Technology and innovation will not only define the next era.

They are central to shaping a more inclusive world today.

That includes breaking down a global digital divide.

This is particularly important in developing countries, which are home to 4 out of every 5 people with disabilities.

Certain groups -- such as migrants, refugees, and women with disabilities -- are even more at risk of being left behind.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is harnessing technology and innovation to help improve the daily lives of persons with disabilities: work directly informed -- and often led -- by them

For instance, the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Bosnia and Herzegovina has supported the development of a new mobile app that is enabling people with motor disabilities to move independently by providing personalized routes.

Powered by Artificial Intelligence, the app has been directly designed by persons with disabilities.

Yet it is not simply about the next app or digital platform.

To achieve the Global Goals, we need to shape the inclusive digital societies of the future.

To this end, UNDP’s new Digital Standards are helping us to design digital solutions that are human-centred, accessible, and inclusive.

Look to Viet Nam, where UNDP is working with the country’s Blind Association to make digital state services more accessible.

The United Nations is leveraging the power of technology and innovation so that persons with disabilities can have a say in their futures -- towards a more inclusive, accessible world for all.

Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The theme of 2022’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) 2022 is “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world“.