Summit of OUR Future
Shaping an equitable and inclusive digital future – with youth
Young people around the world are shaping and building their digital experience of the world. The creativity and ingenuity of young tech entrepreneurs and innovators transcends across borders – but access to capital, technology and support are limited, restricted or simply unavailable, particularly in emerging economies.
But what if this could change?
What if this and coming generations of young digital architects were better equipped and enabled to design and construct an equitable, inclusive and open digital future for this and coming generations?
What if more young tech innovators and entrepreneurs in emerging economies had access to the funding and technical support to develop frontier tech solutions in and for their local contexts.
At the 2024 Summit of the Future, agreements will be made on a Global Digital Compact (GDC), “the highest-level capturing of political will in terms of a comprehensive view of the digital world.”
Through the Summit of OUR Future campaign, the UNICEF Office of Innovation, together with partners and collaborators, continue to position young people at the heart of the consultation process and, alongside youth, call for collective action to unlock resources to build and strengthen ecosystems of young tech innovators and entrepreneurs in emerging economies.
A Digital Future Powered by Youth
At the heart of the campaign lies a commitment to meaningful participation of young people in designing and building their digital future, and a call for the diversification of capital to build pipelines of tech entrepreneurs and digital innovators from emerging markets.
The digital revolution presents both challenges and opportunities, especially for young people. As stakeholders worldwide grapple with harnessing technology's power for social good, a diversity of young innovators must be equipped and supported to build our digital future. A secure, inclusive and open digital society is a global ambition, and unlocking intergenerational solutions is central to shaping a digital society fit for all.
Simply put, young people are key architects to building a free, open, and inclusive digital future – because it is their digital future.
We are the users, not the used
There are 1.8 billion young people in the world today, with nearly 90 per cent in low- and middle-income countries. The global digital divide has created a gap between young digital natives - tech entrepreneurs, and innovators, and those experiencing digital exclusion, restriction or limitations.
In a survey of over 80,000 young people across nine countries, more than a quarter of responders felt they have little to no control over how technology will impact their lives over the next decade. Despite this young people in connectivity-deprived, underfunded geographies are creating breakthrough innovative technological solutions addressing challenges.
Young digital innovators and tech entrepreneurs are shaping an equitable and just digital world. Diversifying the flow of global capital through investment will help unlock the untapped potential of youth in this and coming generations.
Decentralizing the Digital Discourse
The philanthropic UNICEF Venture Fund is a unique model for equity and inclusivity in frontier tech for social impact. It makes equity-free financial and mentoring investments in open-source solutions that accelerate results for children, with an intentional lens on entrepreneurs in emerging markets and female-led and female-founded startups.
Over the last decade, the Fund has identified, piloted, and grown 149 open technology solutions from tech start-ups and UNICEF offices across 87 countries, reaching over 101 million people, among whom 34.9 million are children. Of the tech start-ups, 43 per cent are either female-founded or led.
With about 40 per cent of solutions expanded to new countries and 64 per cent of start-ups already generating revenue, the Fund illustrates the impact of inclusive, decentralized, and locally driven innovations.
By expanding international investment to support and enable entire ecosystems where young tech entrepreneurs and digital innovators can thrive, we can equip young people with the resources, access to technology, mentorship and opportunities they need to scale digital and tech solutions with the potential to make global impact and accelerate progress for, for this and coming generations.
At the Summit of the Future
During the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly and the Summit of the Future in September 2024, UNICEF and partners will host and participate in a range of activities to advocate for and mobilize action toward building an inclusive, equitable, and open digital future for this and future generations.
Stay tuned to learn more about how UNICEF, along with a delegation of young tech entrepreneurs and UN Young Leader and campaign ambassador Vee Kathivu, call for collective action and increased investment in youth-led innovation ecosystems across global emerging markets.
Learn More
Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s recommendations for the Global Digital Compact.
Find out more about young tech entrepreneurs supported by the UNICEF Venture Fund and how to be a part of the youth movement campaigning for the Summit of Our Future.
Unsure about a technical term? Delve into our Glossary of Terms to learn more.
