The Youth IGF has formed an alliance with 3 French healthcare companies and ASOP EU. Together they launched the global educational program to combat fraud and counterfeit drugs COVID-19

The Youth IGF, created by Julia V. Morenets, has teamed up with the Alliance of Safe Online Pharmacy (ASOP EU) with the support of three French global medical companies Ipsen, Sanofi and Servier to educate young people on safe online shopping, in particular through counter the proliferation of fake COVID-19 drugs.

The educational campaign is called We rely on you. We rely on youth.

The campaign includes a series of educational debates around the world to educate young people about the growing flow of sites using fear and misinformation about COVID-19.

These illegal sites advertise and sell counterfeit medicines and vaccines. Ultimately, this creates significant risks and opportunities for harm to the health of citizens.

The campaign launched on June 10, the World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. This was followed by 10 online informational debates around the world between Youth IGF youth ambassadors and senior national and international leaders. In Ukraine, the event was held on June 18 in cooperation with the State University of Telecommunications in Kiev. In Ukraine, the issue of fake drugs remains acute.

For example, can we risk our health and buy drops from otitis media for a child on this type of Instagram page? No.

The purpose of the event was to inform young people about how to safely buy medicines on the Internet, as well as to explore ways to take a multilateral approach to combating counterfeit medicines on the Internet.

Currently, in the continuation of the event, preparations are being made for the creation of a target project in Ukraine with the support of youth organizations, the pharmaceutical industry and civil society, based on the introduction of the use of new technologies.

“There are many young people who can be deceived into thinking that there is a cure for COVID-19 or even a vaccine. The truth is, no, and people should know about it.” says Julia V. Morenets, founder of the Youth IGF movement.

Three medical companies, Ipsen, Sanofi and Servier, said: “As companies involved in the fight against counterfeit drugs, we believe that supporting educational campaigns to combat false claims about the treatment of COVID-19 is necessary in this very difficult period. The Youth IGF is a focused and effective way to reach today’s youth, and we look forward to seeing the fruits of their work.”

About Youth IGF

The Youth IGF (www.youthigf.com), established in 2011, is a recognized UN initiative in more than 35 countries. This allows young people to discuss and take an active stance on issues related to Internet governance in the format of local, national or regional discussions. @globalyouthigf