Meaningful Participation of Young Adults and Civil Society in Digital Governance Consultations: Research Brief

"Meaningful participation is being actively involved in decision-making, actions and programs that affect our lives." - Ghana Community Advisory Team member

This brief by researchers at University of Warwick, Restless Development, and the Digital Health and Rights Project, shares findings from qualitative research with 46 young adults and 4 civil society leaders from Colombia, Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam who participated in global, regional, national and local consultations on digital health, rights and
Governance-such as the Internet Governance Forum, UN and WHO consultations, and more––between May 2024 and September 2025.

It finds that meaningful participation in digital governance demands intentional design, including diverse representation; opportunities for co-creation; iterative cycles of feedback and input; and resources for travel, translation, briefing and debriefing.

Highlights:

1. Community Advisory Team (CAT) members appreciated opportunities to represent their diverse communities, learn, and build networks

2. A growing number of digital governance convenings-–but unequal access and participation among countries

3. Some CAT members felt dismissed or ignored, or struggled to participate

4. While many participants had positive experiences, there were few concrete policy outcomes during the study period.