Highlighting the importance of older persons, the World Summit on the Information Society Forum in 2020, for the first time, has dedicated a special track to older persons and ICTs. Technological advances are becoming entrenched in many aspects of our societies and hold the potential to create opportunities towards an inclusive and sustainable development and provide tools to surmount the challenges faced by many to fully participate in the development process. However, where access to ICTs is limited and not inclusive, it can intensify existing inequalities and even create new ones. Both the opportunities and challenges intrinsic to technological progress have been illustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Available evidence shows that older persons are often among those that do not benefit fully from the potential of ICTs. This session will explore access and inclusion of older persons in technology, discuss the digital divide in this group identifying their main vulnerabilities, reasons and the impact that such divide has on older persons’ participation in society, and provide some examples of successful efforts to promote access and inclusion of older persons.

The event also serves as a springboard to the fifty-ninth session of the Commission for Social Development to be held in February 2021, where the priority theme is “Socially just transition towards sustainable development: The role of digital technologies on social development and well-being of all”.

Opening remarks

Daniela Bas, Director, Division for Inclusive Social Development, DISD/DESA

Presentations

Moderated by: Amine Lamrabat, Associate Public Information Officer, DISD/DESA

• Alison Bryant, Senior Vice President, AARP Research and Lead for Technology Work
• Heidrun Mollenkopf, German National Association of Senior Citizens’ Organisations
• Michael Hodin, CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging
• Osarieme Omokaro, User Experience Researcher, Google

Official link of the event

Video of the event