Building a Pipeline of Countries for Assistive Technology Investment

Background

Today, over 2.5 billion people need at least one form of AT, such as wheelchairs, eyeglasses, or hearing aids, but in some countries, as few as 3% have access to the AT they require. The number of people needing AT is expected to grow to more than 3.4 billion by 2050. 

Access to appropriate AT enables people with loss of function, disabilities, non-communicable diseases, and the aging population to participate in education, work, and family and community life. Lack of access to AT has significant consequences for individuals, their families, and the wider society. Without AT, individuals may experience isolation and exclusion from education, the labor market, and civic life. Lack of access to appropriate AT causes poorer health outcomes, including premature death, deteriorating mental health, and increased risk of chronic health conditions and secondary complications, all leading to a higher burden on health systems. Increasing accessibility and affordability of AT can unlock unrealized economic potential and provides socioeconomic benefits for individuals, families, and countries by increasing productivity and participation in the workforce. 

The World Health Organization’s 2022 Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT) articulates the current global situation, as well as overarching recommendations to support countries, including integrating AT into national health plans and health service delivery to support the integration of AT into fundamental health and social system and other inter-sectoral related system planning and included across all appropriate service delivery platforms. GReAT estimates that more than 2.5 billion people would benefit from one or more assistive products. The unmet needs are significantly higher in low-income and middle-income countries.

ATscale
ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, was developed in response to the need for a new, catalytic approach to overcoming the significant gap in access to appropriate, high-quality, and affordable AT globally. It is a cross-sector partnership for AT that aims to bring greater resources and strategic focus to this significant global challenge to reach 500 million more people with life-changing assistive technology (AT) by 2030, to enable a lifetime of potential. The ATscale Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. 

ATscale has two primary strategic objectives driving its initial work including (1) developing an enabling ecosystem for increased access to assistive technology by galvanizing political will, mobilizing investment, driving policy reform, and strengthening targeted, cross-product systems, particularly at the country level; and, (2) building and shaping markets for priority products and their related services by identifying and investing in interventions to overcome specific supply and demand-side market barriers. This market-shaping work is initially focused on five priority products: wheelchairs, hearing aids, prostheses, eyeglasses, and assistive digital devices and software. For more information, please visit https://atscalepartnership.org/. 

The current market landscape for five priority products of ATscale and relevant strategic objectives are described in the Product Narratives published in 2020 by ATscale. These documents provide a foundation for ATscale’s global investment to improve access to AT. In addition, the Case for Investing in Assistive Technology, published in 2021 by ATscale, lays out a compelling argument that access to assistive products provides a 9:1 return on investments. Economic, health, and social benefits for individuals and their families contribute to this return on investment. Addressing AT can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 3, in addition to addressing Universal Health Coverage targets. Improving access to appropriate assistive products and related services will require innovative and ambitious efforts from multiple perspectives to achieve national scale. 

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement, and infrastructure services to various governments, donors, and United Nations organizations. In light of this, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has agreed with UNOPS and ATscale to support the management of awards to improve access to assistive technology worldwide.