Nothing About Us Without Us: Advancing Inclusive Digital Governance for Persons with Disabilities in Asia-Pacific

Date: Monday, Oct 13

Time: 09:00 - 10:00 (60 mins)

Session Types: Roundtable

This session will focus on the systemic exclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) from digital governance processes in the Asia-Pacific region, despite increasing commitments to multistakeholder models. While digital transformation is advancing, accessibility, representation, and participation of PWDs remain fragmented and inconsistent across national policies, platforms, and governance structures.

The discussion will explore three core issues:

1. Barriers to Inclusive Participation—How do inaccessible digital platforms, tokenistic consultation practices, and lack of policy alignment prevent PWDs from participating in governance? What are the experiences of youth, women, and rural PWDs?

2. Innovations and Best Practices— What are some successful disability-inclusive initiatives in digital governance (e.g., accessible ID systems, community-led data platforms, inclusive policymaking forums)? How have they enabled meaningful engagement of PWDs?

3. Future of Multistakeholderism—What must change within the Internet governance ecosystem to mainstream disability inclusion? How can the voices of PWDs shape governance agendas, and what support is needed from stakeholders—governments, the private sector, civil society, and donors?

Participants will also reflect on the value of foundation funding and cross-sector collaboration in scaling disability-inclusive practices. The discussion will aim to generate actionable insights and recommendations to integrate PWDs as equal stakeholders in shaping the digital future of the region.

Moderators/Speakers: Dr. Ashim Khadka, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Dr. Birendra Raj Pokhrel, Krishna Maharjan, Rahma Utami, Roji Maharjan, T B Dinesh