Filing a tax return, buying a ticket to an event, making a medical appointment, contacting a government department or an after-sales service department: our society is becoming increasingly electronic, but those who struggle with technology are increasingly lost in the digital jungle.
Contrary to popular belief, older people are not the only ones affected. As the King Baudouin Foundation mentions in its most recent report on digital inclusion[1], 40% of Belgians are currently “digitally vulnerable”. They are exposed to the risk of digital exclusion because they do not have the means to go online and lack digital skills, which can give rise to stress or simply a fear of the unknown.
The digital revolution will not wait
Digital technologies are intended to make life easier for everyone. Despite their good intentions, however, they can quickly turn into an ordeal for some people. DigitAll has been tackling this phenomenon since 2020.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the digital revolution in many sectors, BNP Paribas Fortis was concerned about the divide between those on board the digital train and those left behind. DigitAll was created to address this issue.
Michael Anseeuw (CEO of BNP Paribas Fortis): “Bridging the digital divide is essential to achieve a fairer, more dynamic and more resilient society. It is a vital way of ensuring that all citizens can take part fully in our country’s economic and social life. It was therefore important for DigitAll to take the next step by adopting its new status and sending an open letter to those forming the next government.”
During the pandemic, in September 2021, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter, around 30 private-sector companies – including Accenture – and social organisations joined the project and signed a charter containing nine commitments aimed at bridging the digital divide.
Petra De Sutter (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration, Public Enterprises and Telecommunications in Belgium’s outgoing government): “To face the challenges of the digital age, collaboration is a great asset. By working together, we can bridge the digital divide and ensure that every citizen has equal access to technology, education and opportunities. I am very happy to see that DigitAll is striving to bring together public, private, social and academic stakeholders, each with their unique role and expertise.”
Guillaume Boutin (CEO of Proximus): “As a technology company contributing to Belgium's digital infrastructure, we want to make sure that increasing digitalisation benefits every citizen and business. Through our commitment in the DigitAll coalition, we want to allow people to thrive in the digital society and ensure nobody is left behind. With this new step in its evolution, DigitAll more and more becomes a key stakeholder in this debate.”
Kristof Lambert (Country Managing Director, Accenture Belux): “Accenture is joining forces with DigitAll to support digital inclusion in Belgium. Digital transformation is part of our DNA and we strive for digital inclusion in all our projects in collaboration with our clients and ecosystem partners. We strongly believe that digital inclusion will drive for social inclusion and for a society which is more resilient, dynamic and fair. With this partnership and collaboration with non- profit organizations, private and public companies, we believe that we can learn from each other and increase our impact on digital inclusion.”
2024: a turning point
The number of signatories to DigitAll’s charter reached 100 in June 2023. Just 11 months later, keen to secure its long-term future and get the ambassadors of its ecosystem more involved, DigitAll reached a new milestone, transforming itself from a coalition of businesses and organisations into an ASBL non-profit organisation in May 2024. With nine new signatories (North Sea Port, VOKA, Amazon, Akkanto, HOWEST, Goomyx, UPOP and All Digital), including some major players in the Belgian and global economy, DigitAll is now registered with Belgium’s register of incorporated entities (Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises), with all the obligations that come with that, such as having an administrative body and holding an AGM.
DigitAll’s first action in its new form was to draft an open letter, jointly signed by 64 members. The aim is clear: to influence the talks being held by Belgium’s future federal government to ensure that all its recommendations are on the agenda.
For more information about DigitAll, visit: digitall.be
[1] "Baromètre 2024 de l’inclusion numérique" (https://kbs-frb.be/fr/quatre-belges-sur-dix-toujours-risque-dexclusion-numerique) / "Barometer van de digitale inclusie 2024" (https://kbs-frb.be/nl/zoom-barometer-van-de-digitale-inclusie-2024), King Baudouin Foundation (only available in French & Dutch)
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BNP Paribas Fortis (www.bnpparibasfortis.com) offers the Belgian market a comprehensive range of financial services for private individuals, the self-employed, professionals, companies and public organisations. In the insurance sector, BNP Paribas Fortis works closely, as a tied agent, with Belgian market leader AG Insurance. At international level, the Bank also provides high-net-worth individuals, large corporations and public and financial institutions with customised solutions, for which it is able to draw on the know-how and international network of the BNP Paribas Group.
BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) is the European Union’s leading bank and key player in international banking. It operates in 65 countries and has nearly 185,000 employees, including more than 145,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main fields of activity: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services for the Group’s commercial & personal banking and several specialised businesses including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval; Investment & Protection Services for savings, investment and protection solutions; and Corporate & Institutional Banking, focused on corporate and institutional clients. Based on its strong diversified and integrated model, the Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, BNP Paribas has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg. The Group is rolling out its integrated commercial & personal banking model across several Mediterranean countries, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. As a key player in international banking, the Group has leading platforms and business lines in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. BNP Paribas has implemented a Corporate Social Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group's performance and stability.
Proximus Group (Euronext Brussels: PROX), headquartered in Brussels, is a provider of future-proof connectivity, IT and digital services, operating in the Benelux and global markets. The Group is actively engaged in building a connected world and in ensuring the trustworthiness, security and sovereignty of digital services, to the benefit of society.
Proximus has the ambition to build the #1 gigabit network for Belgium and plays a central role in creating inspiring digital ecosystems, while fostering an engaging culture and empowering ways of working. Building upon these strengths, Proximus aims to contribute to an inclusive and sustainable digital society, delight customers with an unrivalled experience and achieve profitable growth both locally and internationally to deliver long-term value for stakeholders.
In Belgium, Proximus’ core products and services are offered under the Proximus, Mobile Vikings, Scarlet and Proximus NXT brands. The Group is also active in Luxembourg (Tango and Telindus Luxembourg) and in the Netherlands (Telindus Netherlands). The Group’s international carrier activities are managed by BICS, a leading international communications enabler, one of the key global voice carriers and the leading provider of mobile data services worldwide. With Telesign, the Group also encompasses a fast-growing leader in authentication and digital identity services, serving the world’s largest internet brands, digital champions and cloud native businesses.
With 11,654 employees, imbued with Proximus' Think Possible mindset and all engaged to offer a superior customer experience, the Group realized an underlying Group revenue of EUR 6,042 million end-2023.
For more information, visit www.proximus.com & www.proximus.be.
Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 750,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities.
Visit us at www.accenture.com
[1] "Baromètre 2024 de l’inclusion numérique" (https://kbs-frb.be/fr/quatre-belges-sur-dix-toujours-risque-dexclusion-numerique) / "Barometer van de digitale inclusie 2024" (https://kbs-frb.be/nl/zoom-barometer-van-de-digitale-inclusie-2024), King Baudouin Foundation (only available in French & Dutch)