International conference “The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in the Development of an Inclusive Society” was opened in Belgrade with the aim of drawing attention to the need to include vulnerable social groups in everyday social activities and to the importance of ICT in the development of an inclusive society by providing services that are accessible to everyone.

It is estimated that 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability. In the era of digitalization information and communication technologies develop a wide range of personalized services for a large number of users which may contribute to the inclusion of persons with disabilities and help them in everyday life.

During the introductory speech Tatjana Matić, State Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, pointed out that technology may help the inclusion of persons with disabilities in exercising the right to health care, education, professional recognition, participation in everyday social and cultural activities and that this is why it is important to maximally utilize the opportunities that technology offers and, at the same time, make technology accessible to everyone.

The State Secretary pointed out that, by providing institutional support to the project, the Ministry joined the Regional Initiative for Europe – “EUR3: Role of ICT in the Development of an Inclusive Society” adopted on the World Conference on Telecommunications Development in 2014.

“In 2013 the United Nations adopted the ICT Development Framework which includes persons with disabilities. We believe that this conference will successfully present guidelines for the development of inclusive and accessible technological solutions for persons with disabilities” Tatjana Matić said.

The participants of the conference will, in the form of conclusions, make a regional contribution to the efforts of the international community in improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities through the use of information and communication technologies.

The conference is organized by association ProForma and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Culture and Information.