Switzerland launches national digital inclusion alliance
The Swiss interior ministry estimates that around a third of society, including the elderly and people with disabilities, have difficulty grasping the basic functions of digital tools.
Keystone / Christian Beutler
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Switzerland launches national digital inclusion alliance
As many people as possible should have access to digital services. To achieve this goal, on Thursday the Swiss government launched the Swiss Digital Inclusion Alliance, in collaboration with the cantons, associations and businesses.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Shopping online, filing tax returns electronically or booking a hairdressing appointment via an app are practical actions for many people. However, these services are an obstacle for many others, says the interior ministry in a press release.
By being either too difficult to access or too complex, these services can exclude a whole section of the population. The ministry estimates that around a third of society, including the elderly and people with disabilities, have difficulty grasping the basic functions of digital tools. The problem also lies in the lack of accessibility of these services, starting with websites.
Skills network
This is why the Swiss Digital Inclusion Alliance was created and inaugurated on the first National Digital Inclusion Day. It is a skills network that brings together players in the field of digital inclusion who wish to commit to a common strategy, the ministry says.
The alliance is a joint initiative of the Federal Office for Equality for People with Disabilities, the Swiss conference for continuing education, the Swiss Digital Administration, the association of Swiss adult education centres, the Swiss read and write federation and the digitalswitzerland foundation.
In the press release, Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider emphasised the importance of bringing the various players together in this way. She added that this project would provide them with a platform for collaboration and raise awareness of the challenges of digital inclusion.
The alliance is part of the 2023-2026 disability policy. In addition to this programme, the government wants to promote digital inclusion in a targeted manner. Between now and the end of the year, it is expected to adopt a bill aimed at guaranteeing access for people with disabilities to services intended for the public, by requiring private-sector players to make reasonable adjustments.
Translated from French with DeepL/gw
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Swiss court recognises obesity as a disability under certain conditions
This content was published on
People suffering from obesity are now entitled to social benefits under certain conditions, following a ruling by the Federal Court.
Environment minister outlines Swiss efforts to limit global warming
This content was published on
Switzerland will do its part to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celcius, said Environment Minister Albert Rösti, who's attending COP29 in Baku.
This content was published on
Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.