In a meeting of solidarity to better protect those with disabilities, WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, met virtually with Mr Yannis Vardakastanis, President of the European Disability Forum, on 23 November.
Ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, to be held on 3 December, the Regional Director and President discussed how to promote the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in the COVID-19 response and vowed to take action to include persons with disabilities in all aspects of society. This year’s theme for International Day of Persons with Disabilities is ‘Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world’.
WHO, in collaboration with other United Nations (UN) agencies, has been working to ensure that persons with disabilities are prioritized and included in every phase of the COVID-19 response with recovery planning and implementation. This is crucial to upholding the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Disability in the European Region
The European Disability Forum (EDF) is an umbrella organization that defends the interests of over 100 million Europeans with disabilities. EDF is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) that brings together 100 organizations representing persons with disabilities from over 30 countries across Europe.
In the WHO European Region, between 6 to 10 out of every 100 people live with a disability, totalling an estimated 135 million people. With population ageing and the rising prevalence of noncommunicable conditions, including injuries, this number is set to increase in the future.
COVID-19 has disproportionally affected the lives of those with disability. Taking just one example, data from the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland shows that, between March and July 2020, 59% of all COVID-19-related deaths in the United Kingdom were among people with some level of disability. This shocking figure is believed to be an underestimate.
People with disability are at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 due to: barriers in implementing hygiene measures, such as hand-washing; difficulty enacting physical distancing; a need to touch surfaces for physical support; and challenges in accessing public health information. These individuals may be at a greater risk of developing a more severe case of COVID-19 as the virus may exacerbate pre-existing health conditions. Individuals with disability can face barriers in accessing health care and may encounter serious disruption to support services due to the pandemic. These risks can be mitigated by implementing protective measures. Member States in the Region are encouraged to use the WHO guidance on ‘Disability considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak’.
Protecting people with disability and serving the vulnerable are foundational principles of WHO/Europe’s recently adopted European Program of Work 2020–2025, ‘United Action for Better Health in Europe’ (EPW). Protecting the rights of persons with disabilities to access the health care services they need on an equal basis is strongly reflected in the 3 core priorities of the EPW: guaranteeing the right to universal access to quality health care without fear of financial hardship; protecting against health emergencies; and promoting health and well-being.
Last year, the UN released a strategy regarding disability inclusion for all UN agencies. This strategy includes a system-wide policy, accountability framework and other implementation modalities. WHO is currently developing its policy and action plan to make WHO a disability-inclusive organization. This will be rolled out to WHO/Europe by early 2021.
Collaboration with non-state actors (NSAs) will be important for the implementation of the EPW, and to this end WHO/Europe is planning to further increase its technical collaboration with NSAs.
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting disruption of health services, has demonstrated that there is a need to establish health systems that guarantee more inclusive and resilient economies and communities that enable participation from everyone. Inclusive health services are key for better health, leaving no one behind and achieving an equitable society in the Region.