International Telecommunication Union African Telecommunications Union Union Internationale des Télécommunications Union Africaine des Télécommunications

Generation Connect – Africa Group Become a Digital Youth Envoy for Africa! Towards the elaboration of the input document to the

ITU-ATU Joint Regional Preparatory Meeting for Africa for WTDC-21

Objective: Generation Connect – Africa Youth Group (GC-AFR) is a process designed for African youth to discuss ICT-related opportunities and challenges in Africa. Through their engagement, participants will be able to share with membership of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and African Telecommunications Union (ATU) their interests, concerns and perspectives on digital transformation, in particular in the context

of the 2021 World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-21) and its Regional Preparatory Meeting for Africa (RPM-AFR) to be held from 29 to 30 March 2021. The concept of GC-AFR has been elaborated by youth for youth. GC-AFR will work for the elaboration of a crowd-sourced document to be presented by the digital youth envoys at the RPM-AFR.

Afterwards, GC-AFR will continue its work, providing valuable contributions related to the organization of the WTDC-21 Generation Connect Global Youth Summit to be held on 6-7 November 2021, back to back with WTDC-21, 8-19 November 2021, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

GC-AFR is carried out in the context of the ITU Youth Strategy in particular within the framework of the “Generation Connect” global initiative. It also contributes to the digital transformation priorities for Africa and benefits from the support of ATU in the context of the ATU Africa Innovation Challenge 2021.

Timeline: GC-AFR will operate from February 2021 to November 2021.

i. February 2021: Nomination phase of the Digital Youth Envoys ii. February 2021: Virtual Kick-off Meeting of GC-AFR

iii. February 2021: Advocacy training for GC-AFR members iv. March 2021: Crowdsourcing sessions

Expected engagement level: Approximately 2-3 hours per week v. March 2021: Adoption of the Declaration and identification of representatives /

Submission of the document to the ITU-ATU Joint Regional Preparatory Meeting before 25 March 2021

vi. 29-30 March 2021: ITU-ATU Joint Regional Preparatory Meeting vii. April 2021: Debrief session and certificate ceremony

viii. April – November 2021: Other activities leading towards the WTDC Generation Connect Global Youth Summit

Platform: GC-AFR Co-Creation Portal (crowdicity.com and Zoom).

Participation fees: Free of charge. Rewards: All Digital Youth Envoys proactively participating in the meetings will be eligible for the following:

A special thank you letter;

ITU certificate of accomplishment;

Small ITU-ATU souvenir;

Engagement in the social campaign;

Leadership and advocacy training;

Access to platform and networking opportunity with youth envoys from the region and from other ITU-ATU youth networks.

Eligibility: The following criteria will be applied for selecting the candidates for GC-AFR members’ ideas:

18 to 24 years old;

Be a citizen of a country of the African continent;

Have interest and/or experience and knowledge in the field of digital technologies and digital transformation, including in the application of digital solutions in areas such as education, health, civic participation or other public services;

Strong communication, analytical and writing skills;

Ability to work remotely in teams;

Have an advanced level of English and/or French;

Interest and/or experience and knowledge in the field of international cooperation as well as being active in a national or regional youth organization in Africa would be of advantage (not mandatory).

Online application process:

Annex 4 provides the fields of the online application form.

Candidates will be invited to provide: o Contact details; o CV (Max 2 pages) in one of the two languages (English or French) o A short video expressing themselves on their ideas and their expectations from this

initiative; o A Statement of Purpose: Explanation of the interest and motivation of the candidates

for applying along with the following questions:

FEB 21

Nomination phase of the Digital Youth Envoys

FEB 21

Virtual kick-off meeting of GC-AFR

FEB 21

Advocacy training for GC-AFR members

MAR 21

Four weeks of crowdsourcing sessions (2-3 h. per week)

MAR 21

Finalization of the outcome document of GC-AFR

MAR 21

Presentation of the document at RPM-AFR

APR 21

Debrief session, and certificate ceremony

Motivation. Why are you interested in digital technologies and want to be part of GC-AFR? How this might be beneficial to your community and the work of ITU as the specialized agency of the United Nations in charge of information and communication technologies? (Max 500 words)

The role of digital technologies. To what extent digital technologies provide new opportunities for youth? Do you see any challenges as well in the current landscape? (Max 500 words)

What you can bring. Why should we choose you to represent the voice of youth and present the opportunities and challenges they are facing in the times of digital transformation? What do you expect to bring to GC-AFR? (Max 500 words)

o Acceptance of the Terms and Conditions (See Annex 2) and the Code of Conduct (See Annex 3).

Deadline for submissions is set for 11:59pm CET on 17 February 2021. Selection process:

A special Review Committee will be established with the aim of reviewing the candidates.

The Review Committee will be composed by 7 members, including the following:

o ITU Regional Office for Africa (2 persons);

o ITU Thematic Priority on Digital Inclusion (1 person);

o ITU Youth Task Force (1 person);

o ATU Representatives (2 persons);

o Representative of the Host of the RPM-AFR (1 Person).

The Review Committee will work online.

All submitted applications will be reviewed by the ITU Regional Office for Africa in coordination

and ATU General Secretariat checking their eligibility in line with the criteria set to all

candidates.

Files of the candidates fulfilling the criteria will be transmitted to the members of the Review

Committee for their review.

The Review Committee will meet virtually on 17 February 2021 to take final steps towards the

determination of the final composition of GC-AFR, taking into account the following criteria:

o Geographic representation (1 Digital Youth Envoy per country);

o Gender balance.

Candidates will be announced by 26 February 2021.

Members of GC-AFR will act in their personal capacity. Any views expressed during the work

of GC-AFR will be of personal nature and should not be affiliated with any institution or

country.

Outreach and Communication:

Social media and email communication will be the primary means of outreach to candidates.

Special circular to the ITU-ATU membership on the African continent will be issued (see

Annex 1).

Annex 1: Communication to the African ITU and ATU Membership

Circular letter n°…

Ref.: Addis Ababa/Nairobi,

ATU and ITU Member States on the

African continent

ICT Ministries

Regulators

ITU-D Sector Members

Academia

Regional Organizations from Africa

UN Organizations

African Youth Organizations

Subject: Generation Connect – Africa Youth Group

Dear Sir/Madam, The Road to Addis was launched on 9 November, to preview and build momentum towards the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-21). On this occasion, the “Generation Connect” global initiative (https://www.itu.int/generationconnect/) was announced. It aims to engage global youth and encourage their participation as equal partners alongside the leaders of today’s digital change, empowering young people with the skills and opportunities to advance their vision of a connected future. In this context, ITU has also called for nominations to join the Generation Connect Visionaries Board (see circular BDT/DNS/DGS/067 of 24 November). The Visionaries Board’s goal is to provide strategic guidance to ITU on youth participation and empowerment, amongst other issues.

With the objective of further strengthening the engagement of Youth in Africa, ITU and ATU are pleased to announce the establishment of the Generation Connect – Africa Youth Group (GC-AFR) (https://itu.int/go/Generation_Connect_Africa) and to invite your organization to provide support for this effort.

GC-AFR aims at providing a unique participative process for youth to contribute to the work of ITU-ATU in Africa. It will offer African youth a virtual platform to discuss opportunities and challenges related to digital technologies. Through this platform, youth will be consulted and able to share with ITU-ATU membership their interests, concerns and perspectives on digital transformation, especially in the context of the upcoming ITU-ATU Joint Regional Preparatory Meeting for Africa (RPM-AFR) for WTDC-21 to be held virtually from 29 to 30 March 2021.

GC-AFR will work toward the creation of a crowd-sourced document to be presented by the representatives of GC-AFR at the RPM-AFR. Afterwards, GC-AFR will continue its work, providing valuable contributions

related to the organization of the WTDC-21 Generation Connect Global Youth Summit to be held on 6-7 November 2021, back to back with WTDC-21, 8-19 November 2021, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Generation Connect initiative has been launched in line with the ITU Youth Strategy which aims to improve and have a real impact on the lives of young people around the world, and to ensure meaningful participation of youth in ITU as key stakeholders in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. GC-AFR will also benefit from the support of the African Telecommunications Union in the context of the ATU Africa Innovation Challenge 2021.

In this context, a Call for Nominations of the Members of the GC-AFR to become digital youth envoys for Africa is being launched. This call targets all African youth between 18 and 24 who have an interest and/or experience and knowledge in the field of digital technologies and digital transformation. They should possess strong communication, analytical and writing skills, the ability to work remotely in teams, and have an advanced level of English and or French. African youth are kindly invited to submit their candidatures through the online form by 17 February 2021, 11:59 pm CET. After an in-depth analysis of all candidatures the composition of the group will be announced by 23 February 2021. The kick-off meeting of GC-AFR will take place on 26 February 2021. More information on GC-AFR is available at (https://itu.int/go/Generation_Connect_Africa).

We would like to take this opportunity to affirm the importance we attach to the effective implementation of the ITU Youth Strategy, this concrete initiative being an effective action in this regard. The unique and current challenges around the continent only confirm the urgent need to enhance the meaningful involvement of youth, not only as participants but also and above all as contributors, partners and actors of change, in digital cooperation processes. Indeed, as “digital natives” young people have valuable knowledge and expertise to share regarding digital technologies and as the future generation of the digital world, they are the future recipients of all policies regarding digital technologies.

We invite all member on the continent to work with us to ensure the success of this initiative. We would appreciate if you would activate youth networks in your respective countries to ensure that all countries are represented in this transformational effort.

Mr Emmanuel Niyikora, Program Officer (Email: emmanuel.niyikora@itu.int), and Alice Koech (Mrs.), Program Coordinator of the ATU (E-mail: a.koech@atu-uat.org), are at your disposal should you require any further information.

We look forward to your support for this important initiative. Yours faithfully,

Andrew Rugege John Omo ITU Regional Director for Africa and Secretary General, ATU Liaison to ECA and AU

Annex 2: Terms and Conditions

These are the Terms and Conditions governing your participation in the Generation Connect – Africa Group (GC-AFR) launched by the ITU Regional Office for Africa. By submitting your application for GC-AFR, you agree to these terms and conditions, which form a binding legal contract (“the Agreement”) between ITU and the applicant (“you”).

ITU reserves the right to change its Terms and Conditions at any time and without notice and its terms are non-negotiable.

Cancellation by the participant

The participant has the right to cancel her/his participation in GC-AFR. In that case, she/he should notify ITU via email of her/his cancellation by 26 February 2021 at the latest.

Cancellation by ITU

While every reasonable effort is made to carry out the platform, circumstances beyond the control of ITU can arise, which may cause changes or cancellation of the project. Such circumstances include but are not limited to acts of terrorism, war, compliance with government requests, orders and legal requirements, etc.

You agree that ITU shall not be liable for any damages or expenses which may be incurred by you as a consequence of the programme being changed, postponed or cancelled.

Personal data

By applying for participation in the platform and accepting these terms and conditions you give full rights to ITU to gather and store your personal data, including but not limited to your name, address, email address and phone number. This data will be used by ITU for the purpose of the platform only.

ITU is committed to respecting data-protection regulations. We will maintain appropriate safeguards to ensure the security, integrity and privacy of your personal data. We will under no circumstances and in no way provide this personal data to third parties, unless this is necessary for performing the services agreed under the Agreement or when legally obliged.

If you would like your personal data to be removed at any time from our database, please send a written request to our office.

Copyright and intellectual property

Any content you created during your participation in GC-AFR is your property and is protected by copyright laws.

However, ITU reserves the right, at its sole and absolute discretion, to use the films, audio recordings and/or photographs of GC-AFR’s meetings and of the Regional Preparatory Meeting for Africa in any media without first obtaining the consent of the participants and without making any payment whatsoever for publicity, advertising, trade or promotion purposes. Any participant waives her/his intellectual property rights to any photographs or recordings published in a manner described here.

Representation

Members of GC-AFR will act in their personal capacity. Any views expressed during the work of GC-AFR will be of personal nature and should not be affiliated with any institution or country

Annex 3 Code of Conduct

Purpose

ITU is dedicated to providing an inclusive, respectful and safe environment for all participants, regardless of, inter alia, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, ethnicity, race, national origin, age, or religion.

GC-AFR is guided by the highest ethical and professional standards and all participants are expected to conduct themselves in a professional, respectful and responsible manner at all times.

Prohibited Conduct under this Code

Harassment is any improper or offensive conduct that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation to another person. Harassment in any form, including but not limited to harassment based on gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, ethnicity, race, age, or religion is prohibited.

Sexual harassment is a specific type of prohibited conduct. Sexual harassment is any improper conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation. It may involve any conduct of a verbal, nonverbal or physical nature, including written and electronic communications, and may occur between persons of the same or different genders.

Complaint process

If Prohibited Conduct occurs during or in relation to GC-AFR’s meetings, then the person who is the target of possible harassment or any third party who has direct knowledge of the incident should report it as soon as possible, preferably before GC-AFR meetings have concluded, to the person(s) or service identified for this purpose by ITU (‘Focal Point’).

Unless indicated otherwise, the Focal Point is ITU’s Head of Safety and Security Division who can be contacted on +41 79 715 84 77 and/or security@itu.int.

The Focal Point will gather and record relevant information in a written account of the incident, taking into consideration any applicable ITU regulations, rules and procedures.

If the person who reports the incident is not the target of possible harassment, the views and situation of the person who is the target of possible sexual harassment will be taken into consideration. Due discretion and relevant confidentiality rules apply to this process.

As a guide, the following is the information typically required to commence the preliminary fact-finding process: name or other identifying information of the person being accused of sexual harassment; date and location of the incident; a description of what happened; if there were witnesses, their names.

A participant should never knowingly make a false or misleading claim about prohibited conduct.

Response to complaint

Once it is completed, the Focal Point conveys the written account of the incident to ITU for such action as may be appropriate in response to a credible complaint, including revocation or suspension of participation or other privileges of the alleged perpetrator to GC-AFR. If any additional information is required in relation to the Prohibited Conduct, it will be gathered in accordance with ITU regulations and rules, as applicable.

ITU will keep the person who has reported the incident reasonably informed of actions taken while applying due discretion and relevant confidentiality rules.

Prohibition of retaliation

Threats, intimidation or any other form of retaliation against a participant who has made a complaint or provided information in support of a complaint are prohibited.

Annex 4: Online Submission Form

The online submission form will be created on SurveyMonkey.com. The following fields will be mandatory. Each submitter will receive a copy of her/his submission. Another copy will be sent to itu-ro-addis@itu.int and eden.reta@itu.int ; Phone: +251 11 551 4977

First Name:

Family Name:

Date of Birth:

Age by the date of the application:

Gender:

Nationality:

Email:

Phone:

Social Media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram)

Address: o Street: o City: o Country:

Curriculum Vitae o CV (Max 2 pages)

o A Statement of Purpose: Explanation of the interest and motivation of candidates for

applying along with the following questions: Motivation. Why are you interested in digital technologies and want to be part

of GC-AFR? How this might be beneficial to your community and the work of ITU as the specialized agency of the United Nations in charge of information and communication technologies? (Max 500 words)

The role of digital technologies. To what extent digital technologies provide new opportunities for youth? Do you see any challenges as well in the current landscape? (Max 500 words)

What you can bring. Why should we choose you to represent the voice of youth and present the opportunities and challenges they are facing in the times of digital transformation? What do you expect to bring to GC-AFR? (Max 500 words)

o Acceptance of the Terms and Conditions (See Annex 2) and the Code of Conduct (See Annex 3).

Annex 5: Phases of the Crowdsourcing

1. February 2021: Nomination phase of the Digital Youth Envoys

After an in-depth analysis of all candidatures the composition of GC-AFR will be announced by 23 February 2020.

2. February 2021: Virtual Kick-off Meeting of GC-AFR

Date: 26 February 2021 Time: 16:00-18:30 (GMT+2) Platform: Zoom (link provided directly to the participants) Objective:

Recap of the GC-AFR’s background, value and objectives.

Presentation of GC-AFR’s agenda: activities, timeline, tasks and rules of the sessions.

Presentation of GC-AFR members: short self-introductory videos which should include:

Name;

Origin;

Answer to the following question: Why is GC-AFR important for you and for the future of youth?

Presentation of the crowdicity platform and its functionalities.

Presentation of the BDT thematic priorities.

Launch and explanation of the first challenge:

Identify three thematic priorities which are closest to your interest;

Under the thematic priority of your choice, make on the crowdicity platform a submission consisting of the following components:

i. Up to three specific challenges related to youth (Max 250 words); ii. Up to three specific opportunities for youth (Max 250 words);

iii. Actions you would like to see (Max 250 words).

3. February 2020: Advocacy training for GC-AFR members

Date: 1 March 2021 Time: 16:00-18:30 (GMT+2) Platform: Zoom (link provided directly to the participants) Objective: Advocacy training delivered by one or two experienced practitioners for GC-AFR members to learn key advocacy tactics, strategies, tools and best practices to help them develop their advocacy knowledge and skills.

4. March 2021: 4 weeks of crowdsourcing sessions

a. First session Date: 4 March 2021 Time: 16:00-18:30 (GMT+2) Platform: Zoom (link provided directly to the participants) Objective:

Based on their inputs on the crowdicity platform, GC-AFR members will be divided into thematic groups following the BDT thematic priorities. Each of the thematic groups will be provided with two documents:

Stocktaking of all submissions under every thematic priority;

Zero draft compilation per thematic priority.

Each group will have an opportunity to discuss and review the Zero draft compilation ensuring that none of the items expressed by the Digital Youth Envoys is missing.

Each group will identify among themselves:

a facilitator to animate the discussion ensuring efficient and effective roll-out of the work of the group;

a drafter to control the file with the expressed amendments;

a reviewer to ensure that all issues reflected in the submissions are properly addressed and to review the final outcome of the document;

a reporter to report back to the Plenary.

While identifying the above, gender balance should be ensured: two women / two men.

Working time of the group: 100 minutes. Draft agenda of the meeting and time management plan:

16:00-16:20: Plenary

16:20-18:00: Breakout rooms with working groups per thematic priority

18:00-18:30: Plenary.

b. Second session Date: 9 March 2021 Time: 16:00-18:30 (GMT+2) Platform: Zoom (link provided directly to the participants) Objective:

Based on the work kicked-off during the first session, GC-AFR members will meet at Plenary to get updates on the process and will be invited to continue their work in the thematic groups as set up before.

At the end of this session, a call for five volunteers to draft the introductory statement will be launched.

Outcome: Arrive to the first draft of GC-AFR members’ views per thematic priority. Working time of the group: 100 minutes. Draft agenda of the meeting and time management plan:

16:00-16:20: Plenary

16:20-18:00: Breakout rooms with working groups per thematic priority

18:00-18:30: Plenary. Next step: Posting of the first draft on the crowdicity platform for comments by all GC-AFR members.

c. Third session Date: 16 March 2021 Time: 16:00-18:30 (GMT+2) Platform: Zoom (link provided directly to the participants) Objective:

- To review additional comments provided by members of other thematic groups through the crowdicity platform and incorporate them in the second draft of the document.

- Presentation of the draft introductory statement of the document posted for comments on the crowdicity platform.

Outcome: Arrive to the second draft of documents per thematic priority. Working time of the group: 100 minutes. Draft agenda of the meeting and time management plan:

16:00-16:20: Plenary

16:20-18:00: Breakout rooms with working groups per thematic priority

18:00-18:30: Plenary.

d. Fourth session Date: 23 March 2021 Time: 16:00-18:30 (GMT+2) Platform: Zoom (link provided directly to the participants) Objective: To present the final version of the inputs per thematic priority and discuss the introductory statement. Draft agenda of the meeting and time management plan:

16:00-16:20: Plenary

16:20-18:00: Breakout rooms with working groups per thematic priority

18:00-18:30: Plenary.

e. Fifth session Date: 25 March 2021 Time: 16:00-18:30 (GMT+2) Platform: Zoom (link provided directly to the participants) Objective: To adopt the final version of the input document to the Regional Preparatory Meeting for Africa (RPM-AFR) and to identify two speakers to intervene at the RPM-AFR. Draft agenda of the meeting and time management plan:

16:00-18:30: Plenary

5. March 2021: ITU-ATU Regional Preparatory Meeting Date: 29-30 March 2021 Time: 1100h-1400h and 1500h-1800h (GMT +3) Participation: Two nominated GC-AFR members (man and woman).

6. April 2021: Debrief session and certificate ceremony

Date: 15 April 2021 Time: 16:00-17:30 Central African Time(CAT) Platform: Zoom (link provided directly to the participants)