The private sector actors present at the “title” IGF workshop organised by ETNO believe that internet deployment in difficult-to-reach areas is impossible without a strong public-private partnership. This point was underlined by Robert Pepper, Head of Global Connectivity Policy and Planning at Meta, in his talk at the IGF 2021. Pepper said that a multi-stakeholder public-private partnership is needed if we are to eliminate barriers to connectivity.
But, as Youth IGF founder Yuliya Morenets pointed out during a podcast briefing from Day 5 of the IGF 2021 in Katowice, this cannot truly take the interests of all stakeholders into account unless the young are able to share their voice. Young people can participate in a public-private partnership as a part of advisory groups by giving recommendations to policymakers and bringing new ideas to the table.
According to Lucien Castex, a Representative for Public Policy at Afnic, the pandemic has made us realise not only the importance of digital transformation, but also the acute need for digital inclusion.
Young people should be a key part of the discussions here.