Marc Hansen, Minister Delegate for Digitalization; Credit: Julien Warnand / SIP

On Tuesday 17 May 2022, on the occasion of World Telecommunications and Information Society Day, Luxembourg's Ministry of Digitalisation organised its first National Day of Digital Inclusion.

Among the events organised by the Ministry and its partners, a "Digital Inclusion" award ceremony was held by the Minister Delegate for Digitalisation, Marc Hansen.

28 application files were submitted following a call for projects launched in January 2022 by the Ministry of Digitalisation for the financing of pilot projects promoting the digital inclusion of all citizens of the Grand Duchy. The call for projects was aimed at associations, private bodies, public establishments, municipalities, inter-municipal unions, professional chambers, training centres and public research institutes that are committed to digital inclusion. The projects submitted had to fall within the scope of one or more of the three strategic levers defined in the National Digital Inclusion Action Plan.

During his introductory speech, Minister Hansen recalled the commitment of the government and that of the Ministry of Digitalisation to ensure the digital inclusion of all citizens. Every citizen must have the opportunity to develop their digital skills and access the digital world, regardless of their age, social class or place of residence. “We have a duty to prevent a possible digital divide so that no one feels excluded and finds the place in society that is due to them. The projects selected for 2022 meet this objective.”

The six winners of the “2022 Digital Inclusion Award” and their project are as follows:

  • Autisme Luxembourg ASBL for the creation of a social platform for people with autism.
  • Club Haus op der Heed for the provision of tablets and individual support to familiarize the elderly in municipalities in the north of the country with new media.
  • GoldenMe ASBL to develop and strengthen a network of intergenerational "smartphone-cafés" in different municipalities of the Grand Duchy.
  • Stëftung Hëllef Doheem for the promotion of digital literacy among vulnerable elderly people in the 10 psycho-geriatric centers (centres psycho-gériatriques  - CPG) in their network.
  • City of Dudelange for the creation of an "Internet Stuff" to promote and present the digital world to the elderly through exchanges and training in a safe, familiar and friendly environment.
  • Wide ANDCO to provide “meeting points” for women with IT and digital related questions.

Co-creative and initiation workshops

During this first National Day of Digital Inclusion, the Ministry of Digitalisation also called on two partners to organise actions in favour of digital inclusion.

Thus, the non-profit organisation ErwuesseBildung, with which the ministry signed a second partnership agreement in 2022, offered introductory sessions in the use of tablets in Diekirch and Grevenmacher, and on 19 May in Esch-sur-Alzette.

In addition, the non-profit organisation GERO offered its members the opportunity to participate in a co-creative workshop for seniors on 17 May at the premises of the GovTech Lab. This workshop provided an opportunity for teams from the Government IT Centre (CTIE) to discuss with workshop participants about state digital services, such as MyGuichet.lu, and to inquire about difficulties and concerns perceived by the public when using state platforms. This co-creative and open innovation approach is the cornerstone of the GovTech Lab to advance the digital transformation of state services and thus improve the quality of services for all citizens.