GOVERNANCE

ATscale board members standing together outdoors, posing for a group photo at an event.

A diverse board guiding ATscale through global collaboration.

©ATscale

By Laws

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Conflict of Interest Policy

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ATscale was announced at the Global Disability Summit in 2018, against a backdrop of rising political momentum, as a partnership with assistive technology users at its heart, that could catalyse funding, support action to tackle barriers to assistive technology access in low- and middle-income countries – with a bold goal: to enable access to life-changing assistive technology for an additional 500 million people by 2030, opening up a lifetime of potential for millions.

ATscale has since built a solid foundation as a cross-sector partnership that brings fresh energy and strategic coordination to a critical global challenge — ensuring everyone, everywhere, has access to the assistive products they need to thrive.

The partnership is guided by a clear governance and operational structure, comprising a Board that provides strategic direction and a Secretariat that leads implementation and coordination efforts. The Secretariat is hosted by UNOPS.

Origins of ATscale

Foundational work to build ATscale took place between 2018 and 2021. With financial support from USAID and FCDO, and a hosting arrangement by UNOPS in place since late 2021, 2022 marked ATscale’s first year of full operations.

ATscale Board

The ATscale Board is the partnership’s highest decision-making body. It plays a central role in guiding ATscale toward achieving its vision, mission and strategic objectives. The Board provides oversight, strategic leadership and governance to ensure the partnership operates effectively and achieves measurable impact.

The Board comprises three unaffiliated members and representatives from donors, multilateral organizations, programme countries, organizations of persons with a disability, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and two ex officio members. The Board is led by a Chair selected from among its unaffiliated members. Read more

Key roles and responsibilities

Set the strategic direction by defining ATscale’s vision and high-level objectives.
Approve key documents, including ATscale’s strategy, annual and biennial operational plans, and budgets proposed by the Secretariat.
Establish and uphold policies for the effective and transparent functioning of the partnership.
Oversee programme impact, monitoring ATscale’s activities and results on its strategic framework.
Mobilize support and resources by advocating for assistive technology globally and engaging both public and private-sector actors.
Foster collaboration with the broader assistive technology ecosystem, including governments, users, civil society and allied stakeholders.
Ensure financial oversight, including approval of financial statements and conducting regular audits of financial and programmatic work.
Approve funding decisions and other forms of support, in line with ATscale’s funding policy and governance processes.
Oversee governance, including: Selecting and appointing the Board Chair,Creating committees, advisory groups, or working groups as needed (e.g., on strategy, finance, risk).
Lead Secretariat oversight, including: Appointment, renewal or termination of the Head of the Secretariat. Conduct regular performance reviews of the Head of the Secretariat.
Approve hosting arrangements for ATscale’s operations.
Ensure Board decisions are implemented and regularly reviewed for effectiveness.

Board composition

The Board is composed of:

Five representatives of donors
Two representatives of multilateral organizations active in assistive technology
Three representatives from countries engaged in programming in collaboration with ATscale
Two representatives of disabled persons’ organizations
One representative of non-governmental organizations dedicated to assistive technology
Three unaffiliated individuals.

Additionally, there are the following non-voting seats on the Board:

One representative of the assistive-technology-related industry, selected from the AT Private Sector Constituency Group
One representative of the Hosting Agency, UNOPS
The Head of the Secretariat.

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Board Chair

Jon Lomøy

Chair of the ATscale Board

Jon Lomøy joined the ATscale Board to become its inaugural Chair in August 2020. He serves in a personal, independent capacity.

During his distinguished career Jon Lomøy held senior positions both within the government of his home country Norway and in multilateral organizations. From 2015 until 2019, he was the Director General of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). Jon Lomøy previously headed the OECD Development Cooperation Directorate from 2010 to 2015. He served in senior positions at Norad, was Deputy Director General of the Department for Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East in Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and twice served as Ambassador of Norway, to Zambia from 1996 to 2000 and to Tanzania from 2007 to 2010.

Vice-Chair

José Viera

Vice-Chair of the ATscale Board

José María Viera is the Executive Director of the International Disability Alliance, a global network of more than 5,000 organizations of persons with disabilities across 182 countries.

As a disability movement leader, he is driven by his experience and belief that when OPDs lead, systems change and communities thrive. With a constructive and collaborative style focused on impact and accountability, under his leadership the disability movement has secured groundbreaking global, regional and national commitments to transform the lives of the 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide. José is driven by the challenge of building a completely barrier-free world where every person with disabilities is fully included.