The following are the outputs of the captioning taken during an IGF intervention. Although it is largely accurate, in some cases it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
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Joining us via zoom is Ima, the senior expert and is leading the rights of disabilities, focusing on accessibility and assistive technologies since 1991. If you have heard of European Accessibility Act, we have much to thank her for there.
With us we also have Yu Ping Chan, the Senior Programme Officer in Office of Secretary‑General's Envoy on Technology at the United Nations, coordinating on follow‑up and Secretary‑General's Road Map for Digital Cooperation and aspects of the Common Agenda Report. In particular, the Global Digital Compact, GDC.
And Dan Sjoblom, the Director General of the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority. He was appointed by the Swedish government to that role in 2017 and previously the chairperson of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communication.
And super-excited to have Irene Mbari-Kirika, the founder of InABLE, a strategic innovator bringing technologies and key legislation to Kenya on making on digital accessible for all. Later on, check out her website. There is a film on how the entire project came to be. You will not leave untouched; it is fantastic.
Also super‑excited to be here is Malin Rygg, the head of Norway's watchdog (?) and former Head of Design of ICT, working to transform it into a data powerhouse. Here in Norway, public entities have to register a statement, which has had a tremendous impact on making sure everyone follows the rules in place for so long. Very, very happy about that.
Also joining us is Maja Brynteson, a Research Fellow, a background in Sustainable Development and a background in Management Studies, and we are going to be hearing a keynote on digital divides and more, so super‑excited by that.
First up, I will explain the format. We will have four keynotes. We will have the Minister’s own take. After the keynotes, the panel is back, and I will be back on stage for a panel discussion, about thirty minutes. We will be super‑strict with the schedule, so anyone who speaks will be stopped. So Minister, I would like to invite you back up on stage. Let's have a big round of applause.
(Applause)
>> ASMUND GROVER AUKRUST: Great. I'm from Norwegian side. We are very proud and honoured to welcome you here and host this important conference. For me personally, as representative for this Norwegian parliament, I can say we are excited to have you here. Most importantly, I look forward to this debate,this conversation we are having today. I look forward to listening to your comments and questions later on.
Because despite great progress, even though 92% of our planet now has Internet coverage, one‑third of our population is still off‑line. The biggest challenge is coverage. We have to talk about meaningful connectivity. We need measures that addresses both coverage and usage barriers, such as infrastructure gaps and policy and regularity, the limited ability for the Wi‑Fi services and digital illiteracy.
Meaningful connectivity is particular challenge in low‑income countries. Even where coverage exists, barriers remain. Intersectional inequities across gender, race, age, disability status and rural communities.
In addition to this, limited affordability of devices and services, lack of education and local languages hinder widespread usage. Concerns about online health, safety, security interests may also prevent further adaptation of digital services. Not to mention, the risk and harm that can occur online, especially for women and children.
Meaningful connectivity is about basic Human Rights, including the right of information and freedom of expression. I would like to highlight the importance of digital public infrastructure. It encourages competition and fosters innovation and fiscal resilience and can generate spillover effects across society, institution and markets and businesses.
Safe DPI can shape systems, public trust and reduce digital gaps and promote inclusive social development for all. DPI is priority for Norwegian Development Cooperation. Let me highlight the importance of Open Source solution, including Open Source DPI, like Norway's alt for government and people's business's interaction.
Digital I.D. Is another essential part of DPI. It open up for wide range of government services, businesses and protect the users. Norway supports digital I.D. Solutions developed in India, that is now been rolling out in 26 countries.
I look forward to listening to the rest of the debate and to listening and learning from all of you, thank you so much.
(Applause)
>> MALIN RYGG: So the digital everyday life is here for most of us. We use technology for big and small tasks alike. In our work, free time, school, entertainment and staying connected with others. The digital solutions that have emerged these last years has given us opportunities we could only have dreamed of 20 years ago. Is everyone able to keep up? I'm delighted to have this discussion on this important topic. This has obligation and mandate under Norwegian law to prevent barriers and prevent new ones from being created. Yet we see many still digitally excluded. Who are they? What can we do ability. As mentioned, there are 8.2 billion people in the world. Technology is evolving fast and technological services are the norm. As this continues, also accelerates the risk of deepening inequity.
Digital inclusion is essential for development goals. Without education, decent sustainment infrastructure or equal access to health care, most all can participate. So depends on meaningful digital participation in this age.
So it was mentioned 2.6 billion people are still off‑line, according to the UN DP. Digital inclusion reinforces social exclusion. From education, employment, but also democratic participation and freedom of speech. The digital divide is no longer just about access; it is fundamentally about Human Rights.
So did you know 1.3 billion people worldwide live with a disability? That is one in six of us. It is a diverse group that includes people with physical, cognitive and sensory impairments or other health conditions. We all bring unique skills, perspectives and contributions to society. That is only society's design to include all of us. That is why accessibility is foundational to human dignity, opportunity and equality. Ensuring accessibility means building a system that upholds rights and empowers all people to participate fully in the digital world.
Rights, access inclusion are connected, and we must act along three core connections: connectivity, accessibility, designing services usable by everyone, regardless of ability, language, literacy and trust. Digital skill, enabling people to confidently and safely participate, from basic tools to navigating complex digital systems.
So there is a gap. That is a gap we have to mind. Because the distance between those digitally included and those who are not is growing. We need a framework to help us bridge it. We must close on two levels: individual and societal. I like to point to this as the gap model that provides a structured way of thinking about this. It shows how we can lower expectations on the societal level. At the same time, give individuals that can't reach the help and support they need.
On the connectivity part, from societal level, we can work on infrastructure, broadband, assistive compatibility. For the individual, we can ensure everyone has a device. That it is affordable and they also have subscriptions and anything they need to connect. On the accessibility, from the societal level, we can work on universal design, inclusive standards and regulatory frameworks, as the E.U. Has been doing in recent years.
On the individual side, we can help with assistive technologies, and adaptive technology. Screen readers and so on. When we talk about digital skills, we can work with developers, designers, leaders, teachers and so forth. From the individual side, digital literacy, use and competence and life‑long learning. This shows this is not only about physical access but tools, trust, usability or know‑how to engage meaningfully. Inclusion must be designed, taught and built into systems, not left to chance.
Earlier this month I attended the Inclusive Africa Conference in Nairobi. It offered a fresh perspective and reminded that the Global South doesn't simply need to catch up but can leapfrog and learn from our mistakes. In Kenya is mobile first. There are possibilities but difficulties that are different from ours. What stood out is commitment to standards from the start. Enabling accessibility and inclusive innovation from day one.
Where we in the North has been kind of stumbling through the last 20 years with “design now, fix later.” The South can choose better from the beginning. The goal is shared: digital participation for all.
The core elements remain: connectivity, accessibility and digital skills. Before I close, we live in different parts of the world, but we are working toward a future where everyone, regardless of ability or background, can belong, contribute and thrive in the digital world. I'm truly grateful to take part alongside such knowledgeable and committed voices and to share our experiences as part of a shared global effort. Let's build this future together.
(Applause)
>> Thank you, Malin. Now we are going to welcome Maja up on stage. As soon as we get the presentation up.
>>MAJA BRYNTESON: All right. I have a presentation. I don't know if it is ‑‑
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Should be coming.
>> MAJA BRYNTESON: I will present myself. My name is Maja Brynteson. I work at Nordregio, a research institute in Stockholm, and I’m working in Research and Development. I will be speaking more here ‑‑ yeah, here it is. Perfect. I will be speaking about digital inclusion in Nordic‑Baltic countries. In recent years, have focused on this. In this presentation I will share key findings from that work.
Let's start with why digital inclusion is still an important topic in Nordic‑Baltic region. We often refer to the paradox, to argue importance of digital inclusion. I will try to explain what we mean with this paradox. These are the most highly digitalized countries in Europe. For example, according to the latest digital economy site index in Finland, Denmark and Sweden are among the basic skills of citizens and with respect to government services, with high rates of government usage as well as digital service for students. High in Finland and Baltic countries.
As the Nordic‑Baltic region comes to life, digital skills are essential for participating in everyday life. Expectations placed on individuals continue to rise. There is a growing reliance on having digital tools and skills for being an active member of society. We see increased use of electronic I.D.s, particular access and authentification. In some countries you need I.D. From everything from checking health records and matching bank accounts, to booking doctor appointments, to your apartment building's laundry room. We are seeing digital communication and platforms have become the norm, shaping how we work, learn and stay informed. But there are still significant disparities in access and ability. Both are (?), especially in remote and rural areas in this region. There is also varying levels of individual skills among different population groups. These gaps continue to challenge inclusive digital participation.
So it is important to recognise not everyone is equally included in these digital societies. Certain population groups have been identified as being at‑risk of digital exclusion. This slide provides closer look at various groups identified in the exclusion. In (?) we have older adults, people with disabilities, immigrants, people with low or no education, rural communities, young people and people with low income.
Now it is important to say that not everyone in these groups struggle with digitalisation. Many are doing just fine. Overall, these are groups that research consistently and more vulnerable to this type exclusion. In (?) We have found digital exclusion as being multi‑dimensional and conflict‑specific. What do we mean? By more conventional, we mean people are at risk when several overlap. For example, an older adult living in rural area with limited income is likely to face more barriers than someone of the same age who is affluent and well‑connected in urban area.
By conflict, different groups face different challenges in different parts of life. Some may struggle with access and I.D.s, digital devices or broadband, difficulty to navigation or accessibility issues.
Countries are affected in many areas. We see shared population remains at risk of digital exclusion. Here is the paradox. The more digital our society has become, the greater the risk of deepening the digital divide. We are seeing this divide emerge along familiar lines: Age, geography, disability, language, socioeconomic status. This does matter and creates significant consequences.
The consequences of digital divide are profound and far‑reaching. They include, for example, not getting access to important information, missed job and education opportunities, very specific engagement and democratic participation, limited access to health care and other essential services, challenges in performing economic activities and increased risk of social isolation.
Digital exclusion doesn't just reflect existing inequalities. It can actually deepen them. So in our research we looked, and most common barriers in our area is digital inclusion. You see them here.
We usually divide them in two main categories. First, access barriers, having physical means to participate, like access to stable Internet connection or owning a device such as smartphone or computer.
Second, we have accountability barriers relating to skills and competence needed to use digital tools, including digital skills but also literacy and language. And lack of the knowledge and lack of trust, depending of security or willingness. Both types of barriers can prevent people from fully participating in our digital societies. Often they overlap.
So where do we stand today? What is the status of digital inclusion in Nordic and Baltic region? This region is perceived as digitally advanced countries. In many ways that is true, but the picture is more complex. We are living in some areas but lagging in others. In our research we can see one key challenge is there is no shared understanding of what digital inclusion actually means across the region. This makes it harder to have efforts and measure progress, especially when we may not be talking about the same things. We also see some groups remain at risk of exclusion, digital access, lack of skills or insufficient support. Another is user support. Too often services are built without for people most affected, at risk of being left out. So while we make great strides, is important work to be done to ensure digital inclusion is available for everyone in this region.
How do we move forward? For this region we need a lot of fix. For example, more targeted policies, inclusive design and support systems that meet people where they are. On this note key innovators exist in our communities. Libraries, citizen services play a role in reaching the otherwise left-behind. These actors provide not just access but guidance, training and human support. These actors need mandate and support to work with these questions. Thusly, it is important to remember not everyone can or want to be digital. Maintaining Internet services is essential to ensure everyone, regardless of their digital ability or willingness, can access the services they need and be part of our societies.
On that note, I end my presentation. Thank you for your time and attention. If you have any questions or like to learn more about our work, please do not hesitate to reach out.
(Applause)
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Thank you, Maja. Irene, please join us. Check out the website. When I was doing research on the state of accessibility in Kenya, just fantastic efforts, so I'm looking forward to your keynote.
>> IRENE MBARI‑KIRIKA: Good afternoon, everyone. All Protocol observed. So it is with great honour that I stand before you at the Internet Governance Forum, a platform that opens dialogue, shares collectivity and progress in our digital age. My name is Irene Mbari-Kirika of InABLE, based in Kenya, with the mission to empower youth with disabilities through technology.
For the last 15 years, we have been championing digital accessibility to ensure persons with disabilities are not left out. At InABLE we believe in future where no one is left behind. Our assistive technology lab has located at least eight skills for blind and provided skills to help them navigate independently. Recognising the power of collaboration in advancing accessibility, we host the Exclusive Africa Conference, bringing together stakeholders for digital inclusion for persons with disabilities. One of the conference's most significant outcomes has been development of Kenya's ICT Accessibility Standards. Important to note it is for products and services, the only one in Africa so far. But we do have plans. We are currently working with other African countries to scale standards across the continent, to accelerate Africa's progress towards a more inclusive digital future.
Last week we received powerful affirmation of our work when we were named to the Forbes 100 Accessibility List. This global recognition celebrates the world's most impactful organisations and innovations, driving progress in disability and accessibility inclusion. It validates our belief, persons with disabilities deserve dignity, opportunity and full participation in the digital age.
Ladies and gentlemen, according to the mobile accessibility Sub‑Sararan report, it is a mobile smartphone penetration of about 52% and projected to go up to 81% by 2030. The World Bank estimates Africa's population will reach approximately 1.7 billion by 2030, with 70% of this population made up of young people between ages of 15 to 24. This will make Africa the youngest continent in the world. It is well‑established fact that global corporations must establish a strong presence in Africa or risk falling behind for innovation. In Africa we are seeing the Gen Z awakening, driving creativity and holding institutions and individuals accountable.
(Applause)
>> IRENE MBARI‑KIRIKA: These young people are our future, a generation of digital natives, poised to shape the world. Yet among them, there are millions of brilliant, creative and determined youth with disabilities who risk being left behind. Not due to a lack of talent or ambition but because we have failed to design new technologies with their needs in mind. We must prepare African youth, not for just roles but opportunities and demands of tomorrow. In today's world, I‑literacy is essential, critical to transforming the digital divide into a powerful economic opportunity for the next generation, especially for our young people.
The global assistive technology market is projected to reach 32 billion by 2030. Africa must not only be a consumer; we must be a creator, manufacturer and global supplier of accessible technologies, designed and built on the continent by Africans for the world. Digital accessibility therefore is not a sentimental issue; it is a sound investment and a strategic opportunity for growth and innovation.
African governments, including Kenya, have introduced tax incentives to support the development of digital solutions for the export market. Combined with rising literacy rates, increasing Internet access and deeper hunger for success, this positions Africa as the next continent from which the world can innovate and the next wave of digital breakthroughs will be born.
Ladies and gentlemen, the journey means streaming digital accessibility for persons with disability in Africa is already underway. A case in point, in my own home country, Kenya, which recently passed the landmark law for Persons With Disabilities Act in 2025, this law has digital inclusion aligning with the ICT accessibility standard in setting a strong example for the continent, meaning compliance now is now an option, which is great for persons with disabilities to be included.
Our vision for digital accessibility in Africa will require the expertise, knowledge and resources of everyone gathered at this form. The recently Included Six Africa Conference has launched a series of year‑round working groups for momentum and driving measurable progress ahead of the 7th edition of next year Of Inclusive Africa Conference. These present a valuable opportunity for individuals and organisations to connect with an established platform, contribute your expertise, resources and innovation too, advance digital accessibility across Africa.
I warmly invite all of you to join these working groups and actively shape a more inclusive and accessible future for everyone. May this year's Internet Governance Forum be remembered when the global community came together to decisively champion digital inclusion for all. One second -- and to advocate for universal standards for digital accessibility. One that applies equally to developing countries, as it does to the rest of the world. I keep saying that my mobile phone doesn't change if I come to Africa, Norway or live in Washington D.C. It is the same mobile phone. Digital accessibility standards, we should be able to follow digital accessibility standards from continent to continent and country to country. As I conclude, digital inclusion is not about making room at the table; it is about building a table where everyone has a seat and a voice, thank you.
(Applause)
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Thank you, Irene. All Protocol is a publisher of the continent that some of you may be getting by email. I love how the ways of building digital technology have been super‑clever, because they have a WhatsApp channel and delivery so you get PDF, so you don't consume valuable network capacity. A valuable way of shaping the product for local conditions and super‑useful for reference later. So thank you everyone on Zoom. Remember to ask us questions. We are going to have a little session now. Then we are going to open the floor afterwards. I will ask our Minister of International Development what do you see as barriers to this and standardization and regulation playbooks in guaranteeing universal accessibility and inclusive design help?
>> ASMUND GROVER AUKRUST: I have learned a lot from our colleagues at the scene. I think digitalisation creates so many possibilities. It creates so many possibilities for inclusion. As you finished up with, it is the same mobile phone you can use in Kenya or in Sudan or in Washington D.C. or Lillestrom, so it creates so many possibilities for inclusion. However, there is also a danger that this will create more inequality because there will be a bigger division among those inside of the digital walls than those outside.
I think it is very important we are so vocal. This should be a very important part of the discussion. We learned through the other speeches here who are the groups that might be the most vulnerable. It could be elderly people, people with disabilities, people living in rural areas, people with lack of education that might be more vulnerable.
Of course there will be different, also, solutions and different ways to tackle these challenges. But I think, of course, the governments have really important role here. Really important role of having universal designs and to reach out to its whole population. I know when we are talking about disabilities, I know from the Norwegian side, we have been working together with Kenya in the way to have what we call the Global Disability Innovation Hub in Nairobi, which has created fantastic results.
As I started off with, I think the most important one is that we are ‑‑ we try to seek the barriers. This is also, of course, a discussion we need to have all the time. Because the digital solutions, they are changing all the time. Therefore, we also need to change the policy as fast as the digitalisation is moving forward.
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Thank you. Now we have a question for Ima, joining us by Zoom. Let's make sure all the technology is with us. There you are, very good. So we have a question for you, Ima. What strategies for regulation and enforcement have proven effective in promoting digital inclusion across Europe? Also what lessons should we take forward as digital policy evolves?
>> IMA: Okay. Building up an agenda for the accessibility, it takes really time and takes time to prepare the field to gain knowledge first about what are we talking about. It is not evident from people in this field to know what we mean by digital inclusion and digital accessibility. I think it is -- based on what we did in Europe, there was a need to have that building up, to identify stakeholders, raise awareness in the field. Once it is done, I think we need to come (?).
The way is have specific policies that address matters, policies reflected in general digital policies so that the general documents reflect well.
They need commitment and right to be included in the digital world by persons with disabilities in the developments. To do that you need a specific and complete action, accessibility. At the end what worked in Europe, and I think made the change, is legislation; clear legislation with obligations for the private and public sector, to ensure that certain products, services, infrastructures that are going to be used are used by people includes ‑‑ that comply with accessibility requirements so persons with disabilities can use and access on equal basis with others.
Then once together with the legislation, we also need to have clear technical standards. The strategy we have used is really not just start from scratch. I think it is a lot already in this roundtable. These presentations we just saw have illustrated this. There is already a lot being done. So should a country wish to advance on this matter and improve the situation? I would say look around. We did the same. At the time we were preparing our flagship legislation, the European Accessibility Act and our standards include mandates, EN549 or Mandate 376, talking about 2005 at the time. We looked around, saw what countries were more advanced on accessibility at time were doing. In particular, we partnered with the U.S. Access Boards to have standards that were coherent. I'm happy now, in different parts of the world, like Canada or Australia, the European Standard is used. Also as (?) reflected this standard is basis of developments in Africa and in particular in Kenya. So I would say, have clear objectives and put policies that raise awareness that address and clarify what needs to be done; but then put in legislation with clear deadlines, clear obligations and enforcement mechanism and use technical standards or technical specifications or regulations in order to say what exactly needs to be done. If all these go holding hands, we have a bigger chance to achieve the objective of digital inclusion, thank you.
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Very good. Thank you very much. Next up we have a question for Yu Ping, so make sure everyone can hear us. In my work you have emphasized the importance of holistic multistakeholder collaboration involving governments, private sector and Civil Society. The three Ps, really, to tackle complex and interconnected nature of digital divides. In practice, what does effective collaboration look like? What are the biggest barriers we need to overcome to make this work?
>> YU PING CHAN: Thank you, Fredrik. You mentioned part of the work at United Nations, where I used to be in the office of the Tech Envoy. That question you asked in terms of what have we seen that works and barriers we see in countries is particularly profound.
I want to emphasize the point Irene raised, where we are really looking at challenges the whole world faces. Maja spoke of the Baltic regions, (?) Talked about European challenges, but think about how profound they are in the developing countries. They don't have the legislature, infrastructure, the skills.
And lot of these are present in richer, industrialized and developed countries. Those are the challenges we serve in 170 countries and territories around the world have to contend with when we try our best to support national governments and developing countries. For instance, when we talk about digital inclusion and inequalities, it is not just within societies or group, but the divides that exists between countries. That is particularly important if we are gathering together as a global community, talking about digital issues and cooperations.
As we talk about the opportunity AI brings, we have to recognise the future AI revolution could exacerbate this. In one instance it is projected only 10% of global economic value generated by AI in 2030 will accrue to global south, except for China. When you consider 90% of talent is concentrated in six research universities in the U.S. and China, you think the global opportunity posed by AI will fundamentally leave behind many of these developing countries and widen inaccessibility and exclusion they have and feel when comes to affordability, connectivity and so forth that.
Is perspective of UNDP and what we think is fundamental barrier to considering question of digital inclusion. When you come to the practical level, you have technofragmentation emphasizing the role of government, but actually needs to be holistic and comprehensive. Can't be individual tech solutions by one ministry for one particular situation, or one situation at a time. We have to think about solutions that cut across entire government, interoperable, where the Minister's emphasis is something the United Nations Development Programme focuses on, digital frameworks like roads and railways that must undergird entire population.
This needs to be intentional from the start. For instance, Fredrik, you mentioned the importance of all of society, different Ps. So we need whole of society, whether it is private sector or government with people‑central focus to ensure this delivery. These are important aspects. We think we need a more Holistic approach to supporting national governments in developed countries but particularly for developing countries as well.
The last point I want to underscore is really the importance of local ecosystems. We need to build capacity in developing countries. As Irene said, be co‑creators. This requires skills, investments, capacity-building and upscaling and resources to put into these type of efforts around the world.
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Thank you, now to Dan Sjoblom. My question is, what policy levers are most effective to reach underserved populations and what can regulators do without stifling innovation. This is something in my neighborhood, where kids come over and need Wi‑Fi but have old phones. Their parents can't afford a subscription. They have come up with this hack via Snapchat or Facetime, but it doesn't work because there is no I.D. There are workarounds. But my question is about what at the policy level -- what can we do?
>> DAN SJOBLOM: Yes, how we have addressed things in my authority and things we do. First, I would like to say, just being a Telecom regulator has changed dramatically over the last years. Anyone who works in that business in the room will recognise we are drifting from Telecoms to ICT and digital. A new environment and much more complex one, where also from a government standpoint it is getting more difficult, because these policies are cross‑cutting in a way that we haven't seen before.
So a lot of collaboration is needed at local, national and international levels, which makes me happy. On connectivity issues, everyone needs to be connected. We have had for a long time a policy where we want to establish stable market conditions for private entrepreneurs to build out connectivity, both fixed and mobile. That has taken us very far. We have now I think in about 98% connectivity, people can connect to high‑speed Internet, over 98% of everyone in the country.
But that is just the first step. We want to get to 100%, so there is also a sub‑city programme we are running with the aim of getting everyone up to be able to connect. As we have heard others speak on this panel mentioning with the -- 98% able to connect, there is a lower percentage of those acting, connecting. How is that? How do you address that?
We heard that we ‑‑ the currently weaker groups. We also heard I think good comments about this is an ongoing development. So those who are in the weaker groups today or not in weaker groups may find themselves in weaker groups tomorrow. AI is a very big challenge for anyone to become connected and work with.
So we have developed -- or we have programme which is called Digital Today, regulator in Sweden, which we are very happy and proud about. It works with the government services, it works with municipalities, it works with academia. But, most importantly, it works with civic society, which I think is really the key message here. Because when you find those who can connect but have chosen for various reasons not to connect, it often links to feeling unsafe on the Internet. It is a dangerous place. Online safety is not where it should be. And cybersecurity is ‑‑ I think we are all working very hard on cyber security, but not getting easier to keep up with those who are trying to defraud our funds or create problems of many kinds on the Internet.
We have come, I think, to the stage where many of us don't pick up the phone if we don't see the caller is somebody you know. That is very different from 20 years ago when of course whoever called, you just picked up the phone.
But working with trusted institutions, like libraries were mentioned earlier, but mentioned are civic societies, associations for weaker groups. Is a very powerful means. We have in this digital programme -- we have close to 400 of those organisations that come together. We create platform material that can be used by everyone. We go out and we meet people with the trusted representatives. That is very powerful.
The last thing I wanted to mention, coming back to international global collaboration, is we are very proud to now be over 7 years, a programme called (?) Used to be called Spider, where we collaborate with 25 Sub-Saharan countries and run peer‑to‑peer learning and sharing development issues, projects. I think they are represented out here in the stands. Or anyone interested in the apres programme run by (?) And Stockholm, go out and have a shot. There are great stories from their experience, thank you.
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Thank you. Irene, we have seen how local and community-driven innovation can make a real difference. One thing is the practical application but there is the next‑level effects that can come from it. So from your experience, what are some promising examples of the solutions; and how can we build them in a sustainable way so it is not just a one‑off, something that can run over time?
>> IRENE MBARI‑KIRIKA: I will say InABLE. Africans are coming up with solutions, assistive technologies and accessibility solutions but have no way of pushing this out to market or promoting them for more people to use.
At the conference we started something called the AT Village, assistive technology. What happens is we do a call for proposals where people submit the innovations they have developed. Most time we get almost 100 innovations from various African countries. Like this year I think we had about 15 being showcased.
The whole idea is showcase these at Innovations in Africa. For example, you find the person for the innovation may be a developer who has a sibling or cousin with disability and wants to figure how to make this happen. I will mention Sign Verse, due to a friend who was deaf. He was like, how can we come up with a solution. They came up with an AI‑based solution to help bridge the gap. We all know sign language interpreters are very critical, but that model is not scaleable.
If you think about Africa, most countries, just starting with Kenya alone, there are different versions, depending on what your tribe is, what your dialect is, whether you speak English, French, Portuguese, all that. By the time you have all the sign language interpreters lined up, it becomes very complex and expensive.
This young man developed a product that-- now it works for Kenya, for the Kenyan market. Now what he is doing is using AI now out in Rwanda and other countries to make sure my solution for sign language interpretation can be used in various African countries.
Because of the differences in sign language, he is trying to gather a lot of data to at least come up with a solution. Datasets are a big challenge. How do we help African innovators meet their needs. Some are developers, great ideas. And ends there, and builds a great product. They need to take this to market. How do we help them design, package and bring this product to market? How do we help with finance?
Those are some of the things we can help African innovators when comes to bridging this digital divide.
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Thank you. Glad to hear he is travelling around to pick up the local dialect. Every time I pick up my phone in California, I contend with issues. Like no or yes, this is how. This is incredibly important to tackle from the start.
Maja, digital inclusion as Human Rights issue. How do you think we should understand and why is it critical to frame it in today's digital landscape? Like inclusion is important, then frame it as Human Rights? That is interesting. What is the equity?
>> MAJA BRYNTESON: I think one of the big ‑‑ what we have seen the last years is before we talked about digital services. We talk about people like they are consumers of digital services and maybe opt out. If they can't use them, we will train and give them digital skills so they can use them. But at the moment, you see digital service is so intertwined with education, with work, with just being able to express yourself in debate or in newspapers.
So by kind of dividing this into connectivity and digital skills, I think we are losing one part in the middle, which is what Yu Ping was talking about. How are these services made? A lot are like from tech companies or public companies making ‑‑ trying to solve their problem. But when the effect is you actually educate through them, you have to use them in the workplace, to do anything. Analog services might be off the table. We see that very clearly in Norway that if you are actually digitally excluded, for instance ,if you have a disability, though you might be digitally very skilled but the service just doesn't work for you or if you don't have the I.D., you actually are in some areas so excluded that you are not able to participate at all.
We did a report with the authority for a survey of digital education in the primary school of Norway where we see children with dyslexia or visual impairment, they are sometimes actually so digitally excluded that they don't have equal right to education that other children have. That is in a very digital society such as ours.
That is why we have to change the mindset. Not just talking about digital services being offered to the public but you actually have to talk about this as one of the key components that you have to have in place for people to participate in all kinds of life. To add, it was interesting, Yu Ping, with your perspective, we are actually excluding part of the global population. Not only the individuals in each country. So thank you for that. Very interesting, yeah.
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: There is a neat thing in Norway when your kid is getting ready to go to high school, you as a parent will want to check out the different study offerings.
The thing I love is the agency that handles all the information has translated it to pretty much every language spoken to Norway. Not just the official language, but if you only speak (?) Like some of the parents, you want your kids to study design, you can check out the curriculum.
It is not just the individual who is able to access on the system but parent, people around them. Ability to frame and anchor those things. There are incredibly important things.
For those of you living in Norway, you have kids, the rite of passage is getting your e-ID. So we have a mobile payment app, and kids will be like, when can I use it? Before that, nobody can use it. They don't take cash. You have to have it.
That is a good framing to use Human Rights, because you have individuals who are not ‑‑ not old enough to drive or vote but have needs that have to be met. Human Rights are a stronger way of framing it as opposed to, oh, it is convenient to buy a ticket for the bus for your kid.
Which leads us to Maja. Loved your presentation. You showed us groups at risk of exclusion. So are there particular groups you would like to highlight? We see the Nordics and Baltics, we can call ourselves front‑runners but in many ways, it means we are lifting ourselves up to a level where a lot of people are potentially left behind. What are your thoughts?
>> MAJA BRYNTESON: I agree. Across the Nordic and Baltic companies, there are groups everyone was talking about. Older adults, people with disabilities and immigrants. In some, such as Sweden and Oslo, Norway, we talk about the rural communities because we have connectivity issues that even Denmark doesn't have, because it is a much smaller country compared to Sweden than Norway. So we see there are these groups that we and other researchers consistently identify as being more vulnerable. As I said, not everyone in these groups are actually at-risk. Many are very, very digitally capable.
I think what we need to talk about as well is that these groups, they often face similar challenges. So whether you are an immigrant with lack of knowledge, that is true for youth. They lack main knowledge. Though they are different groups, there are similar challenges across these groups. Some of country, especially in Nordics, talk about the groups. Talk about common barriers, common solutions approach. We need to identify the most common barriers and implement solutions that cuts across all these population groups. I think that is going to be interesting to follow the next five or ten years how that will work out.
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Fantastic. The necessity of understanding this is complicated. I remember I studied in Finland. All I had to do was call an office on the phone. My boss said, call this number. You will get a National I.D. A day later I had one. I didn't have to do anything. The same thing in Singapore. There was somebody to help out, do this, stand here, sign that, boom, everything works. It is fantastic.
We have some of the same things in Norway, but when you don't fit in that systems, good luck. Nothing works. You can't get phone, idea about connectivity, no one is going to call you. Logging into a public website, good luck. None of that works anymore, even if you do have these things.
Just yesterday, so my oldest daughter is an athletics coach for kids this summer. Her first job. She is 16. Norway is a very well‑regulated society, so there has to be a police certificate of conduct that can be applied for by the sports group at the athletics team. To do this she has to go to a website, sign up with her national I.D. , use her bank I.D., sign things. The digital public infrastructure is in many ways helpful because it is all digital.
There's something inside that process that required my signature, like a photo of my signature, where me as a designer developing these kinds of services thinking, what is happening here? But then I look over at her. She is completely confused by what are these alien concepts that I'm referring to. Because I can sort of see the invisable rules behind this. This needs to happen, this needs to be approved. This is going to be the flow. Whereas the screen design is not appropriate for it. There is not enough supporting information.
Many times you can go through the flow. You will get it to work, like you will be able to book a plane ticket, but you don't come out with an understanding of the overall system. It doesn't upscale. This is a really important thing in the digital playbook for inclusion. The fact we need to upscale and help people understand. This is one thing I find lacking. The legislation is typically not written to be usable. There are some experiments in Norway to make them more usable. These are the things I worry a lot about because society being so digital means they are connected, have phones, have enough money to have subscription with enough data and fully able to use devices in all sorts of ways, but then conceptually they will struggle to understand how do I apply these different rules. That is like the skilled ones. Then everyone else. So a question for you as a group is, if we don't close these now, what kind of long‑term consequences are we facing, socially, economically, imagine politically. Any takers?
>> MALIN RYGG: Your story reminds me of a very important point I didn't say before. When we talk about groups that are vulnerable and including them, it is very paternalistic viewpoint. Kind of talking, we are all in this bubble and we can include more people. They are just sitting out there. It is just like faceless groups. These are young people, people that are able to work, also older people that all have potentials, all have things to ‑‑ they just want to do their everyday life. It is not like they are useless and need to be included. These are people in society, as your 16‑year‑old daughter.
So I think it is very important we kind of really shift the focus. You know, although inclusion is a good term. It mustn't cloud the fact that people just want to contribute and be part of society. We want them to contribute. These are very important contributions. As Irene was saying about innovation in Africa, we want them to innovate for the whole international community, so we need to make more of an effort. Not just go along and just say, maybe we can include some more. We have to actually see this is the potential going forward.
>> IRENE MBARI‑KIRIKA: Thank you. Just to add what Malin is talking about, to me, it is more than a business. For me, a business benefit. 15% of the global population lives with a disability, 15 to 20 percent, depending where. Today I will name one industry: Financial services is the most difficult and most ‑‑ the one that truly leaves person with disabilities behind.
I will give an example. Most people -- let me talk about Africa and the U.S. If your banking products are not accessible, online banking or mobile money applications and stuff like that, if someone is blind and not able to access that using assistive technology, they have to get their friend or their neighbor or somebody to transact for them. Really when we talk about safety and security in the whole financial process, that goes out the door. But also the independence and dignity someone has.
So what we are seeing is, it is important we invest in that space. If you make your digital products accessible, if it is in financial services, you will have more people with disabilities using your products independently. Focusing on needs of user, not what we perceive it to be.
Designing and building products with users with disabilities. Getting them to be part of the process from beginning to the end. I always say you cannot go ahead and manufacture a shoe for someone and sell it in the market if no human being has ever tried that shoe. So if you have people with disabilities and giving feedback, by the time you are done with that product, a lot of people with various abilities will be able to use it, because you have taken care of some of the most difficult challenges they may experience. I say this to say, we need to think of it as a business benefit and capture 15% of the market share no one has tapped into, thank you.
>> ASMUND GROVER AUKRUST: Thank you. Next question, I think the main answer for what you are asking, if we are not able to close the digital gap, increased inequality. The consequences will be very dramatic. Both for each individual but also for our society. Because it will not reach our other goals in society concerning unemployment, education and so on if people are not able to fill out application. In Norway, 15 years old, if they are not filling out their application, the system will bring them back in. But for creating your own businesses, you are on your own. I think it is extremely important. Especially when talking about digitalisation that we have this principle of “leaving no one behind.” Now we are talking about from Norwegian perspective, but in other countries, the inclusion is more dramatic concerning access to ‑‑ just think about access to electricity. In so many countries you don't have electricity. It is almost impossible to be digital without electricity. So therefore, digitalisation should be very much higher also on development agenda. Therefore, it is important to be and listening to these discussion. Because are creating so many possibilities. Might also create so many problems if you are not dealing with this in the right way and also with principle of leaving no one behind.
>> YU PING CHAN: Just to say from United Nations programme, we fully subscribe to what the Minister just said. Digital transformation is important. If we see this, we need to recognise potential to be accelerator of development and of (?) And fundamentally means to what it means for developing countries. I particularly like Human Rights framing around digital inclusion. If you think about the part, right to information, education, employment in some cases, to highest level of physical and mental health, all is inextricably tied up to digital technologies. Perhaps it was Covid that brought that realization home. How intrinsic the need is to have these types of digital platforms and is important to rights .
The ways which our lives are tied up with these particular devices, the need to participate, need for government, all of sector and all the different stakeholders present today to be part of that conversation around how we actualize a more meaningful digital society for everyone. That is something that is not just a challenge for Norway and Europe but for the rest of the world and international community we function in.
>> DAN SJOBLOM: I want to make a comment and thought. First comment we need to realise we are in beginning of digitalisation. This is not something which will be done in a few year's time. I think this has to remain high on the agenda. I think we have come to the stage where we have realization this is cross‑cutting. It affects every Ministers’ portfolio, which is very clear.
Back home I report to one of the Ministers, but everyone has digital in his or her portfolio. The importance of standard has been mentioned. I think that is something we need to continue to have high up on the agenda. Within Europe we have accessibility, the digital wallet, which is ongoing. I'm hoping those within sort of the UN system and globally be reached out so we can see a future where we have universal sign language, or global at least. With the global situation, we have to keep working on it.
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: A fact about Norway: In the 60s it was limited connectivity and difficult to roll out. One of the impacts, number one, when a village was connected because there was a phone, and if you were a doctor, you could get one, it was hard to get hold of one. Companies would be acquired for their phone lines, so if you had a company in Oslo and had 40 lines, then a company might buy you and take 30 and sell you again, because that would be a way to get more connectivity. But it seems this is how they would optimize. The same in Philippines, where I grew up, big role for politicians was water, power and phone. That was the big thing. I work in an energy company.
The Energy future is changing with solar and wind. One thing I'm very excited to see, that I think will happen, is power is come available and computing and telecommunication will be available in ways that wouldn't have been possible for people in Scandinavia and the global markets and could be different ways where we can learn how these technologies can be made accessible.
I keep coming back to one important point, which is hard to solve. This is to get people who, like me, develop digital systems. To, number one, know what accessibility is and be familiar with (?) 301, 549 standards. This is difficult.
As some of the panels throughout the day and week will point out to much of the private sector development of technology happens in context where people are completely unaware of legislation even existing at the idea there should be a requirement. This, I think, should ‑‑ (?) Might have a point of how we can get more developers, designers, product managers, technologies take this more seriously. From what I understand in the Irish version of accessibility rules, it is a corporate law. If you don't follow it, you go to gaol ‑‑ maybe. Ima, comments? I will have to unmute you.
>> IMA PLACENCIA: The line is not good in terms of hearing what you are saying. I hope what I tell you really fits into the precise moment. But before, and I understand you were asking me how to bridge the gap. Digital inclusion, accessibility is a condition for digital inclusion for persons with disabilities should be in all digital developments used by people because de facto we are excluding persons with disabilities. It is not just about having a specific policy, setting what the accessibility requirements are but to mainstream these requirements in other policies, whether we are talking about procurement, issues about funds, development funds, internal funds. Also imports. Imports in our own different countries.
Conditions should be set to ensure we have a common level playing field so that companies inside our countries that have to comply with accessibility requirements and compete on equal conditions for those maybe coming from countries for which they have no requirements but they want to enter countries in which they have requirements.
So is really important in that context to set coherent requirements across the globe. We have said technology is global. This is really essential. Now we have now ‑‑ we have seen a long ‑‑ an important evolution in field of accessibility. While several years ago a lot of work was happening. What is accessibility, how do you define, relates to the products, to the services. Now that is pretty clear. We have accessibility requirements for different types of components of digital elements whether it is the website, use of interfaces, content. Requirements are clear. Those requirements are going to be usable. Also in new digital products and services. They all would have a user interface but requirements are still there.
What is the problem? The challenge now is to have that knowledge that there is available about what is accessibility translated into laws and into policies that are enforceable and that are checkable so that it is possible to see whether the products and services and infrastructures comply with those requirements. That is one thing.
The other challenge is indeed having the persons, experts, engineers, manufacturers, service providers competent on accessibility so they really have the capacity to implement to that. And we are undertaking a big effort in Europe to train, to provide training, to raise awareness but at the end of the day, in order to have it sustainable, we need to turn out to those institutions which are providing training in digital technologies in ICT.
If those institutions, whether it is university, technical high schools, professional organisations, would not embrace accessibility as part of their curricular, a part of their efforts to train and upgrade the knowledge and bring competencies to the professionals in the field. It will be very difficult to implement accessibility. I know it is a challenge on one hand because you are facing the freedom of universities for example to decide what curriculum they have. There should be something that, you know, needs to be done, that can be done by authorities in order to make sure the new generations of professionals are equipped with accessibility, knowledge, skills and competencies and current professionals can upgrade their knowledge in order to be able to deliver on accessibility as it is required. I hope I have addressed the point you were concerned with.
>> FREDRIK MATHESON: Absolutely, thank you so much. We are at the end of our keynote and panels and discussions. I'm hugely grateful to the panel. A few things you should all go off and read is the Digital Inclusion Playbook, from cover‑to‑cover from UNDP and the Kenyan Standard for Accessibility. Just as Ima was talking about, the fact we can have standards that are in conformity and in sync, because across the globe you can make it work in yours.
So accessibility and inclusiveness is something we need globally, so we need to be set up for that. Everyone who works on software, owns or funds or helps make software and digital services happen need to take this to heart. We are, in many ways, reshaping society. So let's have a big round of applause for our panel.
