Digital inclusion and accessibility:  Leaving no one behind in Virtual Worlds and the Citiverse

The Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI – Discovering the Citiverse was launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC), and Digital Dubai on 14 June 2024 during the 1st UN Virtual Worlds Day. Cities, as hubs of human activity, face many challenges, and building digital cities presents an opportunity to overcome some already known and identified barriers to human interaction. The Initiative has created the Digital Inclusion and Accessibility track to address the economic needs in virtual worlds and citiverse. The Digital Inclusion and Accessibility track began its work on 1 December 2024 and aims to produce one joint deliverable by June 2025. Experts from all regions will contribute to the deliverable by providing input to a shared document and participating in seven meetings. This webinar coincides with Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025 and will present the work being done to draft a set of guidelines for an accessible and inclusive CitiVerse by design. The guidelines will provide strategic and meaningful engagement that promotes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).