Read the report from the roundtable, which will be used to inform national policies, contribute to a WHO and UNICEF Global Road Map on Accelerating Access to Assistive Technology, and may inform the Global Disability Summit taking place in April 2025.
During the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany, ATscale, Christian Blind Mission (CBM), Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and WHO's Access to Assistive Technology team, convened a high-level strategic roundtable on assistive technology. The session entitled "Investing in assistive technology: an investment in our future" took place on Sunday, 13 October 2024, from 16:00 to 17:30 CET in person at JW Marriott Hotel Berlin.
This exclusive event brought together global health leaders, health ministers, and representatives from aging, noncommunicable diseases, and disability sectors. The focus was on discussing the relevance of assistive technology in addressing current public health challenges and strengthening health systems for equitable access, particularly in low- and middle-income countries and emergency situations.
With the backdrop of the 2022 WHO and UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology, which highlights the increasing global need for assistive products, this roundtable aimed to generate actionable takeaways to shape national policies and contribute to global initiatives in the assistive technology sector.
Speakers:
Claudia Mahler, Independent expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner.
Kylie Shae, Team Lead, Access to Assistive Technology, World Health Organization
Haben Girma, Disability rights lawyer, author,& first Deafblind Graduate of Harvard Law School
Dr. Israel Balogun, medical doctor, researcher, advocate for inclusion of PWD in healthcare workforce, Nigeria
Patricia Castellanos de Muñoz, CEO of Centro de Audición – CEDAF, Audiologist, Guatemala
Pascal Bijleveld, CEO ATscale
Dr. Alain Labrique, Director Digital Health and Innovation, Science Division, World Health Organization
Mr Ismail Rumatila, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Health, Tanzania
