Online opportunities to learn about web accessibility
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in collaboration with UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education(UNESCO IITE) is launching a free online course on web accessibility on 28 January 2020 on the edX platform. This English-language Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), which is open…

2019 EQUALS in Tech Awards winners announced at IGF in Berlin
The winners of the 2019 EQUALS in Tech Awards were announced on 27 November 2019 at an awards ceremony hosted by the EQUALS Global Partnership during the annual Internet Governance Forum in Berlin. The EQUALS in Tech Awards celebrate successful innovative solutions aimed at closing the…

DOT Rwanda young Digital Ambassadors celebrated for contributing to greater digital inclusion
115 young Digital Ambassadors who worked to improve digital inclusion in Rwanda through digital skills training, digital entrepreneurship and technology-enabled social innovation graduated from the Digital Opportunity Trust’s (DOT) Digital Ambassador Program on 22 November 2019. The Digital Ambassadors provided digital skills training…

ICT-enabled education for adults with hearing impairments in remote areas of Trinidad and Tobago
Deaf Pioneers Life Centre (DPLC), an NGO in Trinidad and Tobago providing educational opportunities for hearing impaired persons, and the Digical Foundation have partnered to enable deaf and hearing impaired persons living in remote areas of the islands to access educational content through…

Second annual Accessible Europe event held in St. Julian’s, Malta
The second edition of Accessible Europe was held in St Julian’s, Malta, from 4 to 6 December 2019. This regional event for Europe was jointly organized by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Commission (EC), within…

The African Development Bank and Microsoft launch training platform to equip African youth with digital skills
The African Development Bank and Microsoft jointly launched the ‘Coding for Employment’ digital training platform, which will equip African youth with digital skills, at the 2019 African Economic Conference which took place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 2 to 4…
ITU and UNICEF coordinate new initiative to connect the world’s schools
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNICEF are coordinating GIGA, a new initiative to connect every school to the Internet. GIGA will be supported through partnerships between country governments, technology partners, and United Nations bodies. The initiative comprises four pillars: Map:…

Sixth annual Accessible Americas event held in Quito, Ecuador from 20 to 22 November
The sixth edition of Accessible Americas: ICTs for ALL took place in Quito, Ecuador, from 20 to 22 November 2019. Accessible Americas is the region’s flagship event to improve inclusiveness in the Americas by ensuring ICTs equally benefit all citizens, regardless their gender,…

Costa Rica invests $47.9 million in connectivity initiative for Indigenous territories
The Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) has been awarded $47.9 million to bring telephone and Internet services to Indigenous territories in the south of Costa Rica and near its Atlantic coast. The investment was made through the National Telecommunications Fund (FONATEL),…

Microsoft holds first AI for accessibility hackathon across the Asia Pacific
Microsoft held its first ever AI for Accessibility hackathon across seven Asian Pacific countries on 11 October, with the aim of developing artificial intelligence (AI) prototype solutions to challenges faced by persons with disabilities related to daily living, employability and communication, so…