Older persons and digital inclusion in today’s information society- ESU Statement

This statement was discussed, amended and finally approved by our ExCo. This document came as a result of our recent video conference on digitalisation, which took place on 23 March. For the video conference on ‘The era of digitalization: from communication highways to disinformation and infodemic. Opportunities and potential risks’ Patrick Penninckx, head of the Information Society department at the Council of Europe, was invited as keynote speaker. This topic was highly appreciated by the attendees. 

In this statement, we welcome recent policy initiatives at different levels of society to strengthen and promote the inclusion of all in the information society. We call on governments and stakeholders to support and promote the full participation of the older generation.

The digital divide between young and old, between people in rural areas and in cities was more visible than ever during the recent pandemic. ESU calls for combating this digital divide and “digital poverty” with a comprehensive strategy and overall operational actions to ensure digital literacy and inclusion for all generations. 

In a follow up to the video conference and the statement the ESU will promote intergenerational initiatives to ‘open the door’ to the ‘digital future’ for all generations. The statement identifies the many challenges around older people and digitalisation, and we, as ESU, are ready to work on them together!

Find the statement here.