrated Cyber Peace Program is a joint initiative by the
Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement,
Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information
Technology, the International Telecommunication Union, and
the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development, in
collaboration with Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Intel. The
Initiative’s continuity and success rests on multi-stakeholder
partners joining it to achieve its objectives in different parts of
the world. In Egypt, the Initiative is hosted by the Suzanne
and pooling of resources, in addition to keepingthe momentum going and allying with new partners.Representatives will be part of an international Cyber Peaceworking group.
On the national level, the structure below will be applied inEgypt. The model is replicable in other countries.
8.2 A National Initiative Director will be part of thenational governance structure. The Director will have the day-to-day responsibility for overall initiative co-ordination betweennational partners and the execution of different tracks, resourceplanning, and performance indicators t racking.
8.3 A Steering Committee will be responsible for thefollow-up and coordination of the Initiative’s nationalimplementation plan. All partners in the country are representedin the steering committee. The committee’s responsibilitiesare to:
Provide overall governance
Set broad policies
Provide resource support for the initiative
Make decisions
Manage the stakeholder committee
Manage external stakeholder expectations and
communication
8.4 An Initiative Management Office will be responsible
for the following:
Track leaders
Establish a Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit
Establish a Technical Assistance Unit
Establish a Program Support Unit
In order for the Cyber Peace Initiative to achieve its stated
goals on the national level and to execute the undertaken
projects, each of the main tasks must be performed within this
structure. The core competencies required to perform these
functions represent the minimum critical staffing level to
maintain progress on the initiative.
Track Leaders
Track leaders will manage budgets, schedules, resources and
deliverables. As the single point of contact for each track, the
track leader will ensure the quality of finished products as well
as on-time, on-budget delivery of the requested functions.
Track leaders will have day-to-day responsibility for overall
track co-ordination and execution, resource planning, and
performance indicators tracking. Track leaders will be
accountable to both the Initiative Director and the Executive
Steering Committee. Actual execution of the individual work
stream tasks will be the responsibility of the Track Working
Groups. These Working Groups will be formed as sufficient
resources are acquired to execute the work stream tasks. They
will typically consist of the track leader and the individuals
executing the track tasks. As required, experts (NGOs, local
stakeholders, and regional/international organizations) will be
engaged to support the track leaders and track Working Groups
in the execution of the project tasks. The Initiative Director
will provide overall coordination in the engagement and
management of experts.
16 17
Planning, Monitoring and Evaluatio
The National Initiative Director (NID) will ensure regular
monitoring of initiative activities against criteria and milestones
established and developed for the annual work plans. Monitoring
will be assisted by the initiative’s management information
system (MIS) and documented in the quarterly and annual
initiative implementation reports. Given the innovative character
of the initiative design, a team of specialized experts familiar
with the design will undertake yearly supervision missions that
will allow fine-tuning and redirection of the initiative’s
orientation during implementation. The evaluation will offer
lessons learned and recommendations to improve initiative
performance or national policy during the remaining part of
the life of the program.
Technical Assistance
The Technical Support unit will be responsible for the stability
and maintenance of the hardware and software of the deployed
development platform and for the establishment of connectivity
in different implementation locations. The unit will also provide
technical support for other units of the program and for their
activities.
The staff of the technical unit will include a network
administrator with a solid background in ICT and practical
experience in networks and different operating systems.
Program Support Unit
These staff members will manage personnel issues, such as
recruiting, contracting, follow-up, attendance, and employee
notices, in addition to externally contracting or sub-contracting
instructors and agencies. The unit will handle day-to-day
financial transactions, purchases, collecting money, recording
entries, and adjusting balance sheets. The unit head will be the
Executive Manager who will authorize transactions according
to inputs reported from the different units. The unit will perform
the following: prepare the program’s annual financial report;
compile annual requirements of equipment or other resources
from all units; and allocate available resources, either through
purchase or rental from other entities. It will be the responsibility
of the financial and administrative manager to handle customs
issues if necessary.
8.6 Initiative Management and Governance
On the international level, the Initiative will be run by:
An International Executive Board that functions regionally and
internationally headed by H.E. the First Lady of Egypt, President
and Founder of the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International
Peace Movement, with the participation of distinguished
representatives of the ITU, GAID, Microsoft, Cisco Systems
and MCIT. The Executive Board defines policies, guiding
principles and the strategic vision of the Initiative, and follows
up and monitors implementation of the Initiative. The Board
meets at least twice a year, and membership of the Board can
expand to include new members. Each of the partners in the
Initiative designates a Cyber Peace representative to ensure
international coordination of efforts and pooling of resources,
in addition to keeping the momentum going and allying with
new partners. Representatives are part of an international Cyber
Peace working group.
18 19
Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for theDialogue between Cultures
The Foundation's main objective is to bring people andorganizations from both shores of the Mediterraneancloser to each other and to help bridge the gap betweenthem. Particular importance is given to the developmentof human resources, while youth is the main target group.www.euromedalex.org
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a center of excellence inthe production and dissemination of knowledge and aplace of dialogue, learning and understanding betweencultures and peoples. The Bibliotheca Alexandria seeksto recapture the spirit of the original ancient Library ofAlexandria. It aspires to be the world's window on Egypt,Egypt's window on the world, a leading institution of thedigital age, and a center for learning, tolerance, dialogueand understanding.www.bibalex.org
Childnet International
Childnet International is a registered charity set up in1995 with the mission to work in partnership with othersaround the world to "help make the Internet a great andsafe place for children." The vision of the organizationis to ensure that all those involved in developing,producing, controlling, using and regulating internationaltelecommunications (current and future), recognize and
implement policies and programs which prioritize therights of children so that their interests are both promotedand protected. Childnet works in 3 main areas of Access,Awareness, Protection & Policy.
Childnet seeks to maintain a culture of care and supportfor both individual children, those who work for themand the organizations, institutions and governments thatoperate around them. At the same time Childnet seeks tomaintain a radical edge, challenging those institutionsthat control and profit from the development ofthe medium so that children's interests are protectedwww.childnet.com
The Council of Europe
The Convention on Cyber Crime of the Council of Europewas adopted in 2001 and is being ratified or acceded toby an increasing number of countries from around theworld. It serves as a guideline for the preparation ofnational legislation in terms of substantive law bycriminalizing specific types of cyber-offences andprocedural law by providing law enforcement and criminaljustice officials with effective investigative tools. It alsoserves as a framework for international cooperation againstcyber crime, in particular among those countries that areparty to the Convention, which includes a sectionconcerning children and illustrates the progress Europeancountries have made in combating these crimes, to makethe Internet a safer place for children and youth.www.coe.int
* Information of various organizations and NGOs are taken from their respective web site
InitiativeManagement
Office
InternationalExecutive Board
National InitiativeDirector
Executive SteeringCommittee
TechnicalAssistanceTrack Leaders
Planning,Monitoring, &
Evaluation
Figure 1: Proposed Governance for Cyber Peace Initiative
Operations &Program Support
InternationalAdvisory Board
ANNEX: Preliminary List of Relevant Organizations *
dgCommunities; Knowledge Sharing and
Collaboration Worldwide
dgCommunities is a collaborative space for professionals
working to reduce poverty and promote sustainable
development worldwide. Share knowledge, tools, contacts,
and more with members in 200 countries. Each online
community is centered on specific themes and guided by
experts in the field. Thousands of information resource
links are included, plus valuable member services.
The dgCommunities are provided by the Development
Gateway Foundation (topics.developmentgateway.org)
www.developmentgateway.org
The Egyptian Education Initiative
The Egyptian Education Initiative (EEI) is a public-private
partnership that aims to improve education in Egypt
through effective use of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT). With the support of the World
Economic Forum, multinationals and donors, the Ministries
of Communications and Information Technology,
Education and Higher Education have put in place several
initiatives to provide ICT to all Egyptians at an affordable
cost.
www.eei.gov.eg
The European Youth Forum
Independently established by youth organizations, the
European Youth Forum is made up of more than 90
national youth councils and international non-governmental
youth organizations. It brings together tens of millions
of young people from all over Europe, organized in order
to represent their common interests. The goals of the EYF
are to increase the participation of young people and
youth organizations in society and decision-making; to
positively influence policy issues affecting young people;
to foster the exchange of ideas and experiences to promote
mutual understanding and equal rights among Europe's
youth; to promote democracy and active citizenship; and
to deepen European integration while contributing to the
development of the world's youth.
www.youthforum.org
The Global Alliance for ICT and Development
The launch of the Global Alliance for Information and
Communication Technologies and Development (GAID)
was approved by the UN secretary general to link the
outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society
with the broader UN development agenda. The mission
of the Alliance is to respond to the need and demand for
an inclusive global forum and platform for cross-sectoral
policy dialogue, conducted in an open, multi- stakeholder
and transparent manner, on the use of ICT for enhancing
the achievement of internationally agreed development
goals, including the Millennium Development Goals and
notably reduction of poverty. The relation between youth
empowerment and ICT is one of the topics of interest to
the GAID.
www.un-gaid.org
The Global Knowledge Partnership
The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is the world's
first broad-based multi-stakeholder partnership in
ICT4Development. The Global Knowledge Partnership
operates on the global level and recognizes that many
young people are at the forefront of building information
and knowledge societies. The Youth Creating Digital
Opportunities (TCDO) coalition is the core component
of the GKP youth strategy supporting youth in advocacy.
GKP is showing the way to promote innovation in the
use and appropriation of ICT for development. GKP's
strategy for youth and related activities include identifying
a collaborative youth strategy, issues of concern and
supporting youth in advocacy.
www.globalknowledge.org
The Global Youth Action Network (GYAN)
The Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) is a youth-
led not-for-profit organization, launched in 1996 to unite
the efforts of young people and organizations in over 190
countries to promote youth participation and
intergenerational partnership in global decision-making,
support collaboration among different youth organizations;
and provide tools, resources, and recognition for positive
action by today's youth.
www.youthlink.org
Glocal Youth Parliament
The Glocal Youth Parliament (GYP) is a worldwide
network of urban youth partnering with local governments,
local and international organizations, international
institutions, private sector and each other to improve the
quality of urban life. This network of sixty-five cities and
five continents is designed to give youth a stronger voice
in the world and promotes local action, city-to-city
initiatives and the sharing of ideas, solutions and
experiences. Membership in the GYP is composed of two
youth representatives from each participating city and
their peer networks. Members initiate city-to-city peace
enhancement and development projects and belong to
action groups organized around specific themes.
Members are trained by both adult and youth experts in
strategic planning, program development and
communication, to ensure that they are adequately prepared
to act as youth advocates to promote the concerns, issues,
and hopes of youth to the attention of municipal and
global policy makers.
www.glocalyouth.org
I4D (Information for Development) Magazine
I4D is a monthly print magazine published in India that
focuses entirely on the issue of ICT for development.
www.i4donline.net
20 21
22 23
The ICT4Peace Foundation
The ICT4Peace Foundation studies and promotes the
current use and future potential of information and
communication technologies (ICTs) in humanitarian and
peace operations. The project's goals are to review the
status of ICTs in humanitarian and peace operations,
create a community of knowledge by networking and
information exchange, promote and facilitate the
identification of good practices in use of ICTs, and raise
international awareness of the role that ICTs can play in
responding to conflicts. The long term goal of the project
is to promote discussion about the use of ICTs in conflict
prevention and mitigation among different actors in dealing
with humanitarian and peace operation and build an open
and sharing community of practice in this sector.
www.ict4peace.org
InfoDev
InfoDev is the Information for Development Program of
the World Bank. It works to promote better understanding
and effective use of information and communication
technologies (ICTs) as tools of poverty reduction and
broad-based, sustainable development.
www.infodev.org
Information and Communication Technologies for
Development in the Arab Region (ICTDAR), UNDP
Information and Communication Technologies for
Development in the Arab Region (ICTDAR) was
established in 2003 to assist Arab states and people in
harnessing ICT to reduce poverty and improve both public
administration performance and the private sector's stake
in development. ICTDAR's core human development
mandate and implementation is focused on growth,
illiteracy eradication, and employment generation.
ICTDAR uses ICT as a tool to achieve these goals.
ICTDAR has established AjialCom, aiming at empowering
and enabling youth in the Arab world to achieve their
potential by harnessing ICT to provide dedicated venues,
through community access centers, for young people to
have better life chances in implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals.
www.ictdar.org
Insafe
Insafe is a network of national nodes that coordinate
internet safety awareness in Europe. The network is set
up and co-funded within the framework of the European
Commission's Safer Internet plus Programme which
comprises four action lines:
1. Fighting against illegal content
2. Tackling unwanted and harmful content
3. Promoting a safer environment
4. Awareness-raising
The mission of the Insafe cooperation network is to
empower citizens to use the internet, as well as other
online technologies, positively, safely and effectively.
The network calls for shared responsibility for the
protection of the rights and needs of citizens, in particular
children and youths, by government, educators, parents,
media, industry and all other relevant actors. Insafe
partners work closely together to share best practice,
information and resources. The network interacts with
industry, schools and families in the aim of empowering
people to bridge the digital divide between home and
school and between generations.
www.saferinternet.org
The International Centre for Missing and Exploited
Children (ICMEC)
The International Centre for Missing and Exploited
Children is a global agency. Founded in 1998, the Centre
promotes the safety and well-being of children through
activism, policy development and multinational
coordination. The Centre is based in Alexandria, Virginia.
www.icmec.org
The International Development Research Center
(IDRC)
The International Development Research Center (IDRC)
is a Canadian Crown corporation that works in close
collaboration with researchers from the developing world
in their search for the means to build healthier, more
equitable, and more prosperous societies.
www.idrc.ca
The International Telecommunications Union Youth
Forum (ITU)
Launched in May 2001 at ITU Telecom Africa 2001, the
Youth Forum brings together talented university students
from across the world to take part in a program of talks,
debates and interactive panel discussions with those in
attendance at ITU Telecom events. The Youth Forum is
a capacity building event, where youth explore the facts
and experiences gathered by the ITU and the
telecommunication industry about ICTs. The Forum also
enables exceptionally talented university students from
all ITU member states to share their ideas and access
ICTs. The ITU Youth Forum aims at realizing the vision
that "once people are equipped with information and
know-how, they will be able to use their ingenuity and
resourcefulness to develop their economic potential, to
guard their hard-earned liberty, and build sustainable
democracies. Through programs like the Youth Forum,
the ITU is helping today's youth to become tomorrow's
ICT leaders."1
www.itu.int
Junior Developers
The Egyptian Ministry of Education (MoE), which is
responsible for all K-12 schools in Egypt, aims to harness
technology to improve the education process in Egypt.
To fulfill this goal, MoE and Microsoft signed an education
agreement, as well as a Partner in Learning (PiL)
memorandum of understanding. MoE and Microsoft
together launched the Junior Developer Program, which
1 ITU Secretary General, Mr. Yoshio Utsumi,, Youth Forum, ITU Telecom World 2003, Geneva, Switzerland.
24 25
seeks to capitalize on the talent of Egyptian
youth. The program is creating a new generation of
developers for the Egyptian workforce.
www.microsoft.com/middleeast/egypt/english/press/casestudy/Agreement.aspx
Mtandao Africa
Mtandao Africa is a pan-African program to empower
youth through ICT to be critical learners and thinkers and
enable them to play a role in accelerating the growth of
the Knowledge Economy in Africa.
www.mtandao-afrika.org
NetHope
NetHope is a network of international NGOs that enables
its members to deliver information and accelerate responses
to developing countries, including those dealing with
complex emergencies and natural disasters.
www.nethope.org
The New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD) e-Africa Youth Program
NEPAD established a special task force for the ICT sector,
known as the NEPAD e- Africa Commission. The
NEPAD e-Africa Commission is the advisory body to
the NEPAD Heads of States and Government
Implementation Committee (HSGIC) on ICT related
matters. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission, which is
responsible for developing e-strategies and projects at the
continental level as well as managing the structured
development of the ICT sector, is working to establish
the NEPAD e-Africa Youth Program. The aim of the
NEPAD e-Africa Youth program will be to ensure that
the youth of Africa play an important role in the
reconstruction of the continent using ICT as an enabler.
www.nepad.org
Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation
The Peace Appeal Foundation, also known as The Appeal
of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation, supports peace
and conflict resolution processes. The Foundation works
collaboratively with local and international partners to
develop and disseminate innovative tools, methodologies
and education material and programs.
www.peaceappeal.org
NSPCC Inform
NSPCC Inform is the UK's only free, online, specialized
child protection resource for practitioners, researchers,
trainers, policy-makers and other professionals working
to protect children.
www.nspcc.org.uk
Resolve IT International Youth Symposium
The Resolve IT International Youth Symposium on Peace
Building and Conflict Resolution is a youth-run and youth-
led youth training event designed to move a wide diversity
of Canadian youth into action for peace in their respective
homes, schools and communities.
www.exchanges.gc.ca
Save the Children Sweden
The Save the Children organization is Sweden's arm for
combating the growing problem of child pornography on
the Internet and presents ideas on how other NGOs can
work to fight this problem.
www.rb.se/eng
TakingITGlobal.org
TakingITGlobal.org is an online community that connects
youth to find inspiration, access information, get involved,
and take action in their local and global communities.
It is now the world's most popular online community for
young people interested in making a difference, with
hundreds of thousands of unique visitors each month.
TIG's highly interactive website provides a platform for
expression, connection to opportunities, and support for
action. TakingITGlobal.org has joined hands with GKP
in a number of activities for youth.
www.takingitglobal.org
Telecoms sans Frontières
Telecoms sans Frontières (TSF) is a nongovernmental
organizations established in 1998 that builds emergency
telecommunications systems in the field to support
humanitarian relief operations. TSF plays a key role in
strengthening coordination and communication efforts
by setting up field offices providing broadband Internet
access, voice communications, fax lines, and IT equipment
within 48 hours of an emergency. The organization has
missions in more than 40 countries.
www.tsfi.org
Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research
The Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research
promotes peace initiatives at national, regional, and
international levels by bringing peace researchers,
policymakers, and community act ivists into
communication and collaboration on selected projects in
conflict resolution. The Institute encourages and proposes
concrete strategies translating into action, focusing on
four themes for international dialogue: human security
and global governance, human rights and global ethics,
social justice and global economy, and cultural identity
and global citizenship.
www.toda.org
The UNDP's Thematic Trust Funds -- Egypt's ICT
Trust Fund
UNDP has a number of thematic Trust Funds worldwide.
Egypt's ICT Trust Fund, created in cooperation between
MCIT and UNDP, supports Egypt's socioeconomic
development program by using information and
communication technology to further development.
www.ictfund.org.eg
UNESCO -- YNESCO Young Digital Creators
Programme
On 10th November 1998, the United Nations General
Assembly proclaimed the first decade of the 21st century
and the third millennium, the years 2001- 2010, as the
International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of
Peace and Non Violence for the Children of the World.
26 27
The action plan for the decade proposes eight spheres of
activities in which to work for the promotion of the Culture
of Peace, including reinforcing a culture of peace through
education, promoting sustainable development and respect
for human rights, ensuring equality between men and
women, supporting democratic participation, developing
tolerance, supporting participative communication and
freedom of movement and information, and promoting
international peace and safety. On 29 November 2000,
the General Assembly entrusted UNESCO with the
coordination "of the activities of the organizations of the
United Nations system to promote a culture of peace, as
well as liaison with other organizations concerned in this
matter".
www.unesco.org
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(UNECA)
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(ECA) was established by the United Nations (UN) in
1958 as one of the UN's five regional commissions.
UNECA's mandate is to promote the social and economic
development of its member states, foster intra-regional
integration, and promote international cooperation for
Africa's development. UNECA's work program focuses
on promoting regional integration in support of the African
Union vision and priorities and meeting Africa's special
needs and emerging global challenges.3 UNECA has
developed a very strong youth program using ICTs to
enhance the quality of life.
www.uneca.org
The United Network of Young Peace Builders
The United Network of Young Peace Builders (UNOY)
is a global network of young people and youth
organizations active in the field of peace building and
conflict transformation.
www.unoy.org
Virtue Foundation
Virtue Foundation is a public charitable and
nongovernmental organization with special consultative
status to the United Nations. The Foundation's mission
is to increase awareness of prevalent global issues, to
inspire people to action, and to render humanitarian
assistance through healthcare, education, and
empowerment initiatives. Comprised primarily of
volunteers, Virtue Foundation is guided by the principle
that true global change must begin within each of us-one
person at a time, one act at a time. As advancements in
technology and telecommunications have merged with
increasing levels of migration, a new paradigm of
interconnectivity and interdependence has emerged. No
longer limited to economic and financial considerations,
the reality of globalization now encompasses all aspects
of our daily lives, presenting a host of complex cultural,
humanitarian, and social issues. Virtue Foundation is
addressing these issues through its various humanitarian
initiatives and medical missions to
underprivileged regions of the world.
www.virtuefoundation.org
World Summit Award (WSA)
The World Summit Award (WSA) is a global initiative
to select and promote the world's best e-content.
Established in 2003 under the framework of the United
Nations' World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS), the award's recipients are selected through national
contests, a global contest held every two years, and
numerous content-focused national and international
conferences and workshops. The WSA is an invitation-
only project and a global hub for those who believe in
the crucial importance of excellent e-content creation
within the new Information Society. As of today, 168
countries are actively involved in the WSA. New partners
from all countries are welcome to join this global initiative.
www.wsis-award.org