On this World Day of Social Justice, we highlight Benjamin Kyamoneka Mpey’s participation in the India AI Global Summit, which took place this week, from 16 to 20 February, in New Delhi. Benjamin, a Congolese human rights defender and youth advocate currently based in Kenya, is an alumnus of the HEY (Human Rights Education for Youth) Data Protection course. He was also the youngest of thirty human rights defenders selected last year by the Global Campus of Human Rights (2023 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe Laureate) and the European Parliament to participate in the Venice School for Human Rights Defenders. This week he took part in the Summit as a follow-up opportunity from the HEY Programme, with the support of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, contributing to bringing youth and human rights perspectives into global discussions on artificial intelligence. His engagement demonstrates that in today’s world, social justice and digital justice are inseparable.

As Founder and Executive Director of The Growth Sphere and Director of LJL Francophonie, he dedicates his work to expanding opportunities for youth in the Global South while critically examining how emerging technologies, particularly AI, are transforming power structures, rights protections, and democratic processes. His recent work with Amnesty International Kenya, where he contributed to the Privacy First campaign on digital rights and data protection, reinforced his conviction that technological innovation must be guided by clear human rights standards.

Through the HEY programme last year, he deepened his understanding of international and regional data protection frameworks and developed the ability to assess emerging policies and practices through the lens of human rights and democracy. This knowledge enabled him to actively participate in Summit workshops, including the Innovation session, engaging with companies, AI experts, and young leaders from around the world to co-create solutions within the scope of his work at The Growth Sphere. He emphasised that AI’s impact goes far beyond misinformation and deepfakes, affecting privacy, equality, accountability, and public trust. According to him, “the fact that AI-related issues remain complex means that developing initiatives to mitigate or prevent AI-driven harm, or even proposing relevant policies, requires a prior technical understanding of how AI models are developed and deployed and how their impacts are experienced in different regions of the world.”

At the same time, his experience highlights an ongoing challenge: although young people are at the heart of the digital revolution, designing, deploying, and using AI technologies, their participation in decision-making processes remains far too often symbolic. For him, meaningful youth inclusion requires more than invitations to speak; it demands equitable intergenerational dialogue, investment in capacity building for both technically skilled and human-rights–oriented youth, and genuine influence in decision-making.

Clara Merheb took part in a special panel presenting the Council of Europe Student community as a student from Lebanon. She presented the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe as well as her experience as alumna of the HEY Programme and took part in the workshops.

Speaking from New Delhi this week, Benjamin emphasises that youth participation in AI governance must move from symbolic representation to real influence, because the generation shaping AI today will inherit its long-term social and democratic consequences tomorrow. “Therefore, this is the best time to act, not when damage becomes irreversible.”

To address these challenges, the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe has incorporated Artificial Intelligence into its areas of action. The Lisbon Forum 2025, titled “AI and Global Governance: Rights, Representation, and Readiness”, included the youth perspective and was registered as a pre-event to the India AI Summit. This month, the North-South Centre also participated in the GPAI-associated India Student Community Convergence workshop, designed to strengthen youth perspectives in global AI governance and prepare them for the Summit.

Furthermore, the North-South Centre, in collaboration with South Programme VI “Strengthening Euro-Mediterranean legal space for shared prosperity and human security”is currently developing a new HEY course on Artificial Intelligence.