Kyiv, 28 September 2026 – A total of 169 public servants from Ukraine’s Kyiv, Odesa and Ternopil regions have completed digital accessibility training delivered by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The trainees will now help ensure that public websites, online services, and digital content within their institutions are easily accessible to everyone – including people with visual, hearing, and cognitive impairments.

Held between July and September 2026, the training brought together representatives of state and local government authorities responsible for developing content and managing the web resources of public institutions.

During the two-day programme, participants gained practical skills in creating accessible digital products and communications. The training covered accessible content creation, alternative text for images, semantic webpage structures, accessible video materials, communication platforms, visual and text accessibility, accessibility testing, technical requirements for accessible web resources, and the fundamentals of accessible web development.

This is the fourth year in a row that the regional web accessibility training series has been held, and, for the second year in a row, experts from the Digital Accessibility Competence Centre have been involved in the training. Established in 2024 under the Diia State Enterprise, the centre is Ukraine’s first national institution dedicated to advancing digital accessibility. To date, more than 5,300 representatives of state and local government authorities have completed digital accessibility training delivered by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and UNDP.

“It is important not only to create new electronic services, but also to ensure that they are accessible to all Ukrainians,” said Oleksandr Zakusylo, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation. “Over the past few years, we have conducted an audit of Diia, and all new e-services now incorporate accessibility requirements from the design stage. This year, the Digital Accessibility Competence Centre began accepting applications for web accessibility audits of government websites and applications. Conducting training for civil servants is a continuation of our extensive work with partners in this field.” 

“Accessibility is not an optional feature of digital transformation; it is a prerequisite for ensuring that no one is left behind,” said Miodrag Dragisic, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine. “With Sweden’s support, UNDP is assisting public institutions turn this principle into practice – making digital services inclusive and accessible to all Ukrainians, including persons with disabilities.” 

Over the past several years, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and UNDP, with support from Sweden, have helped drive major reforms in digital accessibility in Ukraine. These include the development of a new national standard on web accessibility, which is now mandatory for use by government agencies; the first official Ukrainian translation of the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, and the establishment of the Digital Accessibility Competence Centre.

These efforts are already producing measurable results. By 2025, a total of 52 out of 100 resources had already reached a sufficient or high level of basic accessibility. The number of government websites demonstrating a high level of accessibility increased by more than four times in a single year. In comparison, only one out of 100 state websites met this standard in 2021.

The regional training sessions were organised under the DIA Support Project, which is being implemented by UNDP in Ukraine with the support of the Government of Sweden, in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Digital Accessibility Competence Centre.

Media enquiries:

Yuliia Samus, Head of Communications and Advocacy, UNDP in Ukraine, yuliia.samus@undp.org