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

[Sarah kekeli Akunor]

On Fri, 4 Jul 2025 at 11:42 PM, Sarah kekeli Akunor <keksarahlove at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hello Dr Shabbir,
> Thanks for your email. You are really doing a great work. I will take my
> time and go through, then I will revert soon.
> Best,
> Sarah Kekeli Akunor
>
> On Fri, 4 Jul 2025 at 6:20 PM, Muhammad Shabbir Awan via DCAD <
> dcad at lists.igf-dcad.org> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> 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/WSIS%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:
>>
>>    1. Fund and develop accessible training materials co-created with
>>    people with lived experience of disability.
>>    2. Support organizations of persons with disabilities to deliver
>>    digital skills programs.
>>    3. Set diversity targets for disability representation in leadership,
>>    including in the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group.
>>    4. Create mentorship pathways for persons with disabilities,
>>    leveraging the lived experience of disability to inform leadership
>>    development and participation in Internet governance.
>>    5. 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:
>>
>>    1. Adoption of international accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG
>>    2.1/2.2).
>>    2. 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:
>>
>>    1. The right to accessible information and communication as
>>    foundational to freedom of expression.
>>    2. The heightened risks posed by emerging technologies such as
>>    artificial intelligence, which can exclude persons with disabilities
>>    through biased datasets or inaccessible design.
>>    3. The prevalence of technology-enabled abuse specifically targeting
>>    persons with disabilities, including cyberbullying and exploitation.
>>    4. 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:
>>
>>    1. Explicitly include the promotion of accessibility and
>>    participation of persons with disabilities as a core objective.
>>    2. Prioritize practical measures such as travel fellowships, online
>>    accessibility features, and hybrid meeting accommodations to enable active
>>    participation of persons with disabilities.
>>    3. Embed accessibility requirements into all IGF processes and
>>    structures, ensuring disability-inclusive leadership across national and
>>    regional Internet governance initiatives.
>>    4. 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:
>>
>>    1. Embed accessibility guidelines in artificial intelligence
>>    development standards.
>>    2. Include organizations of persons with disabilities and individuals
>>    with lived experience of disability in governance discussions around
>>    artificial intelligence to ensure inclusive design.
>>    3. 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:
>>
>>    1. 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*
>>
>>
>>    1. Establish a cross-cutting principle that accessibility is integral
>>    to all WSIS+20 objectives.
>>    2. Require disability-disaggregated data collection in connectivity,
>>    skills, and digital literacy indicators.
>>    3. Strengthen international cooperation frameworks to support
>>    accessible ICT development, especially in the Global South.
>>    4. Allocate financial resources to specifically bridge the digital
>>    accessibility gap.
>>    5. Ensure proposals on artificial intelligence and data governance
>>    explicitly address inclusive design for persons with disabilities.
>>    6. Include organizations of persons with disabilities and people with
>>    lived experience of disability in all multistakeholder consultations, from
>>    capacity building to artificial intelligence governance.
>>    7. 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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>
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