The COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), prioritizes the needs of the the most vulnerable including older persons. Given that the pandemic has…
As the world grapples with an unparalleled health crisis, older persons have become one of its more visible victims. The pandemic spreads among persons of all ages and conditions, yet available evidence indicates that older persons and those with…
Persons with disabilities—both visible and invisible—face obstacles and discrimination in accessing health care and other essential services, social protection and income security, mental health services, and communication technologies. In addition…
The COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying inequalities experienced by the world’s one billion people with disabilities, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in launching a report issued on Wednesday that calls for a disability-inclusive…
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold fear and suffering for older people across the world. As of 26 April, the virus itself has already taken the lives of some 193,710 people, and fatality rates for those over 80 years of age is five times the…
As Michelle Bachelet explained, not only are people with disabilities at higher risk because of the crisis, they also are disproportionately affected by response measures such as lockdowns. “People with disabilities are in danger in their own homes…
As the world grapples with an unparalleled health crisis, older persons have become one of its more visible victims. The pandemic spreads among persons of all ages and conditions, yet available evidence indicates that older persons and those with…
GENEVA (27 March 2020) – Society has a duty to exercise solidarity and better protect older persons who are bearing the lion's share of the COVID-19 pandemic, a UN human rights expert said. "Reports of abandoned older persons in care homes or of…
Persons with disabilities generally have more health-care needs than others – both standard needs and needs linked to impairments – and are therefore more vulnerable to the impact of low quality or inaccessible health-care services than others.…
The theme of the 2020 World Autism Awareness Day is "The Transition to Adulthood".  Becoming an adult is typically equated with becoming a full and equal participant in the social, economic and political life of one’s community. However, the…
The estimated incidence of Down syndrome is between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births worldwide. Each year, approximately 3,000 to 5,000 children are born with this chromosome disorder. The quality of life of people with Down syndrome can be…
ATTENTION: In light of the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation and its implications for intergovernmental meetings held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, a decision was made to postpone the eleventh session of the Open-…