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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is committed to promoting the full inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.

Since its launch in 2014, the Global Disability Fund (GDF) joint programme in China has made significant strides across various domains, including employment, education, health, justice, social protection, and media and information. By facilitating legal reforms, building national capacity, creating job opportunities, and fostering social participation, the GDF programme has significantly enhanced the lives of persons with disabilities in China.

From 2024 to 2025, UNESCO, in collaboration with UNFPA and ILO, is working towards ensuring that the rights of persons with disabilities are fully respected, protected, and fulfilled, with a focus on addressing key issues such as accessibility, employment, sexual and reproductive health needs and services, and digital literacy and skills.

Women with disabilities face significant challenges in accessing and utilizing digital technologies, which are increasingly essential for education, employment, and social participation. These challenges include a lack of accessible learning materials, inadequate training programmes tailored to their specific needs, and limited support networks.

UNESCO aims to address these challenges by developing and implementing a comprehensive AI training programme. This initiative will equip these individuals with the necessary AI literacy skills, promote their inclusion in the digital age, and contribute to the development of more accessible and inclusive digital environments.

The primary objective of this Call for Proposal is to seek and engage an Organization of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs, hereinafter as “Partner”) to lead the development and implementation of an AI training programme tailored to the specific needs of women with disabilities in China. 

• Improved AI literacy skills, knowledge, and confidence among women with disabilities.
• Increased capacity of educators, trainers, and community leaders to deliver effective and inclusive AI literacy training.
• Establishment of sustainable support networks and resources to ensure the long-term impact and scalability of the programme.

The Partner, in close consultation with UNESCO, will be responsible for the following tasks:

• 4.1 Curriculum Design and Course Development
  • Customized Curriculum: Design a comprehensive, modular AI curriculum tailored to the diverse learning needs, lived experiences, and accessibility requirements of women with disabilities in China. The curriculum should include a minimum of 3 modules, covering foundational AI concepts, accessible AI tools, and practical applications.

  • Inclusive Learning Materials: Develop interactive and inclusive learning materials such as videos (with subtitles and sign language), accessible e-books (compatible with screen readers), podcasts, and visual infographics.

     

• 4.2 Capacity Development
  • Training of Trainers (ToT): Equip 20 educators, student mentors, and community leaders with the skills to independently deliver AI literacy training, ensuring local ownership and programme scalability. Prioritize women with technology backgrounds and disability rights advocates to ensure culturally responsive instruction.
  • Training of Women with Disabilities: Conduct training through a combination of online webinars and in-person workshops at selected universities and disability community centers. Deliver a minimum of 4 workshops, each with approximately 20 participants. 

  • Peer-Learning & Support Platform: Establish an accessible online community for continuous knowledge-sharing and mentorship among participants. Detail how the platform will be established and maintained, and how active participation of at least 100 participants will be ensured in the first year.

     

• 4.3 Evaluation and Feedback
  • Pre/Post Assessment: Evaluate participants’ AI literacy and confidence before and after the training using inclusive assessment tools.

  • User Feedback: Collect qualitative and quantitative feedback to refine the curriculum and teaching approach.

     

• 4.4 Sustainability and Scalability
  • Strategic Partnerships: Build partnerships with colleges, OPDs, women’s groups, and tech companies for long-term programme integration.
  • Expansion:  Design a scalable framework to roll out the training programme to additional regions and ensure continuity beyond the pilot phase.

The Partner is expected to deliver the following:

• Curriculum and Learning Materials: A comprehensive AI curriculum and a set of inclusive learning materials. These materials should be made available under open access licenses to ensure widespread availability and use.
• Training Sessions: Documentation of the training sessions, including participant lists, training schedules, and session summaries.
• Peer-Learning & Support Platform: An accessible online community platform, complete with initial setup and a detailed plan for ongoing engagement and sustainability.
• A comprehensive final report that includes:
  • Outcomes and Success Stories: A narrative report and summary of project achievements, highlighting key milestones and participant success stories.
  • Evaluation and Feedback: Results of pre- and post-training assessments and a summary of qualitative and quantitative feedback from participants.
  • Challenges Encountered: An analysis of challenges faced during implementation and strategies used to address them.
  • Partnership Documentation: Detailed records of established partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including colleges, OPDs, women's groups, and tech companies.
  • Scaling and Expansion Framework: A strategic plan for rolling out the training programme to additional regions and ensuring long-term sustainability.

All activities are expected to be conducted from June to November 2025. All reports provided to UNESCO need to be in both English and Chinese.

Interested OPDs (Applications are restricted to OPDs only) are invited to submit their applications in writing and in English to the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia/UNESCO Beijing Office:

• Technical Proposal clearly referencing “Development and Implementation of an AI Training Program to Enhance AI Literacy Among Women with Disabilities in China”, indicating:
  • Profile of the organization, including qualifications and relevant experiences.
  • The structure of the team for the assignment and detailed CVs of the team members, including experts in AI, digital literacy, accessibility, gender equality, and disability inclusion.
  • Detailed workplan with timeline and approaches to carry out the assignment.
• Financial Proposal: A detailed budget breakdown with unit costs for each item.