The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has urged governments to place people with disabilities at the center of COVID-19 response and recovery efforts and to consult and engage them.

"The COVID-19 crisis is affecting every aspect of our societies, revealing the extent of exclusion that the most marginalized members of society experience," Guterres said in a video message for the launch of a new policy brief. 

"Today, I would like to highlight how the pandemic is affecting the world’s 1 billion people with disabilities," he added.

Guterres stated that "even under normal circumstances, persons with disabilities are less likely to access education, healthcare and income opportunities or participate in the community."

"This is exacerbated for those in humanitarian and fragile contexts."

"People with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty, and they experience higher rates of violence, neglect, and abuse."

The pandemic is intensifying these inequalities and producing new threats, Guterres mentioned.

"Today we are launching a report that recommends a disability-inclusive response and recovery for everyone," he stated, confirming that people with disabilities are among the hardest hit by COVID-19.

"They face a lack of accessible public health information, significant barriers to implement basic hygiene measures, and inaccessible health facilities."

"If they contract COVID-19, many are more likely to develop severe health conditions, which may result in death."

"The share of COVID-19 related deaths in care homes, where older people with disabilities are overrepresented, ranges from 19 percent to an astonishing 72 percent."

He stressed that we must guarantee the equal rights of people with disabilities to access healthcare and lifesaving procedures during the pandemic.

"When we secure the rights of people with disabilities, we are investing in our common future," Guterres concluded.