International rankings

A 2018 report by G3ict[1] on countries’ performance shows little progress in all terms of commitment and implementation, as shown in tables 2-5. Table 2 ranks the top 10 countries in terms of implementation outcome based on commitments, and compares their scores according to the recent 2020 Dare Index report.[2] Only two countries improved their overall score, namely, Qatar (89) and Italy (75.5). While Oman was ranked as the best performing country in 2018 with a score of 81, it dropped 15.5 points to 65.5, giving the top seat to another Arab country, namely, Qatar, with a 14-point score rise from 75 in 2018 to 89 in 2020. Surprisingly, all top-ranking countries showed a drop in their overall score. In contrast, implementation and outcome scores improved for most countries in the last two years. For example, the Russian Federation and South Africa improved their implementation score by 13 and 18 points, respectively. Only two countries scored less in 2020 than in 2018, namely, Oman and the United States. This clearly indicates a positive overall implementation level of necessary policies and accessibility regulations.

Source: DARE index top performing countries. Available at https://g3ict.org/upload/DARE-Index-Top-Performing-Countries-Nov-5-2018.pdf and https://g3ict.org/upload/accessible_DARE-Index-2020-Top-Performing-Countries-ENGLISH-1.pdf.

Table 3 shows the top scoring countries with respect to their region, which clearly shows that Central and South Asian countries, with the exception of the Russian Federation, are way below world average. Notably, two Arab countries, Oman and Qatar, held the top position, Oman in 2018 and Qatar in 2020. Their efforts are noticeable despite the low implementation outcome and commitment of the entire region, as shown in table 4.

Source: DARE index top performing countries. Available at https://g3ict.org/upload/DARE-Index-Top-Performing-Countries-Nov-5-2018.pdf and https://g3ict.org/upload/accessible_DARE-Index-2020-Top-Performing-Countries-ENGLISH-1.pdf.

Results also show that Europe and North America outperformed the rest of the regions in implementation and outcome, with 55.1 and 63.8, respectively. However, all regions scored low in their capacity to implement or in commitment, as shown in table 4 below. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including non-Arab countries, have fair implementation and capacity to implement but with low overall commitment.

Source: DARE Index 2020. Global Progress by CRPD States Parties.

Source: DARE Index 2020. Global Progress by CRPD States Parties.

Although 93 per cent of countries have ratified CRPD and 37 per cent have ratified the Marrakesh Treaty, only 65 per cent of countries have made commitments to advance e-accessibility for persons with disabilities. As table 5 shows, less than 70 per cent of countries have a clear definition of e-accessibility. The present report also identifies several issues causing the slowdown of e-accessibility at the global level, which include the following:

• In most countries, persons with disabilities or their supporting government agencies seldom participate in developing policies or regulations, including on e-accessibility;
• Lack of national awareness programmes and specialized educational courses.

The 2018 Disability and Development Report[3] provides several recommendations to strengthen the inclusion and accessibility of persons with disabilities, which include the following:

• Raise awareness and knowledge of ICT accessibility;
• Involve persons with disabilities and specialized agencies in drafting policies, recommendations and regulations;
• Encourage the ICT industry and the public sector to adopt the Seven Principles of Universal Design[4] on equitable use and perceivable information, which directly impact e-accessibility;
• Implement national accessibility policies and regulations;
• Create dedicated governmental organizations to oversee ICT accessibility;
• Provide equal and affordable Internet access for persons with disabilities;

Encourage Government and private-sector funding to support open-source software development and Universal Design at a low cost for persons with disabilities.