Dear Friends

GKPF is happy to be able to announce that it has joint Child Online Protection (COP) Partners.

Also see below, after the COP Terms of Reference a update on the planned ACOP conference 2013.

I encourage all GKPF members and Friends to get involved in this important initiative.

Yours

Klaus

Draft Terms of Reference of the Child Online Protection (COP) Partners

Composition

COP Partners will be a consortium of trusted and respected entities with an interest in and responsibility for the protection or welfare of children online. Consortium members will share the values and principles of the ITU COP Initiative within the framework of the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA).

Modus operandi

Each Partner will

• Identify other potential Partners to support the COP Initiative and inform the COP Secretariat;
• Commit themselves to contribute actively  to the promotion of  the COP Initiative by different means as deemed appropriate;
• Encourage private-public and multistakeholder partnerships at all levels to contribute resources, expertise, research  and/or funding;
• Create public awareness of the issues concerning child online safety;
• Share information on plans and initiatives concerning child online protection  with COP members;
• Make available its own networks of stakeholders to promote COP and its work;  
• Build appropriate resource repositories for common use;
• Share knowledge, research and experience  and wherever possible facilitate international strategic partnerships to implement concrete initiatives;
• Avoid duplication of efforts, develop  deliverables and best practice guidelines  which will be made available for dissemination worldwide;
• Encourage adoption of COP at every level, locally and globally, for the benefit of children and families everywhere;
• Encourage meaningful participation of children and young people (with particular attention to be paid to vulnerable children and youth), and demonstrate prioritizing their role and engagement in the core elements of their work.

Scope of work and high level deliverables of the COP

The COP will

1. Establish an international collaborative network for action to promote the online protection and welfare of children worldwide by providing guidance on online behavior in conjunction with other UN agencies, Partners and ITU members.
2. Promote a harmonized global policy framework on COP within the framework of the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA).
3. Promote the importance of the issue of child online protection and welfare in discussions taking place in international fora, events, conferences, workshops and similar events.
4. Consider the key issues concerning the relationship between ICTs and children and young people, identifying the key risks and vulnerabilities of children and young people in cyberspace.
5. Identify areas and gaps where further research is required.
6. Identify partnerships and sponsorships which can help further the aims of the COP Initiative.
7. Promote tools to help minimize online risks to children and young people.
8. Define, develop and promote tools to help governments, organizations and educators minimize online risks to children and young people while promoting safe and responsible use of ICTs globally.
9. Encourage Telecommunications Regulators, Law Enforcement and Industry to place COP issues to the forefront of their agendas, strategic plans and mission statements.

Working method

• The group will work through physical and virtual meetings, using the communication tools made available to the ITU for this purpose, including a mailing list with archiving functionalities and an on-line collaboration platform to be accessed only by the members of the group.

Africa Child Online Protection (ACOP) Summit Africa 2013

• The social sector, by being engaged with COP, will be able to promote human rights in general and in particular the rights of children.
• The private sector, by getting involved with COP, will be able to create clear business opportunities for itself, whilst at the same time exercising its corporate social responsibilities.

1. The governmental sector, by getting involved with COP, lays the social and economic foundations for their countries to become contenders in a digital world.