The global socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis continue to evolve. COVID-19 is more than a health crisis; it affects social structures and networks, livelihoods, economies, and efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and an end to poverty. It will also have medium- and long-term effects for years to come. It is essential that short-term measures are undertaken with due consideration of the long-term effects.

This crisis is disproportionally affecting persons with disabilities, who are often invisible, excluded, and more at risk of feeling the shocks from weak health, basic services and social protection systems. The response to this crisis must, therefore, consider the pre-existing marginalisation, discrimination, exclusion, and inequalities of persons with disabilities to ensure that they are not even further left behind. Concerted effort is required to decrease the gap between persons with and without disabilities which has been exacerbated by this crisis.

The UNSG has made a commitment to respond to the socio-economic crisis of COVID-19. UNPRPD provides core support to its members and facilitates inter-agency collaboration and joint programming on disability inclusive development with a strong commitment to collaborating with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs). Steps are being taken within the UN system to respond to the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19, and UNPRPD and its partners have an opportunity to contribute to advancing a disability-inclusive collaborative response, particularly at the country level.

This initiative presents UNPRPD’s immediate approach to responding to the emerging challenges as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic using the UNPRPD mechanism. UNPRPD is uniquely placed to contribute to country level analysis through its country level programs and engagement with UNCTs to support government response and recovery to the COVID19 crisis from a disability rights perspective.

The existing wide networks at country level and experience working with UNCTs will allow UNPRPD to support country response and recovery as well as build a global program which brings together country level evidence and learning to inform COVID19 recovery, to support disability movement engagement in the response, their advocacy and accountability and to inform future crises of this nature.