Telenor Challenges Young Innovators to Tackle Pressing Issues Facing Asia’s Youth

(BANGKOK) 10 MAY 2016 – The answers to some of the most daunting challenges facing Asia’s youth may be found in Asia’s youth themselves. This is the premise to Telenor Group’s announcement today that it is bringing its global Telenor Youth Forum to Asia for the first time. Continuing its commitment to empowering a generation of digital natives, the event brings young thought leaders from six countries together in Bangkok for a two-day session to address challenges for  youth in the region.
The annual Telenor Youth Forum is organized in partnership with the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway and invites talented youth from Telenor’s markets around the world to find paths to dialogue and peace, focusing on solutions that combine technology, engagement and advocacy.

First time

This year, the Oslo-based forum is expanding to Asia for the first time, for a regionally-focused forum that centers on solving some of the most pressing youth issues in Asia. The five issues range from youth unemployment to dialogue and access surrounding less talked about topics, such as mental health.

The 28 participating delegates are alumni of the global Telenor Youth Forum from the past three years and represent Telenor’s six markets in Asia: Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Thailand. Born into a digital age, these young innovators are passionate about social causes and believe that the power of technology can create action and real change.

Nowshin Chowdhury, 2014 Telenor Youth Forum delegate from Bangladesh said, "We must unite, share ideas and solve problems as young activists in Asia. It's key that we actively participate in decision making processes and lend our ideas to empower our peers across the region. I am excited to take part in the Telenor Youth Forum once again, and look forward to taking on the region's problems with my peers.”

Expert Resources

The delegates will be organized into teams and be guided by world-class mentors and speakers from organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF Global Innovation Centre, and the Nobel Peace Center, who will provide expert resources for strategy building, design planning and solution delivery.  The event will also include keynotes by Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group, and Liv Tørres, Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Center.



“By reconnecting our markets’ brightest, most engaged and tech-savvy youth to collectively address some of Asia's challenges, we hope to see creative solutions that inspire scalable programs that empower youth in the region,” said Brekke. “As we pilot the Telenor Youth Forum in Asia, we are not only furthering our commitment to an inclusive digital future, but also expanding this formerly Oslo-based programme into a year-round cycle of dialogue and production that now includes an additional event in Asia mid-year.”

Liv Tørres (pictured), Executive Director, Nobel Peace Center, said, “Our mission is to inspire peace, and we have partnered with the Telenor Youth Forum because it provides an arena for young people with ideas and passion to address the issues that matter most in building a path to peace. We are excited to take part in this program in Asia as it sources real solutions from the people best equipped to make the biggest difference in their region.”

Tackling Five Challenges for Asia

During the course of the two-day forum, the delegates will develop actionable solutions to five key challenges affecting Asia’s youth:

• Fighting youth joblessness: Youth unemployment in Asia is more than double the rate of the total working population and working poverty is significantly higher for workers in younger age brackets. How can Asia realistically decrease youth unemployment and how can technology assist in this challenge?


• Getting more girls in schools: In South Asian countries, eight girls for every 10 boys are enrolled in secondary education, while three women for every four men are enrolled in tertiary education. What solutions are possible to address gender inequality in education and can technology lead social change?


• Educating young laborers: Children who are forced to work to sustain their families lose out on opportunities for education and development. How can child or youth workers be reached with innovative solutions such as mobile education programs, in order to provide them with both education and a safe environment to gain self-confidence and critical thinking skills?


• Breaking the taboo of mental health: Adolescence is the age when mental health issues first surface and young people are at greater risk of dying of suicide and violence. Depression and eating disorders are also on the rise in Asia, but dialogue on these topics remains limited. How can technology play a role in reducing taboos around mental health and provide new channels for access and inclusion?


• Engaging youth in nation dialogue: Young people comprise approximately half of Asia’s population and there is an urgent need to incorporate youth perspectives into national development and the political process. How can technology help overcome barriers to civil participation among youth and encourage democracy, voting, and inclusion into the formal political process?

The standout solution presented by the five teams will be featured at the Telenor Youth Forum in Oslo in December 2016.

Telenor Youth Forum Asia 2016 will take place from May 25-26 in Bangkok, Thailand. The global Telenor Youth Forum is in its fourth year and will be held in Oslo, Norway during the Nobel Peace Prize week in December. For more information on the 2016 program, and to find out how to apply, visit www.telenor.com/youthforum.

Media Contacts

Marcus Adaktusson, Tel: +65 9879 5730, E-mail: Marcus.adaktusson@telenor.com