About G3ict

WHAT  

G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies, is a flagship advocacy initiative of UN-GAID, the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development.  Initiated in December 2006 by W2i, the Wireless Internet Institute, G3ict is a public-private partnership dedicated to facilitating the implementation around the world of the Digital Accessibility Agenda defined by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). 

G3ict was incorporated in 2008 as a 501 (c)(3) not for profit corporation in the State of Georgia, United States, where it maintains an office in Atlanta. Significant financial support to G3ict comes from corporate and institutional sponsors, such as IBM, Microsoft, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, Air France, Samsung, The Mozilla Foundation, Dominic Foundation, TecAccess, InternetSpeech, and W2i. Its Founding Steering Committee includes international digital accessibility experts from around the world representing G3ict’s key constituents.

WHY

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is one of the fastest ever negotiated Human Rights treaties: adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2006, it was signed by 149 countries. As of December 2011, it has 153 signatories and is ratified by 109 countries, enforceable as of May 3, 2008. The Convention at large - and more specifically its Article 9 - creates the first universal framework addressing the accessibility of Information and Communication Technologies - ICTs - and assistive technologies.   

These dispositions benefit an estimated one billion persons living with disabilities worldwide, making accessible and assistive ICT solutions even more of a focus in the coming years for industry, users, and policy makers, as they represents both a major Human Rights milestone and a considerable market driving force for Assistive and Accessible ICTs.

WHO

G3ict’s key constituents include policy makers and public sector institutions, ICT industries and the private sector, international standards development organizations, associations of persons with disabilities, and academia. Leading international participating institutions are the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Education, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the World Bank, the National Council on Disability, the European Commission, and the Global Partnership for Disability and Development.         

G3ict is chaired by His Excellency Luis Gallegos, Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States (2005-2011), and past chair of the United Nations Ad-hoc Preparatory Committee of the Convention, and is led by its President and Executive Director, Axel Leblois, who served over the past 20 years as CEO of Computerworld Communications, International Data Corporation, Bull HN Information Systems, ExecuTrain and is a co-Founder and President of the Wireless Internet Institute. 

HOW

To accomplish its mission, G3ict implements the following set priorities:  

• Raise awareness on effective public policies, private sector initiatives, and standardization references. It reached 2,500+ multi-stakeholders via conferences, outreach activities, and publications as of February 2012;
• Facilitate the sharing of solutions and good practices through a Web-based platform including an electronic newsletter, worldwide databases on country achievements, companies ICT accessibility policies, and case studies, books and white papers from leading authors and institutions on specific areas of technology or public policy of interest to member states;
• Foster harmonization and standardization by facilitating on-going discussions with the participation of ITU, ISO, ETSI, ANSI, TEITAC and other leading Standards Development Organizations via forums and Web-based activities;
• Support policy makers with capacity building programs and benchmarking. Deliverables include an online "ITU-G3ict e-Accessibility Policy Toolkit for Persons with Disabilities" and its companion handbook developed as a joint publication of ITU, G3ict, and the Centre for Internet and Society, in collaboration with The Hans Foundation (released in October 2010), and the first edition of the "CRPD Progress Report on ICT Accessibility," developed in collaboration with Disabled Peoples' International (DPI) (released in May 2011).