Resolution 2510 (2023)1Provisional version

Closing the digital divide: promoting equal access to digital technologies

Parliamentary Assembly

1. As early as 2001, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defined the“digital divide” as “the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at differentsocio-economic levels with regard both to their opportunities to access information and communicationtechnologies (ICTs) and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activities”.

2. Since then, the continued expansion of the fields in which these technologies are used has broadenedthe situations where they create inequalities, with the Covid-19 pandemic casting a harsh light on the problem.From the moment restrictions on the movement of people were imposed, digital communications quickly tookon unprecedented importance in almost all areas of life. Commercial exchanges, contacts with publicadministrations, certain types of work, interactions with family, education, medical appointments: even inspheres where information technologies had until recently played a modest role, their place quickly expanded.

3. As the Secretary-General of the United Nations pointed out at the time, “the digital divide has become amatter of life and death for people who are unable to access essential healthcare information”. It is threateningto become the new face of inequality, reinforcing the social and economic disadvantages suffered by womenand girls, the elderly and the young, ethnic minorities, socio-economically disadvantaged people, people withdisabilities and people in particular situations such as prisoners, protected adults and asylum seekers.

4. Today, access to the internet and the material means required in order to be able to use it andproficiency in basic digital tools have become fundamental needs; digital exclusion is a major barrier toequality. Lack of access to digital technologies prevents those concerned from accessing public services,education and many of the opportunities that life has to offer. Awareness of this must spur us to act now toadopt a truly inclusive approach to the digital realm.

5. People already suffering from inequality and discrimination and struggling to make their voices heardare left even more exposed by the digital divide. As policy makers, we stand at a crossroads today: we caneither continue to let technologies exacerbate existing disparities, or harness these technologies to build asafer, more sustainable, more equitable future for all.

6. The digital transition cannot take place without State support. In order to ensure equal access to rightsin an increasingly digitalised world, States must take steps to combat digital illiteracy and to provide effectivesupport to all those who are not proficient, or not yet sufficiently proficient, in digital technologies. They mustguarantee equal access for all to education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,and see to it that everyone has access to the infrastructure and tools needed in order to fully exercise theirrights and participate in society on an equal footing. They must ensure that digital technologies, tools andservices that are essential to citizens' lives remain affordable for their users and that efforts are made to limittheir environmental impact. As it can prove particularly difficult for some children with disabilities to followonline education, States must provide the tools and mechanisms necessary to ensure that these childrenenjoy equal and unhindered access to such education, particularly in times of crisis.

1. Assembly debate on 23 June 2023 (19th sitting) (see Doc. 15776, report of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, rapporteur: Ms Edite Estrela). Text adopted by the Assembly on 23 June 2023 (19th sitting).

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