Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, félags- og vinnumarkaðsráðherra:

Dear guests,

Welcome to this side event on Co-creating digital solutions for persons with disabilities – Policies and strategies for tomorrow’s digital challenges.

One of the goals of the Nordic Council of Ministers is to make the Nordic Region the most integrated and sustainable in the world by 2030. A socially sustainable Nordic Region is one where universal design, accessibility and inclusion are central perspectives. We believe that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, should have equal access to opportunities, services, and technologies.

These are indeed nice words. Words that all of us want to see become true for our societies. 

• But, then how come that we still repeat the same mistakes over and over again?
• How come that we don´t think enough about accessibility and inclusion when it comes to major developments?
• Developments such as digitalization, planning for the impacts of climate change or changes on the labour market?

But, more importantly, how are we going to support the change agents of today and tomorrow? And how are we going to become these agents?

Accessibility is not just a matter of convenience. Our ability to live independently and fully partake in society depends on our access to resources and services, including the services and information that are now only available through digital platforms. Governments across the globe are therefore searching for new ways to develop solutions that ensure that no one is left behind.

To that end, the Icelandic government has during its chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers this year, put electronic access for disabled people on the agenda within the Nordic cooperation. Earlier this year, the Nordic Ministers of Social Affairs and Health signed a declaration on ensuring quality of life and inclusion of all our citizens within the area of digital solutions.

This entails calling all the relevant agents to the table, including people with disabilities where we must be innovative and creative in finding solutions to existing problems, ensuring that new technical solutions are inclusive from the start.

Nawaf Kabbara, respresentative of NGOs at the open session said: „We have been shouting these messages for over a decade now.“ I say: Shouting is tiring, and I ask: For how much longer will we need to shout?

Iceland is a small nation, and we can make changes happen very fast. When rapid technological change takes place, and previous practices are quickly outdated, in conjunction with lack of consideration to marginalized groups such as people with disabilities, people are left behind. This is the case when it comes to digital development.

I share the frustration of people when it comes to this particular case and have placed an emphasis on finding ways to remove those digital barriers for people with disabilities. Furthermore, I really hope that our solutions, which are in the making, will also help other countries preventing or overcoming similar barriers. The aim of this side event is to share knowledge and ideas – i.e. to co-create solutions.

And I quote Mr. Gerard Quinn, the special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, from this morining opening session: „We have been cathing up since the internet came about. It has to be different with artificial intelligence.“ I say: The same should apply to digital development. 

Iceland has already made a significant advancement with the creation of a personal advocate electronic database. Through a digital mailbox, which serves as the public sector's communication gateway to Icelandic residents, personal advocates for individuals with disabilities can now represent their clients electronically. In addition to being an important step in reducing a barrier that affects people with disabilities, this will benefit the greater population as well.

Having said that, we still have miles to go.

In conclusion, both Iceland and the Nordic Region are committed to making our vision of the most integrated region in the world a reality by 2030. Central to this vision is sustainable social development, which cannot be achieved without inclusion, accessibility, and universal design.

I really hope that this side event will put digital solutions for persons with disabilities higher on the political agenda.

Together, let us work towards a future where no one is left behind, and where every one of us can contribute and flourish.