COVID-19 presents particular risks for many people with different disabilitiesaround the world.
 

People with disabili¬ties are entitled to life, human decency and the pursuit of happi¬ness, just like all Myanmar people – and the government and the people must fight together to protect these rights, especially during this time of crisis.
 

The work committee on rights of persons with disabilities formed nine sub-committees to ensure every disabled person enjoy their rights. Besides, the Technical Core Group of the work committee is drafting the five-year National-level Strategy for Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the draft is expected to be finished this year.
 

Meanwhile, the committees concerned should take measures to speed up the Ks.3 billion fund programme and leasing loans under the programme for the people with disabilities.
 

It is necessary to work for the rights of persons with disabilities, which should, on its current trajectory, ensure that every disabled person is guaranteed his/her rights, even during the pandemic.
 

To ensure that every person with disabilities in our country is not deprived of their rights and basic needs for their survival and livelihood, there must be systematic records of PLWD men and women lists including PLWD demographics.
 

People with disabilities who live at home often rely on community-based social services to meet their basic daily needs, including for meals and hygiene. They must have access to lifesaving information, communication strategies with qualified sign language interpretation for televised announcements, websites that are accessible to people with different types of disabilities, and telephone-based services that have text capabilities for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
 

Without swift action to include people with disabilities in our response to COVID-19, they will remain at serious risk of infection or evendeath as the pandemic spreads.

GNLM