“We must make sure that the pandemic that has happened offline is not going to happen online,” said Roman Chukov, Russia's representative to MAG of the Internet Governance Forum under the UN auspices. He participated in the work of the UN Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) session onhow the ICTs and the World Summit on Society's Information Development (WSIS) Action Lines can help accelerate the achievement of SDGs after the coronavirus pandemic.

The expert spoke about the first Youth Russian Internet Governance Forum, which was organized by the Center for Global IT Cooperation this April in Moscow. “The Youth Communique was presented at the Forum, composed of participants' ideas on how they want to see the future digital space. One of these ideas was the creation of the Youth Digital Ombudsperson institution. And we urge all countries of the world to think about creating such institutions, because it is very important to inspire and involve young people in processes related to digital development, as they are one of the main engines of the progress".

Roman Chukov also proposed to hold the next WSIS summit in 2025 to outline new guidelines for the development of the information society and the achievement of the SDGs. He reminded that in 2025 Russia for the first time will hold the Internet Governance Forum as part of its chairmanship. 

Speakers unanimously emphasized the increasing role of ICT during the coronavirus pandemic. That is why, regardless the crisis, ICT has become one of the methods of cooperation that can lead to the reaching of the SDGs.

The session was organized with the support of the Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), WSIS and the Russian Federation.

The high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This year, the theme of the forum was sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and results to achieve sustainable development".