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Message from Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU Secretary-General
Cyberspace is the nursery for young minds to grow and expand their horizons. It is the font of knowledge and information in the digital age and the incubator of fresh ideas and new innovations. It is a cornucopia of all that is good and wonderful in the virtual world of entertainment where one can conjure, almost with magical ease, anything the mind desires at the click of a finger. Its menu offers an infinite mosaic of cultures, languages, literature, science and technology, music and theatre, games and sports — and much more.
Yet, cyberspace has its challenges. As children and teenagers venture into the wide open world of cyberspace, surfing the Internet, imbibing its encyclopaedic breadth of content, accessing video libraries, entering chat rooms and building social networks, they are exposed to certain elements of society that we would shun in the real world. Three in four children are willing to share personal information about themselves and their family online in exchange for goods and services. One in five is targeted by a predator or paedophile each year.
Protecting children in cyberspace is clearly our duty. That is why we launched the Child Online Protection (COP) initiative — an integral part of ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Agenda. It is in line with our mandate to strengthen cybersecurity and to establish the foundations for a safe and secure cyberworld for future generations. We take this very seriously at ITU, and this year the theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is Protecting Children in Cyberspace. It will influence our work not only on the Day but throughout the year and in the future as well.
The Internet and the growing convergence in online applications and mobile devices are global resources that must be allowed to flourish for the common good. We must endeavour to make cyberspace a safe, healthy and productive environment for our children. We have to create a global network to protect our children online by enacting national legislation, strengthening capacity building, increasing public awareness and improving national cyber responsiveness. Only then can we say that we have created a universally accessible information society where human dignity is respected and where everyone — especially children — can benefit from the opportunities accorded by ICTs to attain higher levels of development.
We celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2009 in the knowledge that we have set forth a strong momentum to make cyberspace a safe place for our children where every child can harness the full potential of ICTs, and where every citizen on this planet can exercise the right to access, use, create and share information.
Let us resolve to protect our children in cyberspace and promote their inalienable rights to access information and knowledge in a safe and secure environment.
Hamadoun I. Touré
ITU Secretary-General
Message from Mr Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day marks the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on 17 May 1865, and commemorates its role in connecting the world.
Over the past two decades, the Internet has been transformed into an unmatched global resource that spans the worlds of knowledge and entertainment. Now with more than 600 million users in Asia, 130 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 50 million in Africa, it is an ever-expanding means of communication. It lies at the fulcrum of our increasingly interconnected and networked societies, driving the world’s economies, fostering trade and commerce and promoting better health care, food production and education. With these tremendous strides, safeguarding the Internet’s vital systems and infrastructures against attack by cybercriminals has taken on great importance.
The theme of this year’s observance is "Protecting Children in Cyberspace”. Children and young people are among the most prolific users of the Internet and mobile devices. As they surf through cyberspace seeking information and entertainment and building social networks, they are also among the most vulnerable to exploitation. Without safeguards, their precious lives are at grave risk in the vicious world of cybercriminals and paedophiles that prey on easy targets.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes the right to education and access to information, as well as the right to engage in play and recreational activities. The Convention also accords the child protection against all forms of exploitation and inducement to engage in any unlawful activity. It is our duty to ensure that the provisions of the Convention are applied rigorously so that children can safely access the Internet and other online resources without fear of falling prey to unscrupulous predators.
The virtual world has exciting possibilities for nurturing children and helping them grow into creative, productive adults. But we must mind the pitfalls that could scar them for life. I urge policy makers and industry leaders to find the means to make the rapidly evolving virtual world safe for everyone.
Ban Ki-moon
UN Secretary-General
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