WeProtect Global Summit 2024 convenes global leaders to shape the future of child safety online

WeProtect Global Alliance and the United Arab Emirates bring together world leaders and experts to proactively identify and address tech trends affecting the fight against online exploitation and abuse of children.

Abu Dhabi, UAE – December 4-5, 2024 – A landmark event – the WeProtect Global Summit – will gather over 600 multidisciplinary stakeholders from around the world in person and online to discuss and take pre-emptive action on critical technology trends that will impact online child safety over the next 5-10 years.

Over the last decade, the world has seen a significant growth in child sexual exploitation and abuse online. In response, WeProtect Global Alliance, a movement of over 310 governments, companies and charities, is co-hosting a Global Summit with the United Arab Emirates Ministry of the Interior to drive urgent action to turn the tide on this urgent issue for children around the world. This year, the WeProtect Global Alliance marks a decade of impactful work in safeguarding children online, celebrating its achievements at its second hosting in the UAE, reaffirming the UAE’s commitment to creating a safer digital world for future generations

The Summit, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of the Interior, will take place at Erth, and online.  

With one case of a children being exploited or abused across the world every second, this growing global crisis demands urgent action across borders and countries.  

Under the theme Focus on the Future, the Summit will convene top government officials, tech innovators, child protection experts, and survivor advocates to tackle the most pressing challenges in safeguarding children in the digital age. The Summit aims to strengthen partnerships between governments and technology providers and social media companies, to collectively build a safer digital.

This year’s Summit will feature the launch of a report by WeProtect Global Alliance and Thorn Evolving Technologies Horizon Scan: A review of technologies carrying notable risk and opportunity in the fight against online child sexual exploitation, which explores emerging technology trends based on feedback from over 300 global experts. Designed to provoke forward-thinking dialogue, the report examines the evolving digital landscape and examines key technologies including predictive AI, generative AI, end-to-end encryption, extended reality, decentralization, and quantum computing. The report aims to provoke global conversations on how governments, civil society and the tech sector can stay ahead of the curve in protecting children from harm.

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with distinguished thought leaders and experts who will share their insights and strategies to enhance the safety of children in the digital age. Interactive sessions will enable delegates from across the world to collaborate on innovative solutions for protecting children online.  

Notable speakers and panelists include:

• Baroness Joanna Shields OBE, Founder of WeProtect
• Lt. Col. Dana Humaid AlMarzooqi, Director General of the International Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Interior, United Arab Emirates
• Nina Jane Patel, Futurist and Tech Advocate
• Mama Fatima Singateh, Special Rapporteur on the Sale, Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of Children
• Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, UN Special Representative on Violence against Children
• Evan Spiegel, CEO Snap Inc (recorded)
• Courtney Gregoire, Vice President, Chief Digital Safety Officer, Microsoft
• John Buckley, Lead Child Safety Policy Strategist, Google
• Chelsea Carlson, Child Safety TPM, OpenAI
• Chloe Setter, Child Safety Public Policy Lead, TikTok

Ministers from the United Arab Emirates and countries including Singapore, Serbia, Turkey, Kuwait and others will also be attending. Leaders and senior officials from the African Union, the Council of Europe, South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children, INTERPOL, civil society organisations, funders and regulators also feature. Expert are represented from countries covering every corner of the globe from Nepal to Australia, Ukraine, Tanzania, Sweden, the Philippines, Brazil and the United States of America.

Other key highlights to be discussed include:

Tackling the rise of Al-generated child sexual abuse material

From modifying and distorting existing images to creating deepfakes, Al is fuelling a wave of new challenges for child safety. The Summit will feature insights from law enforcement, technology experts, governments and regulators on the latest trends in Al-driven abuse and how they’re addressing current and emerging risks to children online.

Health and wellbeing of frontline responders

WeProtect Global Alliance and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will present initial findings from research on the health, wellbeing and work impacts of responding to online child sexual exploitation and abuse, including work-related risk and protective factors and recommendations to enhance work practices, build resilience and improve staff retention. There will also be professionals at the Summit who can talk first-hand about the impacts of such work.

The future of regulation

The Summit will explore the question, can the regulation of technology to keep children safe online keep pace with the rate of technological change? This will include an in-depth look at key emerging issues, the impact of current regulations on child safety, and the need for a coherent global framework with clear targets for the future. This is a particular emerging issue in Global Majority countries.

Lt Col Dana Humaid, Director General of the UAE Minsitry of Interior’s International Affairs Bureau said “By co-hosting the WeProtect Global Summit, the United Arab Emirates reaffirms its unwavering commitment to fostering international cooperation in the fight against online child exploitation. As a nation, we understand the urgent need for a united global effort to protect children from harm, and we are proud to provide a platform for leaders, experts, and innovators to collaborate and drive forward meaningful solutions. Together, we need to educate and empower families and communities, that are the first line of defense, to create a safer digital world for children everywhere.”

Iain Drennan, Executive Director at WeProtect Global Alliance said: “Child sexual exploitation and abuse online is not inevitable—it’s preventable. This Summit is about driving real action and solutions to stop these heinous crimes which we continue to see escalate rapidly with increasingly more sophistication. As technology evolves, so do the risks to children, but this is also our chance to harness innovation to protect them. This is a unique opportunity where world leaders, civil society, tech giants – alongside the voices of children, young people and survivors – are uniting to tackle this issue head-on, exploring technological  advancements and their implications for children. Together, we can create a safer digital world future where every child and future generations are free from the threat of exploitation and abuse.”

For more information, to access the Evolving Technologies Horizon Scan report or to register for the WeProtect 2024 Global Summit, please visit www.weprotect.org