Ayesha Taasin Khan said true inclusion is ensured only when technology, services and opportunities are equally accessible and usable for everyone. Friendship is working to ensure equality, accessibility and meaningful participation for all, including persons with disabilities, and to deliver innovative essential services to persons with disabilities living in climate-vulnerable and hard-to-reach remote areas.

At the event, five initiatives were recognized. These were the Ministry of Social Welfare’s Therapy Service Management for Persons with Disabilities and Disability Information System; Bangladesh Police’s Online Police Clearance Certificate Service; the Gram Adalat Mobile App of the Local Government Division and UNDP; and Eastern Bank’s EBL Skybanking initiative.

In addition, Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam visited various innovators’ stalls set up around disability-friendly innovations in the morning, while Rehan Asif Asad, Adviser to the Honorable Prime Minister on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, visited them in the afternoon. After visiting the stalls, they expressed appreciation for the innovations and highlighted the government’s goodwill and commitment to building an inclusive Bangladesh for all. Other guests and senior officials from the relevant organizations were also present.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is observed worldwide every year on the third Thursday of May. Its aim is to make websites, mobile apps, software and digital services easier to use and accessible for persons with disabilities. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Marrakesh Treaty, Bangladesh is committed to ensuring digital inclusion. At the same time, digital accessibility is receiving importance under the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act and the government’s policy priorities.