Mohammed Loutfy

G3ict - The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs

WHAT G3ict – the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies – is an advocacy initiative launched in December 2006 by the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development, in cooperation with the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at UN DESA. Its mission is to facilitate and support the implementation of the dispositions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the accessibility of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and assistive technologies. WHY The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is one of the fastest ever negotiated Human Rights treaties: adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2006, the Convention - and more specifically its Article 9 - creates the first universal framework addressing the accessibility of Information and Communication Technologies and assistive technologies. These dispositions benefit an estimated one billion persons living with disabilities worldwide, making accessible and assistive ICT solutions a priority for industry, users, and policy makers and representing both a major Human Rights milestone and a considerable market driver for Assistive and Accessible ICTs.