What role for ICTs in the regions future society? World - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

What role for ICTs in the region’s future society?

Tiziana Bonapace Chief ICT and Development Section ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division ESCAP bonapace.unescap@un.org

World Telecommunications and Information Society Day United Nations Conference Centre 17 May 2012

Poverty

• Rising prosperity: increase in real per

capita GDP from US$ 1,795 to US$ 2,718 between 1990 and 2009

• Region still has 947 million people living in

absolute poverty, of which about 20% are disabled (10% for general population) and 98% of disabled poor children do not attend school

• Poor girls and women with disabilities

experience triple discrimination

The region’s ageing society

• Demographic

shifts will entail significant ageing

• Much older

population, 400% increase in very

• ld (+80)

Growth in number of elder citizens, Asia (excl. W estern Asia)

2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

Ages +60 Ages +65 Ages +80 1.7 billion 1.2 billion 288 million 532 million 357 million 58 million

Source: ESCAP, based on UNDESA population statistics, 2010

projections

….with increases all in developing countries

0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20 1.40 1.60

billion

2011 2020 2030 2050 2100

Asian Advanced C

• untries

Asia P acific Developing C

• untries excl. Asian

Advanced C

• untries

Source: United Nations, DESA, Population Division (2011). World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision Growing old-age dependency ratios of 65+ age categories in Asia

10 20 30 40 50

2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

Central Asia Eastern Asia Oceania South-Eastern Asia Southern Asia

…and feminization of the ageing

society

Female to male ratios in Asia, 60 years and over

1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6

2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

Female to male ratio

Central Asia Eastern Asia Oceania South-Eastern Asia Southern Asia Asia (excl. West Asia)

Source: ESCAP, based on UNDESA population statistics, 2010 projections

Female to male ratios in Asia, 80 years and over

1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6

2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

Female to male ratio

Central Asia Eastern Asia Oceania South-Eastern Asia Southern Asia Asia (excl. West Asia)

Future challenges

• Non-communicable diseases (NCDs): increase with life expectancy

worldwide, particularly in developing countries, from 20 to 70 million deaths per annum in Asia

• Dementia projected to increase five fold
• Pressure on public finances exacerbated by

– lack of age-friendly, barrier-free environments – declining youth and working populations results in reduced capacity of families as primary caregivers – limited geriatric care services – lack of social protection coverage: 4.78% of GDP (Asia) as compared to 20.5% (OECD)

• Mobility and autonomy losses
• Isolation:

– For example, proportion of elderly Indians living alone increased from 2.4% in 1992-95 to 5.0% in 2005-06 (from 2.6% to 7.6% among female population)

ICT for dignified ageing

• Ambient Assisted-Living technologies (AAL), including remote monitoring,

remote alarms

– ICT make such system more economical, scalable but also customizable – improved feeling

• f security

– address some potential hazards such as falls or illnesses by raising early alarms (e.g.: emerge system). Allow elderly to stay at home for longer, and / or mitigate severity of hazards by bringing early support, reducing hospitalization needs.

• ICT for mental health

– Facilitating and increasing the quality of monitoring and assistance of persons with Alzheimer Disease through innovative technologies integrated in patients’ domestic environments (e.g. Project Mantova – Alzheimer ) – Training cognitive capacities through games (e.g.: Eldergames), other electronic assisted stimuli, social networks

• ICT for remote medicine

– doc@HOME: remote consultations and prescriptions cuts the cost of health, allow elderly to stay at home longer – Applications related to chronic treatment of NCDs (e.g.: automated reminders for medicine)

• ICT for social inclusion:

– developing elderly friendly video-conferencing devices through TVs (e.g. i2home) – ICT literacy for elderly to use ICT tools such as VoiP, social media…

Recommendations

• Current experience and knowledge addresses needs of

developed countries where ageing is more advanced: adaption to local and developing contexts required.

• Awareness building: ICT industry needs to prepare for

demographic shifts, invest in R/D for aging

– Design for All approaches: make technologies elderly friendly (including for illiterate elderly) – Respond growing demand for ICT applications for elderly

• Develop research networks, including with other regions