The Communications Commission is hosting the first Youth Internet Governance Forum in Georgia, which aims to inform young people about the online space, information security and the communications sector, as well as encourage their involvement. The forum was opened by the Commissioner Ekaterine Imedadze, IGF Advisory Board Coordinator Zviad Gabisonia, Deputy Chair of the Board at ICANN Danko Jevtovic, and Head of the Department of Information and Modern Technologies at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Eka Kubusidze.

In her opening speech, Ekaterine Imedadze talked about the role of the telecom sector in the country’s success and the role of the online community in the development of this industry. She noted that the IGF initiative will speed up the dialogue between stakeholders – young people, the government, private sector, civil society and technical experts. “The forum provides young people with the opportunity to conduct debates, share their knowledge and experience, as well as establish and exchange their positions on issues such as the accessibility of internet, online content, media and information literacy, safety, data confidentiality and protection of vulnerable groups. Importantly, young people under 30 are the largest demographic group of internet users, yet they are still underrepresented in internet governance forums and decision-making processes on the subject of digital agenda. We believe that young people have a broad knowledge of the digital world they interact with on a daily basis and therefore deserve a stronger role in internet-related decision-making,” Ekaterine Imedadze stated.

Head of the Spectrum and Technology Department of the Communications Commission Sandro Karumidze told IGF participants about the history of internet development in Georgia. He also took part in a panel discussion on the role of stakeholders in the internet governance process. Mr. Karumidze talked about the role of the state in the development of the internet, the competitive environment in the market and the protection of user interests. He focussed on the issues of correct distribution of resources, the availability of high-quality internet and safe use of the online space.

The first Youth Internet Governance Forum in Georgia is taking place as part of the eighth GeoIGF Forum. The event is hosted by the Communications Commission, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and ISOC Georgia, with the institutional support of the European Council Office in Georgia. The event is coordinated by the Small and Medium Telecom Operators’ Association (TOA).