Innovation empowers inclusive world for persons with disabilities: UN chief

Innovation and technology can be powerful tools for building an accessible and equitable world for all, including persons with disabilities, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

The world is confronting a cascade of crises that are disproportionally impacting persons with disabilities, Guterres added in a message to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which fell on Saturday.

Transformative solutions are needed to rescue the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, he said, underscoring the importance of the active participation of persons with disabilities in their full diversity, and their full inclusion in all decision-making processes, Xinhua news agency reported.

Innovation and technology, he continued, can be powerful tools for inclusion, enhancing access to information, education, and lifelong learning, opening new avenues for persons with disabilities to participate in the workforce and society at large on an equal basis.

He also noted that to realise the promise of technology, efforts are required to close the digital divide and safeguard human rights in the digital space.

--IANS

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