TEHRAN – The model of assistive technology introduced by Iran at the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) summit 2025 has been recognized as a successful model for developing countries.

Hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) under the GATE Initiative and in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Summit brings together key stakeholders to highlight and prioritize global, regional, and national actions needed to accelerate equitable access to assistive technology.

Addressing the summit, Mostafa Qanei, secretary of the biotechnology development office of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, elaborated on Iran’s activities in assistive technology sector and enumerated the vice presidency's measures in policy making, and manufacturing assistive technologies based on WHO-GATE 5P (people, policy, products, provision, and personnel) framework, IRNA reported.

Referring to the cooperation between Iran’s vice presidency for science and UNICEF, the official highlighted the significance of emerging technologies, particularly digital technologies.

Fernando Botelho, the assistive technology program specialist, for his part, lauded Iran’s efforts and introduced the model presented by Iran as a role model for other developing countries.

The two organizations have been collaborating since 2019, and so far, they have held two innovation challenges focusing on children and adolescents with the children’s participation.

Improving children and adolescents’ access to assistive technologies is one of the most important axes of cooperation between Iran and UNICEF. 

Participation in international meetings and programs and introducing Iran’s achievements and measures in technology development, policy-making to international communities, and supporting businesses operating in assistive technology are among the main objectives of the cooperation.

The two sides have also collaborated to establish an innovation ecosystem in the field of children and adolescents, attracting stakeholder participation and investment in the field, improving access, and supporting active companies.

GATE-Summit 

The GATE Summit will build on progress in the sector with the overall goal of collaboration within and between sectors and partners to achieve a consensus-driven Global roadmap for priority investment and action to accelerate equitable access to assistive technology. 

The WHO and UNICEF Global report on assistive technology identifies that 2.5 billion people globally need assistive technology, growing to 3.5 billion by 2050. Equitable access to assistive technology enables better health outcomes, and realization of human rights, and facilitates collective and inclusive achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.  

GATE-Summit aims to heighten awareness of the need for assistive technology and build shared knowledge of strategies to improve access, considering the themes of who, where, and how, through presenting evidence-based information and best practice examples of national, regional, and global initiatives.

It also broadens the network of stakeholders across sectors and levels that are actively engaged in taking action to increase access to assistive technology, through using a hybrid approach and ensuring at least 40 percent of in-person participants are attending a GATE Summit for the first time, and strengthens partnership and collaboration on assistive technology between Member States, UN, civil society and other key stakeholders, by providing an open forum for sharing ideas and opportunities, and reach consensus on a global road map for accelerating access to assistive technology.

MT/MG