DUBAI: Governments should be proactive in adapting policies to promote fair access to technology and other services, which includes ensuring young and older people have a voice in decision-making processes.

These were the arguments made by several experts on Tuesday during a panel discussion at the Dubai Future Summit.

Cecile Aptel, deputy director of the UN Children’s Fund’s Global Office of Research and Foresight, said this was crucial especially to keep up with rapidly advancing technology.

“Every decision we make today at UNICEF is about safeguarding the rights and opportunities of children today. We achieve this by understanding that children and young people have the opportunity of being consulted about their own future,” she explained.

EU Ambassador to the UAE Lucie Berger said the EU’s No. 1 objective was preserving the planet for future generations.

Berger said the EU’s intergenerational strategy would be announced next year and include policies that ensure fairness.

“We focus on our aging population as well, in Europe we have the concept of not leaving anyone behind. We don’t want to let the youth down but also not forget about our elders,” explained Berger.

Virginia Dawson, director of policy at the Pacific Islands Forum, said their programs have youth and elders participating within the framework of traditional knowledge.

And this practice was grounded in Pacific culture and values. “We are guardians not owners of our continents. Intergenerational fairness brings an obligation to protect our future so that further generations can live,” she explained.