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…
Malta introduces biometric passports accessible to the blind and persons with visual impairments
Malta is among the first countries in the European Union to create a biometric passport (e-passport) accessible to the blind and persons with visual impairments. A Speech Code, in the form of a QR code sticker, can be affixed to…
New report on smart cities in Spain highlights the need for improved digital inclusion of persons with disabilities
The newly launched Smart Index (Índice Smart), the first such tool in Spain to measure the progress of smart cities and identify challenges and opportunities for improvement, indicates that Spanish cities should develop more active and efficient policies to improve the inclusion…
UNESCO and Huawei announce partnership to improve digital skills and the application of AI in East Africa
The UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa and Huawei announced a new partnership to improve digital skills in Africa and explore the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), under the auspices of Huawei’s digital inclusion…
£1.3 million awarded to 15 digital skills projects in the UK through ‘Power Up’ initiative
The Good Things Foundation and J.P. Morgan have awarded grants totalling £1.3 million to 15 community-based projects in the UK aimed at closing the digital skills gap. The ultimate goal of this ‘Power Up’ initiative is to drive economic and social inclusion…
Orange opens new Digital Center in Dakar, Senegal
Orange inaugurated a new Digital Center in Dakar, Senegal, on 24 October, the second such center on the African continent and the first in West Africa. Orange Digital Centers are an international network of spaces for countries to share experiences…
ITU report on global digital connectivity finds gender digital gap is growing
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the UN specialized agency for ICTs, has released Measuring digital development: Facts and figures 2019 , a new report offering a snapshot of the state of digital connectivity around the world. The report found that…
Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition 2019 organized under the theme of ‘safe smart cities’
The Qatar Information Technology Conference & Exhibition (QITCOM) took place from 29 October to 1 November 2019 under the theme “Safe Smart Cities”. One of the topics highlighted by this year’s event was the importance of digital inclusion in the…
