Access to Assistive Technology

Urges Member States to ensure access to assistive technology and to mobilize the necessary resources and support in this regard, ensuring a comprehensive, evidence-based, multisectoral and integrated approach, including through coordinated national strategies and plans of action, that involves health, education, labour, social protection and other relevant sectors;

Calls upon Member States to create an enabling environment, including through international cooperation, and to develop and regularly review a national essential or priority assistive products list according to population needs and available resources, and support national research and innovation programmes for assistive technology, underlining the importance of developing efficient and innovative approaches;

Encourages Member States to implement disaggregated data collection, including on the need for, access to and supply of assistive technology, to understand the gaps and trends;

Also encourages Member States to ensure the full, effective and meaningful participation of those who use and benefit from assistive technology and organizations of persons with disabilities and older persons in all stages of policymaking and decision-making in the process of strengthening assistive technology policies and programmes;

Calls upon States to systematically include access to assistive technology in humanitarian preparedness plans and response, including for armed conflicts and disasters caused by natural or human-made hazards and in preparing for and responding to emergencies, by strengthening assistive technology capacities ahead of humanitarian emergencies at the national, regional and international levels in line with national contexts and priorities;

Invites United Nations entities to assist States, upon their request, to strengthen access to assistive technology for all those who benefit from it, and to coordinate actions within the United Nations system in support of global efforts to achieve universal access to assistive technology;

Calls upon Member States, international financial institutions, donors and development partners to provide technical and economic assistance through international cooperation to support national efforts in increasing access to assistive technology towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and leaving no one behind;

Requests the Secretary-General, within existing resources, in close collaboration with the relevant United Nations entities, and in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to take the steps necessary to effectively coordinate and follow up on the implementation of the present resolution.