Since becoming the first CEO of Fondation Botnar in 2017, Stefan Germann has led us through a period of rapid growth and change. Here he reflects on how challenges in 2020 further shaped our work and our organisation.

We live in a time of rapid and unprecedented change driven by digital technology and cutting-edge innovation, but that technology isn’t always serving the interests of everyone — particularly children and young people. At Fondation Botnar, we want to change that.

We are living in an age of unprecedented technological disruption. As the first generation with a digital-first mindset, young people are best placed to leverage these advancements to accelerate change. Still, their priorities and needs are often not reflected in policies, and there is an urgent need to work with young people as equal partners and valuable contributors.

On 18 September, UN-Habitat and Fondation Botnar launched the Future Cities Challenge with the aim to unlock the innovation and creativity of young people from all over the world. The challenge has been engaging children and young people (age 10-24)…

Today, 31 October 2020, we are celebrating World Cities Day, with this year’s theme of ‘valuing our communities and cities’. Did you know that by 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas and there will be more young people growing up in cities than ever before? At Fondation Botnar, we believe there is an urgent need to ensure that cities are both safe and healthy environments. We are proud to share some of our commitments and achievements in contributing to this. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the ongoing trend towards digitalisation of healthcare. But fast-moving technological development has led to concerns over data protection, privacy, and ownership, with health data governance becoming more critical than ever. How can it be achieved?

The rise of health data and the use of technologies to both treat and prevent different health conditions have opened many gateways. In particular, new digital methods present opportunities to improve diagnosis, treatment and management of mental health problems. From artificial intelligence via computerised therapies to applications on mobile phones – the potential of digital solutions, especially for young people is vast.

Donovan Müller, a recent high-school graduate and Foraus blog contributor (read his recent publications here), supported Fondation Botnar during our session at AI for Good Global Summit on 8 September 2020, capturing key discussions around this critical topic. In this blog, he reflects on Fondation Botnar’s session on “Digital rights: emerging questions for the wellbeing of the next generation.”