UN chief: COVID-19 laid bare barriers faced by 1 billion people with disabilities 

“COVID-19 has laid bare the persistent barriers and inequalities faced by the world’s one billion persons with disabilities”, he said. 

Now, Mr. Guterres argued, a disability-inclusive pandemic effect and betterment should beryllium guided by persons with disabilities themselves.  

It should besides “forge partnerships, tackle injustice and discrimination, grow entree to exertion and fortify institutions to make a much inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.” 

Human Rights 

According to the UN, astir 80 per cent of persons with disabilities live successful processing countries. An estimated 46 per cent of people aged 60 years and over, have disabilities. 

One successful each 5 women is apt to acquisition disablement successful her life, while for children, that fig is one in ten. 

To respond to the needs of these people, the Secretary-General urged all countries to afloat instrumentality the Convention connected the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Governments, helium said, should besides enactment to summation accessibility, and dismantle legal, social, economical and different barriers with the progressive engagement of persons with disabilities and their typical organizations. 

“Realizing the rights, agency, and enactment of persons with disabilities volition beforehand our communal future”, helium argued. “We request everyone, including persons with disabilities connected board, to execute the Sustainable Development Goals.” 

Mr. Guterres concluded saying that, astir the world, persons with disabilities and their typical organizations are taking enactment to make bully connected a cardinal demand: “Nothing astir us, without us.”  

Digital world 

In her message, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) highlighted however the pandemic had battered those with disabilities. 

“As part of our lives moved online, confinement measures person brought to the fore different bid of inequalities affecting radical with disabilities: the inequalities relating to exertion and the integer world”, Audrey Azoulay said.  

She noted that, according to the latest Education Monitoring Report (GEM), only 68 per cent of countries person a explanation of inclusive education and just 57 per cent mention each the aggregate marginalized groups. 

For Mr. Azoulay, these are immoderate of the issues that should beryllium discussed at the next UN-backed Global Disability Summit, which Ghana and Norway are co-hosting in February. 

Events 

Across the world, respective events are taking spot to people the day. 

In Dubai, the UN organized an event entitled “Shaping an Inclusive Future for All: Leading with Determination”, at the World Expo there. 

Also connected Friday, the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) joined forces to statement the taxable “Reducing Inequalities Through Technologies: A Perspective connected Disability Inclusive Development”.  

The Office of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General connected Disability and Accessibility, successful concern with the Permanent Mission of Chile, is focusing on  “Leadership of the caller generations: Children and adolescents with disabilities and their voices station COVID-19”, successful different virtual event taking spot connected Friday. 

The UN is also marking the day at its offices in Geneva and Bangkok.