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Building digitally inclusive communities
ITU is committed to achieving the goal of digital inclusion for everyone regardless of gender, age, ability or location and ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital era.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes that the spread of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has great potential to accelerate human progress, bridge the digital divide and develop digitally inclusive societies and communities.
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the urgency of accelerating progress towards achieving digital inclusion globally. Therefore, ensuring that everyone can receive, understand, and use digital information and services is vital during a pandemic or emergency.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, there are more than 476 million indigenous people around the world, spread across 90 countries and representing 5000 different cultures. The majority of these populations lack access to adequate economic resources, education and social protection.
Since 2002, ITU members have engaged in empowering indigenous communities through ICTs, as reflected in the resolutions adopted and reconducted systematically within the work of the ITU World Telecommunication Development and Plenipotentiary Conferences.
In 2003, the World Summit on the Information Society called to ensure indigenous peoples’ participation in the information society. Since then, much progress has been made, but additional efforts are still needed to fully achieve this goal.
Since 2005, in collaboration with indigenous associations, ITU has designed and developed a tailored knowledge development programme for indigenous peoples. With the collaboration of the Fund for the Development of the Indigenous People of Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC) and, more recently, with Techio Comunitario, ITU is offering yearly, online and hybrid training programmes delivered through ITU’s e-learning platform.
These programmes are aligned with identified needs and requirements while also respecting the cultural legacy and traditions of indigenous communities. They aim to facilitate the digital inclusion of indigenous peoples and support their socio-economic development.
Training indigenous leaders in ICTs has enabled them to develop and implement successful projects for the benefit of their communities. More than 6000 participants from 18 countries in the Americas Region have benefited from the creation of the ITU tailored training programme. We are continuously evolving the programme to better adapt and respond to the indigenous peoples’ and communities’ needs and aspirations.
Instructor led online training (Available only in Spanish)
