[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":56,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6603864,"mediaKeyId","2997610-2a75b06939d67494a6e353a355cbd47f","parentId",2997610,"title","Delegates and youth call for equitable digital health, protections against tech‑facilitated harm at ECOSOC SDG3 session","audioSeconds",803,"startMs",6448000,"endMs",7251000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2997610-2a75b06939d67494a6e353a355cbd47f&start=6448&end=7251","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2997610-2a75b06939d67494a6e353a355cbd47f/thumbnail_6448000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6603864/Delegates-and-youth-call-for-equitable-digital-health-protections-against-techfacilitated-harm-at-ECOSOC-SDG3-session","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6603864-7dde4ae6cc291451a3cbe7fa93af6399/orig.mp4?Expires=1771182808&Signature=KTs2zLBq6imCK2VI-Q7~Y7QcrQfzOZyzAKrFARVDE8XYfLW1LZus5G8rVrxB2jNNRtERNTvzkxlr3eIli6o0NJJfTpFsBfcp8rqyPR6jIAF4MMTWnL-kWyTQ0D5EURp3Mo~-l93qKRd8rwV2hbTyic5sVkw6hSLYyMlz1gcqqHB-40PPQyn6DGpjBrKZokGO3PsgIQIO6uBc9kUmNXvGM41LT4vmTWaogLbDCRjMVkKpqAJsCRcpMFND3q9-FXLUF1cw3-TaPvBX4o7EFf1nm59eIBvKPDsBUU3gA9VoE4eQjJ8aEuxO9y~EdlLLPysLj5hv1lsbfGa3D~BXNgJtLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-15T21:24:20.107Z","article","In a plenary focused on Sustainable Development Goal 3 (health), youth leaders, United Nations agencies and member‑state representatives urged that digital health be treated as a public good, called for expanded digital literacy and coherent regulatory safeguards, and warned that new technologies are already enabling harms from misinformation to synthetic imagery used in technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence.

Marina Al Kawan, founder of Meddonations, described how a single social‑media post in the wake of the 2020 Beirut explosions helped secure life‑saving medication and inspired a volunteer network. “One post, one click can truly save a life,” she told the forum. She said Meddonations has since mobilized more than 2,500 donors across 65 countries and helped secure medicines for roughly 20,000 people in Lebanon and beyond, and announced a free health‑tech clinic in Lebanon that will use AI and digital tools to expand access.

Speakers from U.N. agencies described practical programming that targets access and equity. Diana Keita, Assistant Secretary‑General and Deputy Executive Director for Programmes at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), highlighted digital efforts in several countries: a voice‑based platform in Ethiopia that provides audio SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights) content and recorded more than 200,000 calls since 2021; podcasts and TikTok programming in Tunisia to break taboos; and a confidential mobile app in the State of Palestine to expand adolescents’ access to SRHR information.

Speakers also warned of concrete risks. Rehman Nesan, a youth digital‑health policy leader, said algorithms can exclude or misclassify marginalized groups: “If you're not seen by the system, you're not served by the system,” he said, describing an AI model that repeatedly misclassified distress signals from female, trans and non‑binary youth because their experiences were missing from training data.

Diana Keita and other panelists flagged technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence (TFGBV) as a growing threat. Keita warned that generative artificial intelligence makes it easier and cheaper to create synthetic explicit images and deepfakes and recounted examples of students targeted in classrooms. UNFPA and partners urged cross‑sector action: prevention, better digital literacy, platform accountability and survivor support services.

Health‑system and civil‑society voices pushed for education and workforce readiness. Grace Huertas of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations noted a recent brief showing only 13 countries have fully implemented digital health curricula in medical education. Leonardo Bolstad of DTHLab previewed a forthcoming 2026 blueprint for “digital‑first” health systems co‑designed with youth, stressing value‑based design grounded in human rights.

Member states and youth delegates described national programs and needs. Delegations from Malta, Mexico, Tunisia, Serbia, Thailand, Egypt, Angola, Uzbekistan and others highlighted national mental‑health campaigns, school curriculum changes, investments in primary health care and youth employment initiatives; many called for international cooperation on technology transfer, research and funding for health systems and for the pandemic accord negotiations to deliver better global preparedness.

Why this matters: panelists framed digital health as a lever for universal health coverage but said equitable outcomes require deliberate design choices — local language interfaces, privacy protections, platform accountability and sustained funding for youth‑led efforts. Participants asked donor countries and development banks to match digital health commitments with resources and to integrate digital protections into public health planning.

Discussion versus decision: the session produced program announcements, peer‑to‑peer lessons and calls for funding. There were no binding decisions; member states and U.N. agencies committed to follow‑up cooperation and to scaling youth‑led pilots where feasible.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Youth Forum - Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) 2025 | United Nations","oneSentenceSummary","At a plenary on SDG 3, youth leaders, U.N. agencies and member states urged treating digital health as a public good, expanding digital literacy and safeguards, and confronting technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence and misinformation.","taxTitle","United Nations","taxId",77382,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":56,"_72":56,"_73":56},6603868,"Youth, U.N. officials call for meaningful power, digital inclusion and AI ethics at ECOSOC Youth Forum",1959,471000,2430000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2997610-2a75b06939d67494a6e353a355cbd47f&start=471&end=2430","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2997610-2a75b06939d67494a6e353a355cbd47f/thumbnail_471000.jpg","/articles/6603868/Youth-UN-officials-call-for-meaningful-power-digital-inclusion-and-AI-ethics-at-ECOSOC-Youth-Forum","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6603868-6f6bb75a1502a7fbf76a629d3522b0de/orig.mp4?Expires=1771182808&Signature=dZBILayjeKOs9vIR~na4ZqdKibXbqivGXZh8176N47GVvWlgg7s4EnUk8Kh~dfbGLUyloEdU1vVR1vyBFKHtmr-HVEz3krN2v2DAMKl3TvWxNVQLVgv0PFy4-SgsbL4AZ6oUdv5Dp2Iu1vK~9c4kb6LsOvFIaJAs7pBQFcQIHXNBYo7FFABiPVl6AlLfOJKLPzJWWesvVneLOk4eyPDXci1acxjkqTeJb5W2XCZFG~BUdDKNmFvqGjJylYqme-cfYcJ123PxH0D6KxTpWPm9Ngw6nUmOkf726xbxSUW9T3sy-sqeFDRw5hxSXQgxp664lhR-j-P24-6x5kUd-GEHRg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The 2025 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum opened at United Nations headquarters with calls from youth delegates and senior U.N. officials for faster, more substantive youth participation, wider access to digital tools and ethical governance of technology.

The president of the Economic and Social Council called on attendees to stop treating young people as “tomorrow’s leaders.” “You are not only the leaders of tomorrow...you are today's leaders,” the president said in opening remarks, urging participants to move from talk to action and to hold institutions accountable.

The forum’s early speakers emphasized three linked priorities: ensure equitable access to the internet and digital skills, give young people genuine decision‑making power in multilateral forums, and protect basic rights as new technologies such as artificial intelligence scale.

Umaima, an AI engineer speaking for the Major Group for Children and Youth, used personal testimony and global examples to press for concrete resources. She told the forum that climate crisis, conflict and lack of universal health care make youth engagement urgent, and she urged governments and donors to “do not invest in warfare. Invest in the power in youth.” Umaima cited widespread gaps in health and education and proposed four concrete steps including a global fund of funds for grassroots youth projects and stronger follow‑up to ECOSOC youth outputs.

Felipe, the United Nations Assistant Secretary‑General for Youth Affairs, told the forum that current forms of youth participation remain insufficient. He said institutions must change and commit resources, and he announced a new U.N. flagship effort — the United Nations Youth Compass — intended to coordinate youth networks and improve follow‑through on commitments made at multilateral meetings.

Panelists and moderators repeatedly framed the digital divide as both technical and political: while the president noted that about “80% of young people have access to the internet” he pointed out that “1 in 5 do not,” a gap that panelists said will limit education, jobs and participation if not addressed.

Speakers warned that technology governance often reproduces existing biases unless young people and marginalized communities co‑design systems. Maria Teresa Pereira, technology focal point at the Youth Science‑Policy Interface platform, said climate and AI systems are currently developed “without input from the communities most affected,” and called for investment in local technological capacity and pathways for meaningful participation beyond token representation.

Why this matters: the forum feeds into U.N. processes and near‑term political moments — speakers said youth contributions will inform the High‑Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July and other 2025 decision points. Delegates and youth leaders pressed member states to convert declarations and the Path/Pact for the Future into funded programs and accountability mechanisms that give young people influence over scientific, technological and development policy.

Discussion versus decision: the session produced announcements and commitments — for example, the U.N. Youth Compass launch — but no binding multilateral decisions. Most outcomes were calls for action, requests for funding and pledges to strengthen youth representation in existing processes.","At the opening of the 2025 ECOSOC Youth Forum, youth delegates and senior U.N. officials urged concrete steps to make young people decision-makers now, close the digital divide and embed ethics into artificial intelligence and science policy.","actionData","errors"]

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Delegates and youth call for equitable digital health, protections against tech‑facilitated harm at ECOSOC SDG3 session

Youth, U.N. officials call for meaningful power, digital inclusion and AI ethics at ECOSOC Youth Forum