[DCAD] Call for Input: Comments on the WSIS+20 Elements Paper

[Muhammad Shabbir Awan]

Dear DCAD Members,

 

Please find below my draft comments on the WSIS+20 Elements Paper, titled
>From Margins to Mainstream: Comments on the WSIS+20 Elements Paper. These
comments aim to ensure that accessibility and the inclusion of persons with
lived experience of disability are prioritized in the WSIS+20 process.

 

I warmly invite you to review the text and share any comments, additions, or
suggestions you may have by Tuesday, 8 July 2025 at 00:08 UTC, so we can
finalize and submit a strong, collective response reflecting the
perspectives of our community.

 

My apologies in advance for a lengthy document, but to me it seemd necessary
to cover all the issues. the paper being reviewed is linked below.

 

Many thanks in advance for your valuable input.

 

Warm regards,

 

Dr. Muhammad Shabbir

Coordinator, IGF Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (DCAD)

 

Draft Comments:

>From Margins to Mainstream: Comments on the WSIS+20 Elements Paper

Dr. Muhammad Shabbir

 

On 20 June 2025, the WSIS+20 Elements Paper
<https://publicadministration.desa.un.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2025/W
SIS%2B20_ElementsPaper_20June.pdf>  was published as part of the WSIS+20
review process, outlining thematic priorities intended to guide negotiations
ahead of the WSIS+20 High-Level Meeting in December 2025 and to inform the
drafting of the forthcoming Zero Draft, which will consolidate stakeholder
input into actionable proposals. 

 

The position of IGF-DCAD <https://igf-dcad.org/>  (Internet Governance Forum
- Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability) on the paper is that
despite decades of advocacy, the persistent digital divide facing persons
with disabilities is only mentioned tangentially throughout the WSIS+20
Elements Paper. Given that over 1.5 billion people globally live with
disabilities, there must be a stronger, explicit commitment to digital
accessibility woven into every thematic area, in line with the Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sustainable Development
Goals. Moreover, inclusion must be explicitly defined to encompass
accessibility for persons with disabilities as a non-negotiable component of
people-centred development, recognizing that people with lived experience of
disability bring essential insights and expertise to digital governance. 

 

In this context, outlined below are a set of specific comments from the
perspective of IGF-DCAD, highlighting key areas where the Elements Paper
must better address the needs and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

 

1.	Participation & Capacity Building (paras 4-5, 77-81)

 

While the document emphasizes capacity building for developing countries, it
overlooks targeted programs for persons with disabilities, who often face
compounded barriers due to inaccessible education, training, and digital
tools. It is essential to:

A.	Fund and develop accessible training materials co-created with
people with lived experience of disability.
B.	Support organizations of persons with disabilities to deliver
digital skills programs.
C.	Set diversity targets for disability representation in leadership,
including in the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group.
D.	Create mentorship pathways for persons with disabilities, leveraging
the lived experience of disability to inform leadership development and
participation in Internet governance.
E.	Integrate disability indicators into capacity-building monitoring
frameworks.

 

2.	Digital Divides (paras 28-35)

 

Persistent digital divides cannot be effectively bridged without addressing
accessibility barriers as a core cause of exclusion for persons with
disabilities. The Elements Paper should call for:

A.	Adoption of international accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG
2.1/2.2).
B.	Requirements for public and private digital service providers to
implement accessibility by design, informed by the perspectives of people
with lived experience of disability.

 

3.	Human Rights & Ethical Dimensions (paras 43-50)

 

The strong emphasis on protecting human rights online is commendable but
must recognize the intersectionality of digital rights for persons with
disabilities, including:

A.	The right to accessible information and communication as
foundational to freedom of expression.
B.	The heightened risks posed by emerging technologies such as
artificial intelligence, which can exclude persons with disabilities through
biased datasets or inaccessible design.
C.	The prevalence of technology-enabled abuse specifically targeting
persons with disabilities, including cyberbullying and exploitation.
D.	The necessity of involving people with lived experience of
disability in designing ethical safeguards to ensure new technologies
respect and promote human rights.

 

4.	Internet Governance & IGF (paras 57-64)

 

The IGF has long been an essential platform for advancing accessibility,
including the work of the IGF Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and
Disability. The renewed IGF mandate must:

A.	Explicitly include the promotion of accessibility and participation
of persons with disabilities as a core objective.
B.	Prioritize practical measures such as travel fellowships, online
accessibility features, and hybrid meeting accommodations to enable active
participation of persons with disabilities.
C.	Embed accessibility requirements into all IGF processes and
structures, ensuring disability-inclusive leadership across national and
regional Internet governance initiatives.
D.	Encourage the appointment of people with lived experience of
disability to leadership positions within the IGF's governance structures,
including NRIs, such as the Multistakeholder Advisory Group(s), to ensure
their authentic representation.

 

5.	Artificial Intelligence (paras 70-76)

 

Artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and serious risks for
persons with disabilities. It is vital to:

A.	Embed accessibility guidelines in artificial intelligence
development standards.
B.	Include organizations of persons with disabilities and individuals
with lived experience of disability in governance discussions around
artificial intelligence to ensure inclusive design.
C.	Support capacity building for persons with disabilities to engage in
artificial intelligence policy and technical development.

 

6.	Monitoring and Measurement (paras 82-84)

 

Digital policy monitoring often omits disability-disaggregated data. The
WSIS+20 review must:

A.	Incorporate indicators tracking accessibility progress-such as the
percentage of websites and apps meeting international accessibility
standards and the proportion of persons with disabilities with meaningful
internet access-into WSIS+20 monitoring frameworks, designed in consultation
with people with lived experience of disability.

 

7.	Recommendations for the Zero Draft

A.	Establish a cross-cutting principle that accessibility is integral
to all WSIS+20 objectives.
B.	Require disability-disaggregated data collection in connectivity,
skills, and digital literacy indicators.
C.	Strengthen international cooperation frameworks to support
accessible ICT development, especially in the Global South.
D.	Allocate financial resources to specifically bridge the digital
accessibility gap.
E.	Ensure proposals on artificial intelligence and data governance
explicitly address inclusive design for persons with disabilities.
F.	Include organizations of persons with disabilities and people with
lived experience of disability in all multistakeholder consultations, from
capacity building to artificial intelligence governance.
G.	Set measurable diversity targets for persons with disabilities in
Internet governance bodies and create mentorship pathways to build
sustainable leadership rooted in lived experience.

 

8.	Conclusion

 

The WSIS+20 review presents a historic opportunity to move beyond tokenism
and enshrine digital accessibility at the heart of a truly inclusive
Information Society. Without explicit commitments and concrete actions for
persons with disabilities, and without the active leadership of people with
lived experience of disability, the vision of universal, meaningful, and
affordable access cannot be realized.

 

As Coordinator of the IGF Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability,
I urge co-facilitators and all stakeholders to ensure that accessibility and
the inclusion of people with lived experience of disability are not
afterthoughts, but core priorities reflected throughout the WSIS+20 outcome
documents and in the future mandate of the IGF. Only by doing so can we
build a multistakeholder, inclusive governance model that serves the needs
of all people and sets a precedent for equitable global digital
policymaking.

 

 

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