Event details
Paragraphs
Key take-aways
- Governmental procurement is a gamechanger: accessibility standards for procurement are crucial for the development of smart and inclusive cities.
- Creating awareness for accessible ICT in different governmental departments is key for inclusive development.
- Services and technology in (smart) cites have to align with the needs of all citizens.
Monica Duhem showed in her input that a large share of the population needs inclusive cities: worldwide, around 1 billion people have disabilities, and more than 2 billion adults will be older than 60 in 2050. Therefore, it is of utter importance that technologies used in city administrations are designed to be inclusive. To overcome the digital divide, governments have to address the needs of all citizens equally. In this regard it is crucial to set standards regarding inclusion, to develop an inclusive culture within local authorities, to share the commitment with private and public stakeholders, and to build equity leadership in municipal administrations.
According to Ms Duham’s experience, governmental procurement can be a gamechanger: By setting accessibility standards in municipal procurement, companies are encouraged to design their products inclusive, and awareness is created within the administration.
G3ict initiated the inclusive procurement launchpad program, which supports cities in the implementation of inclusive procurement standards. Ms Duham shared the major learnings from the program with the audience: In many municipal administrations, inclusion is conceived as a silo, whereas it rather should be part of all governmental departments as an interdisciplinary issue. Within the program, G3ict develops together with the city their individual accessible ICT procurement policy in the course of two months.
Ms Duham closed her presentation with an invitation to all practitioners to raise awareness in order to develop cities not only smarter, but more accessible and inclusive for all citizens.
