Protection of Children in the Digital Environment Modern Tools and International Cooperation

Excellencies,
Honorable Ministers,
Distinguished representatives of governments and international organizations,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan for convening this important international conference, and for inviting the United Nations to contribute to today’s high-level discussion.

We are meeting at a time when the digital environment is no longer a separate “space” from children’s lives. For children and adolescents, digital technologies are woven into everyday reality, how they learn, communicate, play, explore their identity, and understand the world and themselves. Digital platforms and artificial intelligence are increasingly shaping childhood itself.

This transformation brings enormous opportunity: access to learning, creativity, connection, and services. 

But it also brings new and rapidly evolving risks,  risks that are often invisible to adults, amplified by algorithms, and capable of crossing borders in seconds.

Children today face online harm at a scale and speed that many protection systems were not originally designed to manage: exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying and harassment, grooming and sexual exploitation, trafficking and extortion, misuse of personal data, privacy violations, and algorithm-driven amplification of harmful material. 

These risks can reinforce inequality and exclusion, with the greatest impact on children in vulnerable situations — including children with disabilities, children in institutions or without parental care, children from low-income households, and children who experience discrimination.

And that brings us to the core theme of this session: digital threats are global by nature, and our response must be cooperative by design. No country can fully address these challenges alone, not because national efforts are insufficient, but because the digital ecosystem is transnational: platforms operate across jurisdictions, harmful content travels instantly, and online perpetrators exploit regulatory and enforcement gaps.

So, international cooperation is not simply desirable - it is indispensable.

At the United Nations, our approach is grounded in a simple but powerful principle: Children’s rights apply fully in the digital world, just as they do offline.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Azerbaijan has ratified, remains the cornerstone of global child protection. Its principles, the best interests of the child, non-discrimination, participation, protection from violence, and the rights to privacy and access to information,  must guide how digital systems are designed, governed, and regulated.

Over recent years, the UN system has strengthened its work globally to support Member States in responding to digital risks affecting children. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has provided authoritative guidance on how children’s rights should be interpreted in relation to the digital environment, including the implications of emerging technologies. UN has supported governments to strengthen child-centred digital policies, online safety frameworks, and responsible innovation, including ethical approaches to AI.

Importantly, the UN does not view this challenge through a single lens.

 It requires a whole-of-society response ,  and I would highlight four interconnected dimensions of UN engagement: 

First: Normative leadership.
The UN sets global standards and guidance so that digital transformation respects human rights, including children’s rights. This includes work on online safety, data protection, child-sensitive AI governance, and emerging international discussions on digital cooperation.

Second: Policy and institutional support.
Through UN Country Teams, including here in Azerbaijan, we support governments in strengthening legal and policy frameworks, building institutional capacity, and aligning national systems with international commitments.

Third: Partnerships and coordination.
Digital threats cannot be addressed by governments alone. Platforms and technology companies play a major role in shaping children’s online experiences — from content moderation to age assurance, from privacy settings to recommendation systems. Civil society and academia provide evidence and advocacy. Parents and educators require tools and guidance. The UN acts as a convener to bring these actors together around shared responsibility and accountability.

Fourth: children’s empowerment.
Children are not passive recipients of protection. They are rights-holders and active digital citizens. We must promote meaningful child participation in shaping the digital policies, platforms, and solutions that affect their lives — in age-appropriate, safe, and inclusive ways. Protecting children cannot mean limiting their agency; it must mean enabling them to benefit from digital opportunities safely.

In Azerbaijan, the United Nations stands ready to continue working with national institutions to advance a safe, inclusive, and rights-based digital environment for children. This includes support to digital literacy and online safety education, strengthened cross-sectoral coordination, and approaches that integrate child protection with education, health, and social services.

We also recognize the importance of the dialogue taking place today. 

The presence of ministers, high-level officials, international organizations, and the Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child sends a powerful message: protecting children in the digital space is a shared global priority.

As we look ahead, our collective task is clear: technological progress must not outpace our ability to protect the most vulnerable. We must design digital systems that are safe by design, inclusive by default, and accountable by principle.

Because ultimately, the success of our digital future will not be measured by innovation alone, but by whether every child- regardless of background, gender, ability, or geography- can navigate the digital world safely, confidently, and with dignity.

Thank you.