Two years after the adoption of the Better internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy (see also: child-friendly version), the European Commission is calling on parents, carers, teachers and educators to take part in the first evaluation since the adoption in May 2022. Click here to register and take part in the consultations!

With a strong commitment to multistakeholderism and clear messages on harnessing innovation and balancing risks in the digital space the 19th edition of the United Nation’s Internet Governance Forum ended on Thursday, Dec. 19th 2024.

Day 3 of the IGF 2024 was the day of the Dynamic Coalitions. They started with a main session focusing on the Coalitions contributions the implementation of the Global Digital Compact.

With only five high level sessions at the United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum this year in Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia we are excited children’s rights are featuring prominently under the theme “Advancing human rights and inclusion in the digital age” for the first time ever.

On Dec, 17th, a high level line-up of speakers was discussing how to protect children’s rights in the digital world.

With a superb line-up of high-level speakers the 19th Internet Governance taking place in Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia was opened on Tuesday Dec. 16th, 2024.

Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Divide were the two issues addressed in the opening speeches as the most important action points in the months and years to come. Here comes the Global Digital Compact (GDC) into play, since it’s implementation lays out the road map for our digital future which was described as the Intelligence Age by the Saudi-Arabian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha.

Final preparations were still underway yesterday at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to ensure that the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2024 can take place effortlessly. Participants from the fields of politics, government, science, academia, business and civil society will gather in the idyllic setting until 19 December to discuss the most pressing issues related to the organisation and regulation of the digital environment.

The 19th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) will take place this year from 15 to 19 December 2024 in a hybrid format in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Under the theme “Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future”, representatives from business, academia and civil society will meet with high-ranking government representatives from all over the world to address the opportunities and challenges of our evolving digital future.

This November 20, it's International Child Rights Day! On this day, we celebrate the adoption of two landmark documents by the United Nations General Assembly: the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (also known as the CRC) - both important milestones in the recognition of children's rights.

Since 2015, 18 November has marked the European Day for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. It was established by the Council of Europe to raise awareness of sexual exploitation and sexual violence against children and to promote effective prevention and protection measures. The day is an opportunity to shed some light on the subject and to break the silence that surrounds it. This year, the European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse is being organised under the theme “Emerging Technologies: threats and opportunities for the protection of children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse”.

The Working Group of German Family Organisations (AGF) has discussed the European Commission's proposal for a regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse. As a result of the exchange, the family organisations express their concern about the threat of sexual violence in the digital environment and call for these threats to be taken seriously. The organisations consider it crucial to bring the actual core of the objectives back into the focus of the debate and to objectify the polarisation between data protection and child protection in the interests of children and their families.

The European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) will once again provide a platform for discussion and networking between representatives and stakeholders from politics, private sector, civil society and academia from 12 to 14 May 2025 in Strasbourg, France. In preparation for the conference, there is still an opportunity to submit proposals for the thematic organisation of the programme until 31 December 2024.

Germany has done significant work towards prevention and protection of children from sale, sexual abuse and exploitation, a UN expert said today, urging the country to adopt a national child protection strategy with an oversight mechanism to ensure consistency and harmony of approaches and implementation across the country.