Page 9 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2020

ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS
COP GUIDELINES 2020
2020 COP Guidelines for Industry
Join the Regional COP Guidelines Launch
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
BDT Director
ITU
SAMENA Council has a unique
capacity to contribute to the
regional implementation and
coordination element of the
COP Guidelines for Industry
by bringing together private
sector stakeholders to share
best practices…
Links:
1 https://bit.ly/3kpjviP
2 https://bit.ly/36qIVaF
3 https://bit.ly/38EfKDN
4 https://bit.ly/2IrsJOi
Digital technologies have created more secure use of Internet-based ser-
unprecedented opportunities for children vices and associated technologies by
and young people to communicate, today’s children, ITU’s new COP Guide-
connect, share, learn, access lines highlight good practices that in-
information and express their opinions dustry can consider in the process of
on matters that affect their lives and drafting, developing and managing cor-
their communities. But wider and more porate child online protection policies.
easily available access to the Internet
and mobile technology also poses Industry has a vital role to play, but
significant challenges to children’s for measures to be effective, the
safety – both online and offline. commitment and engagement of
individual companies across the region
The current COVID crisis has will be essential. SAMENA Council
underscored the vital importance of has a unique capacity to contribute
safe and empowering connectivity, with to the regional implementation and
huge numbers of children now coming coordination element of the COP
online for the first time – many at a Guidelines for Industry by bringing
much younger age than their parents together private sector stakeholders
may have originally planned. At a time to share best practices, to develop an
when an online connection is sometimes agreed regional industry framework,
the only way to access education and and to suggest mechanisms to promote
information, the greatest opportunities further cross border cooperation.
to support future generations lie in the
development of safe and empowering To support the active implementation
digital technologies. of the COP Guidelines across the Arab
region, I am delighted to join with
Across the Arab region, different SAMENA Council in inviting you to take
countries have undertaken different part in a joint consultation on child online
to
protecting
young
approaches
protection issues and the challenges
users online: some have made great faced by the ICT industry.
strides forward in the field of policy Roundtables will be followed by a
and
multi-stakeholder
development
cooperation, while others have taken 30-minute webinar on 12 November
smaller but nonetheless important initial at 11:00 (EET) to address some of
steps. Ongoing regional collaboration the key challenges and opportunities
around implementing the 2020 COP
will be crucial, with active engagement
of all stakeholders the key to ensuring Guidelines for Industry raised during the
all children benefit from a safe and consultation process, with consultations
trustworthy online environment. feeding into preparations for the Online
Regional Dialogue on the 2020 ITU
For the ICT sector, the 2020 edition of COP Guidelines and Opportunities for
ITU’s Child Online Protection Guidelines Implementation in the Arab Region ,
3
for Industry , developed in support of our planned for 23 November, 2020 .
1
Child Online Protection (COP) Initiative,
2
provide an authoritative, flexible and I’d love you to join our discussions, and
user-friendly framework on which encourage you to register here4, so that,
private sector companies can build together, we can work effectively and
a business vision that embraces the cooperatively to ensure that the online
protection of young users. world is always a safe and empowering
space for our children, and for future
Serving as a foundation for safer and generations.
9 SEP-OCT 2020