1. ITU and Digital Inclusion
Committed to connecting the world
ITU and Digital Inclusion
ASEAN-ITU Seminar on ICT Accessibility and Assistive Technologies for Equity in Society
25-26 August 2014, Bangkok, Thailand
Mr. Wisit Atipayakoon
ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
wisit.atipayakoon.itu.int 1

2. ITU: International Telecommunication Union
Founded in 1865; Responsible for issues that concern Information and Communication Technologies.
193 Member States, 545 Sector Members, 161 Associates, and 33 Academia.
HQs in Switzerland, Geneva; and 4 Regional Offices & 7 Area Office.
ITU-R
ITU-T
ITU-D
ITU’s Radio-communication Sector that globally manages radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits that ensure safety of life on land, at sea and in the skies.
ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Sector that enable global communications by ensuring that countries’ ICT networks and devices are speaking the same language.
ITU’s Development Sector that fosters international cooperation and solidarity in the delivery of technical assistance and in the creation, development and improvement of telecommunication/ICT equipment and networks in developing countries.

3. ITU Headquarter: Geneva, Switzerland Europe Regional Office
ITU: Reaching out to the World
ITU Headquarter: Geneva, Switzerland
Europe Regional Office
Geneva, Switzerland
CIS Area Office
Moscow, Russia
Americas
Regional Office
Brasilia, Brazil
Area Offices
Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Santiago, Chile.
Bridgetown, Barbados
Asia-Pacific
Regional Office
Bangkok, Thailand
Acting Regional Director
Mr. Sameer Sharma
Area Office
Jakarta, Indonesia
Head: Ms. Aurora Rubio
Africa
Regional Office
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Area Offices
Yaoundé, Cameroon
Harare, Zimbabwe
Dakar, Senegal
Arab
Regional Office
Cairo, Egypt

4. ITU: Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Responsible for affordable and sustainable access to and use of telecom/ICT infrastructure and applications through assisting members with various development initiatives and projects based on multi-stakeholders' partnerships in the Asia-Pacific Region.
38 Member States and over 72 Sector Members.
Least Developed Countries (13)
Low-Income States (9)
The Rest (10)
D.P.R. Korea
India
Indonesia
Mongolia
Pakistan
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Vietnam
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Cambodia
Lao, PDR
Nepal
Myanmar
Timor Leste
Australia
Brunei
China/Hong Kong
Iran
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
R.O. Korea
Singapore
Thailand
PNG
Kiribati
Samoa
Solomon Is.
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Fiji
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
Tonga
Small Islands Developing States (12)

5. ITU Work on Accessibility
Digital Inclusion
Promotion of ICT access and use for the social and economic development of:
Indigenous peoples
Persons with disabilities
Women and girls
Youth and children
ITU Work on Accessibility
General Secretariat: ITU Accessibility Task Force
BDT (ITU-D): Study Group Question 7/1 “Access to telecommunication/ICT services by persons with disabilities and with specific needs”
TSB (ITU-T): Study Group Question 26/16 “Accessibility to multimedia systems and services”

6. ITU-T ITU-D Standard making body
Coordination among Standard Development Organizations
Research & study
ITU-D
Policy and regulatory matters
Guidelines, toolkits, and training
Promotion & awareness raising, Project implementation

8. Making TV Accessible Report
Making Mobile Phones and Services Accessible Report
Making TV Accessible Report
Explains, in concrete terms, what we mean by accessible mobile phones
Developments in accessible mobile apps
Business opportunities and case studies
Policy guidelines
Identifies ways in which TV can be made more accessible
Timely given the transition from analogue to digital TV
Prepared by Peter Looms, Chairman of ITU-T Focus Group on Audiovisual Media Accessibility

9. Model ICT Accessibility Policy Report
Provides policy guidelines and legal and regulatory framework
Designed to help countries develop their own accessibility policies and regulations
Modular design includes stand-alone sections on:
Model ICT legal, policy and regulatory framework
Model ICT accessibility framework on public access
Model mobile communications accessibility policy framework
Model television/video programming accessibility framework
Model web accessibility policy framework
Model accessible ICT public procurement policy framework

10. WTDC-14 and Accessibility
ITU-D Objective 4 as approved by WTDC-14 is to: “Build human and institutional capacity, provide data and statistics, promote digital inclusion and provide concentrated assistance to countries in special need” Output 4.3 is “Digital inclusion of people with specific needs”
WTDC-14 agreed that instead of referring to “people with special needs” the term “people with specific needs” would be used;
As per Output 4.3, digital inclusion of people with specific needs, there will be three Regional Initiatives on persons with disabilities: in the ARB, EUR and CIS regions
Question 7/1 will address policies and strategies for promoting and implementing services and solutions which provide access to telecommunications/ICTs by persons with disabilities and with special needs, and for people with difficulties mastering reading and writing.  This recognizes that people with difficulties mastering reading and writing can often benefit from ICT solutions for persons with disabilities.
WTDC-14 also approved WTDC-14 Res. 58 on persons with disabilities, combining contributions from RCC and CITEL

11. Planned ITU-D activities in Accessibility
Regional Initiatives on ICT accessibility : Development of training on audio description
Asia-Pacific and ASEAN -- ?

12. ITU: Asia-Pacific Regional Initiatives (2015-2018)
Special Consideration For LDCs*, SIDSs**, Including Pacific Island Countries, And Landlocked Developing Countries
Initiative #2
Emergency Telecommunications
Initiative #3
Harnessing The Benefits Of New Technologies
(includes Digital Broadcasting)
Initiative #4
Development Of Broadband Access And Adoption Of Broadband
Initiative #5
Policy And Regulation
* LDC: Least Developed Countries
** SIDS: Small Island Developing States 12

13. I Thank U ITU : http://www.itu.int
ITU Asia Pacific : 13