The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) participated in the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 2023 annual review meetings of the Child Protection Division, held as part of Egypt-UNICEF Country Program, within the framework of the digital citizenship and online protection initiative.
MCIT participation underscores its pivotal role since 2007 in the field of child online protection. This contribution aligns with national efforts to realize Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the country's digital transformation strategy. The strategy places a significant emphasis on building citizens’ digital capacities in accordance with the principles of digital citizenship and social responsibility.
The digital citizenship initiative is part of MCIT efforts to empower children, adolescents, and youth to safely navigate cyberspace and allow them to be equipped with the necessary skills to identify threats and fully understand the implications and consequences of their behavior online.
The initiative is primarily focused on enhancing citizens' digital awareness, in line with MCIT leading role in increasing community awareness through specialized platforms. It also aims to establish a community awareness e-platform, offering specialized knowledge in Arabic regarding safe and responsible online use. The initiative targets children, adolescents, teachers, and parents, emphasizing networking and building partnerships with relevant national agencies to effectively disseminate this information.
In collaboration with UNICEF and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), the initiative is actively preparing several guidelines for cyber threat protection. These include a family and caregivers guide, a faculty guide, and an introductory guide detailing various types of digital risks and threats. Additionally, the initiative incorporates interactive materials such as picture stories and coloring books designed to explain digital threats and concepts of citizenship to children aged 7-13.
It's important to highlight that the e-platform will facilitate access to knowledge content, aligning with the future vision of the digital citizenship initiative and in collaboration with various partners. A community outreach plan is actively underway, utilizing community and youth centers, as well as schools across various governorates, to disseminate awareness and training content to the specified groups.
Moreover, there is an ongoing implementation of a plan to establish partnerships and enhance the contribution of national agencies, aiming to enrich the platform with knowledge content and specialized training services. Additionally, there will be a monitoring and evaluation process to assess the impact of these various inputs on the targeted groups, with a specific focus on children and adolescents.
