Mr Charles Abani, United Nations Resident Coordinator, says without disability inclusion, the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be an illusion.
Disability inclusion is an essential condition for upholding human rights, sustainable development, peace and security.
Mr Abani in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), said disability inclusion was central to the promise of the 2030 SDGs to leave no one behind.
Mr Abani said that during the heat of the Covid – 19 pandemic, some groups such as women, children and older persons with disabilities faced greater marginalisation.
He said learners with disabilities, were also more likely not to return to school due to the unavailability of disability friendly, remote online learning systems for continuity of teaching and learning.
Mrs Mawunyo Yakor-Dagbah, National President of the GFD, said two weeks ago, representatives of OPDs had an engagement with the committee of experts on the UNCRPD.
She said the country had ‘‘yawning’’ gaps in the implementation of an inclusive education system, inclusive health care, and promoting the employment of persons with disabilities.
By Priscilla Oye Ofori, GNA