<div><br></div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, 4 Jul 2025 at 11:42 PM, Sarah kekeli Akunor <<a href="mailto:keksarahlove@gmail.com">keksarahlove@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204)"><div dir="auto">Hello Dr Shabbir,</div><div dir="auto">Thanks for your email. You are really doing a great work. I will take my time and go through, then I will revert soon.</div><div dir="auto">Best,</div><div dir="auto">Sarah Kekeli Akunor </div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, 4 Jul 2025 at 6:20 PM, Muhammad Shabbir Awan via DCAD <<a href="mailto:dcad@lists.igf-dcad.org" target="_blank">dcad@lists.igf-dcad.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204)"><div lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Dear DCAD Members,<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">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.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">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.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">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.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Many thanks in advance for your valuable input.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Warm regards,<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Dr. Muhammad Shabbir<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Coordinator, IGF Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (DCAD)<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Draft Comments:<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">From Margins to Mainstream: Comments on the WSIS+20 Elements Paper<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Dr. Muhammad Shabbir<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">On 20 June 2025, <a href="https://publicadministration.desa.un.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2025/WSIS%2B20_ElementsPaper_20June.pdf" style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" target="_blank">the WSIS+20 Elements Paper </a>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. <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">The position of <a href="https://igf-dcad.org/" style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" target="_blank">IGF-DCAD</a> (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. <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">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.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Participation & Capacity Building (paras 4–5, 77–81)<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">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:<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="A"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Fund and develop accessible training materials co-created with people with lived experience of disability.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Support organizations of persons with disabilities to deliver digital skills programs.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Set diversity targets for disability representation in leadership, including in the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Create mentorship pathways for persons with disabilities, leveraging the lived experience of disability to inform leadership development and participation in Internet governance.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Integrate disability indicators into capacity-building monitoring frameworks.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="2" type="1"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Digital Divides (paras 28–35)<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">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:<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="A"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Adoption of international accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG 2.1/2.2).<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Requirements for public and private digital service providers to implement accessibility by design, informed by the perspectives of people with lived experience of disability.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="3" type="1"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Human Rights & Ethical Dimensions (paras 43–50)<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">The strong emphasis on protecting human rights online is commendable but must recognize the intersectionality of digital rights for persons with disabilities, including:<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="A"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The right to accessible information and communication as foundational to freedom of expression.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The heightened risks posed by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, which can exclude persons with disabilities through biased datasets or inaccessible design.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The prevalence of technology-enabled abuse specifically targeting persons with disabilities, including cyberbullying and exploitation.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The necessity of involving people with lived experience of disability in designing ethical safeguards to ensure new technologies respect and promote human rights.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="4" type="1"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Internet Governance & IGF (paras 57–64)<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">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:<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="A"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Explicitly include the promotion of accessibility and participation of persons with disabilities as a core objective.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Prioritize practical measures such as travel fellowships, online accessibility features, and hybrid meeting accommodations to enable active participation of persons with disabilities.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Embed accessibility requirements into all IGF processes and structures, ensuring disability-inclusive leadership across national and regional Internet governance initiatives.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">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.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="5" type="1"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Artificial Intelligence (paras 70–76)<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and serious risks for persons with disabilities. It is vital to:<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="A"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Embed accessibility guidelines in artificial intelligence development standards.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Include organizations of persons with disabilities and individuals with lived experience of disability in governance discussions around artificial intelligence to ensure inclusive design.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Support capacity building for persons with disabilities to engage in artificial intelligence policy and technical development.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="6" type="1"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Monitoring and Measurement (paras 82–84)<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Digital policy monitoring often omits disability-disaggregated data. The WSIS+20 review must:<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="A"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">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.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="7" type="1"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Recommendations for the Zero Draft<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></li></ol><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="A"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Establish a cross-cutting principle that accessibility is integral to all WSIS+20 objectives.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Require disability-disaggregated data collection in connectivity, skills, and digital literacy indicators.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Strengthen international cooperation frameworks to support accessible ICT development, especially in the Global South.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Allocate financial resources to specifically bridge the digital accessibility gap.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Ensure proposals on artificial intelligence and data governance explicitly address inclusive design for persons with disabilities.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Include organizations of persons with disabilities and people with lived experience of disability in all multistakeholder consultations, from capacity building to artificial intelligence governance.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Set measurable diversity targets for persons with disabilities in Internet governance bodies and create mentorship pathways to build sustainable leadership rooted in lived experience.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="8" type="1"><li style="margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;color:black"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Conclusion<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></b></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">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.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">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.<u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u> <u style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>
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