Make persons with disabilities a priority in the COVID-19 response

Persons with disabilities should be made a priority in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, says a grouping of enterprises, non-profits, and disabled people’s organizations, led by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

In a declaration at the end of its virtual annual conference on 30 November, the ILO Global Business and Disability Network stated that targeted and mainstream actions need to be taken to ensure that disability issues are addressed in pandemic recovery plans.

Persons with disabilities should be consulted on COVID-19 response measures, so their insights and experiences are taken into account.

Members of the network also reaffirmed their commitment to retain and hire persons with disabilities and the need for companies to be non-discriminatory in the way they tackle issues arising from the crisis.

“Globally, we are living challenging times with the coronavirus pandemic that is causing an important economic impact in our societies,” said GBDN Chair, Pilar Rojas of Repsol S.A. “While we are all trying to adapt to the new normal, this is more difficult for persons with disabilities. The companies that belong to the ILO Global Business and Disability Network are committed to promote disability-inclusive responses to achieve business results while leaving no one behind.”

Two more companies have joined the network – Nestlé and SUEZ Group – and four other companies – Salesforce, LVMH, Schneider Electric, and Sopra Steria Group – are set to join the Network in the near future.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Network has launched a number of initiatives including two surveys and webinars on disability inclusion.

Original source: ILO