WHO, together with the Governments of Pakistan, Barbuda and Antigua and Poland, in partnership with UNICEF, ATscale, International Disability Alliance (IDA) and Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub, co-hosted a side event at the 56th session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD56).
Outcomes of the event included an agreement that a multi-sectoral approach and strengthened international cooperation are essential to address the scale of need for assistive technology and the global inequity of access. Currently only 3% of people who need assistive products have access in some low resource settings compared to 90% in some high-income settings. Furthermore, the negative impact of inadequate access to assistive technology on the global community’s ambition to achieve the SDGs was well demonstrated. Assistive technology is vital for the achievement of all the SDGs.
Speakers included political leaders and those with lived experience of the impact of assistive technology on their lives. This was in areas such as education, healthy ageing, economic empowerment and inclusive development. Responding to the call by the WHO-UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology which recommends multi-sectoral engagement and mobilization of high-level political commitment to improve access to assistive technology for inclusive development, the side event highlighted the relevance of assistive technology in intensifying progress on population, education and sustainable development. For example, assistive products such as text-to-speech software enable access to education and lifelong learning.
Opening remarks were provided by His Excellency Ambassador Mr. Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Nations and His Excellency Ambassador Mr. Walton Alfonso Webson, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations.
Country experiences and actions on assistive technology were shared by His Excellency Ambassador Mr. Krzysztof Szczerski, Permanent Representative of Poland to the UN, Dr. Mohamed Sheikh, Director General, National Council for Population and Development, Kenya and Ms. Elaine Gomes, Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the UN.
The session was moderated by Dr. Werner Obermeyer, Director, the WHO Office at the United Nations (WUN) External Relations. WHO was represented by Dr. Hanan Balkhy, Assistant Director General, Access to Medicines and Health Products and Antimicrobial Resistance; and by Ms. Kylie Shae, Team Lead, Access to Assistive Technology. UNICEF representative Mr. Gopal Mitra, Global Lead on Disability, presented the perspective of children accessing assistive technology, followed by Mr. Emmanuel Ford, Youth Champion, who shared in conversation with Mr. Fernando Botelho, UNICEF Programme Specialist, Assistive Technology, experiences of using assistive technology throughout his education. Mr. Ford also highlighted key barriers to access such as affordability, lack of support services to learn how to use assistive technology, and connectivity in particular for digital assistive technology.