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Disability inclusion in the United Nations system - Report of the Secretary General

SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
October 2020

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When launching the Strategy in June 2019, the Secretary-General stated that the United Nations would lead by example and raise its standards and performance on disability inclusion across all pillars of its work, from Headquarters to the field. The present report outlines the first steps on the path to achieving transformative and lasting change for persons with disabilities across the United Nations system

 

The report is organized into seven sections. Following the introduction, an overview of the advances made in the United Nations on disability inclusion, including the adoption of the Strategy, is provided in section II; the first year of implementation of the Strategy at the entity and country levels is reported on in section III; coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response and recovery efforts are the focus of section IV; the overarching actions for implementation of the Strategy are considered in section V; challenges and opportunities are highlighted in section VI; and the conclusion and recommendations for consideration by the General Assembly are contained in section VII. The report provides an analysis of information from 57 United Nations entities1 that reported under the Strategy ’s entity accountability framework and seven United Nations country teams that completed the accountability scorecard on disability inclusion as part of a targeted roll-out.

Disability Inclusion 101. Basic Concepts and Approaches

UNITED NATIONS
2020

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Through a conversation with panelists, the Disability Inclusion 101: Basic Concepts and Approaches webinar seeks to address the following topics:

  • Understanding the concept of disability: who are persons with disabilities? 
  • What is the human rights-based approach to disability? 
  • Universal design, accessibility, and reasonable accommodation 
  • The twin-track approach: combining disability-targeted initiatives with disability inclusion in mainstream initiatives 
  • What is an organization of persons with disabilities and how to engage with them

 

Opening Speaker: USG Ana Maria Menéndez, Senior Advisor on Policy to the Secretary-General

Panelists:

Mr. Facundo Chavez Penillas, Human Rights & Disability Advisor, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Ms. Charlotte Vuyiswa McClain-Nhlapo, Global Disability Advisor, World Bank
Mr. Stefan Tromel, Senior Disability Inclusion Specialist, International Labour Organization (ILO)
Ms. Elham Yussefian, Inclusive Humanitarian and DRR Advisor, International Disability Alliance
 

The webinar was moderated and facilitated by Mr. Gopal Mitra, Senior Social Affairs Officer, and Ms. Georgia Dominik, Social Affairs Officer, Disability Team, Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG).

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