The Strategic Dialogue on Safer Internet Environment for Children took place on 2 to 3 June 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. This event represents a significant step forward to further the child safety agenda at the regional and international levels. It provided a platform for policy-makers, regulators, industry, civil society, research and academia to exchange views, experiences, guidelines and initiatives regarding key policy and strategic approaches in the area of child online protection.

The discussions examined the dimensions of child e-safety, including information about the dangers facing children online, the tools presently available to reduce risks, as well as recommendations and key activities which could be undertaken in this area.

Along with promoting educational and awareness initiatives, several technical measures such as filtering services and parental controls were also considered.

The main outputs of this event are:

• The Tokyo Communiqué issued at the closing highlighted agreements on developing a framework for achieving safety, promoting voluntary self-regulatory initiatives in the private sector and improving user literacy to increase awareness among children and young people as well as among parents, guardians and educators. The Tokyo communiqué recommended that ITU should be the international platform for coordinating expertise in developing common codes of conduct and recommendations as well as for sharing information to protect children online.
  
  
• Four Draft Guidelines on Child Online Protection (COP) prepared in close collaboration with numerous UN agencies and other organizations, including ITU, UNICRI, INTERPOL, and the European Network Information Security Agency were reviewed at the Strategic Dialogue and published on the ITU website for consultation. Comments on these guidelines can be sent to cop@itu.int until 30 June 2009. The final version will be presented at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 which will be held in Geneva, 5-9 October.
  
  

These Draft Guidelines are:

1. For Children
2. For Parents and Educators
3. For Industry
4. For Policy Makers

For more information, please visit www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/cop/