Leveraging Technology for Greater Access to Justice

GENEVA (March 05, 2018) —

The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict) today announces the publication of a new paper recommending eight interrelated strategies to help courts and justice systems leverage technology to support greater access to justice for persons with disabilities. G3ict is an international nonprofit with extensive experience promoting the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities worldwide.

Access to justice is often denied to persons with disabilities due to a lack of accessibility and access to information. As the United Nations Human Rights Council prepares to discuss this issue on March 7^th in Geneva. G3ict asserts that there is a significant role for both existing (e.g. video remote) and emerging technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence and virtual reality) to act as tools for promoting access to justice for people with disabilities.

The Honorable Luis Gallegos, Ambassador Designate, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations in Geneva, and Chair of the G3ict Board of Directors, applauded the launch saying that "G3ict believes persons with disabilities can be among the greatest beneficiaries of the effective and inclusive use of technology in justice systems around the world. Today we are making this important new paper available to every member of the Human Rights Council and to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to help inform their discussions and support their actions to increase access to justice.”

The new G3ict resource recommends eight specific steps for governments to adopt, including:

● Amending existing legal frameworks to promote equality in courts and justice systems

● Training leaders and staff in courts and justice systems to better design and implement ICT accessibility strategies that support digital inclusion,

● Using their “power of the purse” to advance equality by purchasing only accessible courtroom technology,

● Involving persons with disabilities at each step in the process to improve access to justice

With the publishing of the new resource, James Thurston, G3ict Vice President for Global Strategy and Development stated, “G3ict looks forward to partnering with the United Nations, disabled persons organizations, governments, and the technology industry to implement these recommendations and continue exploring together how technology can help achieve Article 13 and all the objectives of the CRPD.”