Highlighting UNDP Pakistan’s commitment to disability inclusion
Colleagues at UNDP consider diversity and inclusion a vital priority, because ensuring no one is left behind is more than an objective for UNDP’s work in promoting the SDGs. The UNDP’s Pakistan team has taken their responsibility for including people with disabilities seriously, and has benefited from some important initiatives along the way.
UNDP has a strong commitment to mainstreaming human rights obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Respect for diversity has been one of UNDP’s central values in the way the organization works. In fact, diversity and inclusion are essential to ‘leaving no one behind’, a core principle of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To this end, one of the focus areas of UNDP’s people strategy, People for 2030, is to “foster and leverage our diversity”, thereby strengthening an open, respectful, non-discriminatory and inclusive work environment within the organization to reflect the societies we serve. An inclusive workplace values all personnel for their strengths, and offers persons with disabilities equal opportunities to learn, advance and succeed. True inclusion is about embracing differences and making long-term, systemic changes that lead to an improved sense of belonging for everyone.
Today, more than 1 billion people around the world live with a disability and experience disadvantages due to their limited opportunities in relation to others in society. Not only do they represent the world’s largest minority group, but they are also among the largest untapped talent pools, whose inclusion in the workforce and in society in general requires breaking down existing barriers. Around the world, young people with disabilities especially remain economically isolated and vulnerable, often exposed to stigma, discrimination and inequality.
To combat these social problems, UNDP, in close collaboration with UN Volunteers (UNV), is advancing the inclusion of young professionals with disabilities by placing them at the centre of the development sector through the UNDP-UNV Talent Programme for Young Persons with Disabilities. In 2020, under this programme, UNDP Pakistan deployed the highest number of young professionals with disabilities in any one office.
While illustrating the Country Office’s strong focus on integrating vulnerable groups, Ms Laura Sheridan, Programme Manager, Youth Empowerment Programme, stresses that creating a more inclusive workplace does not have to be an overwhelming or expensive process. Small initiatives can make a big difference, and a number of them have had a meaningful impact in facilitating recruitment and engagement of people with disabilities.
Laura emphasizes that, as a values-driven organization, UNDP continues to ‘walk the talk’ to ensure that UN values, including respect for diversity, are consistently lived by our leaders and all our personnel. She highlights that numerous initiatives have successfully harnessed the strengths of a diverse workforce in many respects in recent years by introducing the Gender Parity Strategy, launching the Graduate Programme, and implementing measures to ensure the inclusion of LGBTI colleagues, to name a few.
In addition to this, the work of the UNVs has also played an important role , as they have the knowledge to adequately address the needs and interests of disability groups. Overall, these investments have had a significant impact on strengthening the reputation of UNDP Pakistan as an organization committed to achieving diversity objectives, which in turn has been instrumental in attracting talent.
- Improving recruitment processes
In order to create a comprehensive talent pipeline for this specific programme, the Youth Empowerment Team also consulted other departments within the Pakistan Country Office, particularly the Decentralization, Human Rights and Local Governance and Innovation teams, to understand their vacancies and requirements.
In line with another focus area of People for 2030, to “attract and select top talent”, the team also worked to improve its recruitment processes to ensure that potential candidates with disabilities are aware of open positions and feel welcome to apply. To this end, UNDP Pakistan created dedicated social media posts to highlight that specific vacancies were specifically targeted at professionals with disabilities in order to encourage them to make an application.
The team also partnered with local youth organizations and organizations of people with disabilities to conduct joint information webinars and Q&A sessions to engage with potential candidates. As a result, they were able to reach their target audience effectively.
“As part of UNDP and UNVs commitment to ‘Leaving No One Behind’, I have found the recruitment of young professionals with disabilities, as a win-win strategy which offers this diverse group the opportunity to acquire practical work experience while equipping them with skills to foster innovative developmental solutions, in line with the SDGs. I am grateful to UNV-UNDP for building this talent pipeline and inspiring people like myself to advance our careers.”
2. Building a culture of understanding
While preparing to onboard the UNVs, the team was aware that many people often have no experience in working with persons with disabilities, so their understanding of the barriers that persons with disabilities encounter in the workplace can be limited. To combat this, the Pakistan Country Office conducted workshops to dispel myths, reinforce core messages about inclusion and to explore with attendees the resources available to young professionals with disabilities. Through these efforts, the Country Office experienced a major cultural shift in the workplace.
3. Promoting reasonable accommodation
Finally, before welcoming the UNVs, the Pakistan Country Office prepared to invest in reasonable accommodation to remove any functional barriers to inclusion. These are typically promoted in UN offices before onboarding people with disabilities in their premises, and may include, but are not limited to, special equipment and/or minor improvements in the office. These consultations help educate stakeholders about how to make the physical work environment suitable for persons with disabilities and help them understand what facilities they need to provide, like accessible toilets, adjustable height desks, appropriate lighting etc.
In the current teleworking context, considerations have mainly been in terms of software that is accessible and supports remote working. As the Country Office prepares to return to the office, the team will again reassess the physical environment to ensure that it is able to fully meet the needs of all 5 UNVs.
“I appreciate that even while working from home, recognition is given when its deserved and help is offered when needed. I am also happy that colleagues with disabilities are treated as a core part of the organization and represent inclusion in action.”
To summarize, Pakistan Country Office’s efforts and commitment showcases UNDP’s unique role and opportunity to further disability inclusive development with our partners, personnel and persons with disabilities. We are optimistic that recruiting more young professionals with disabilities across offices with similar dedication will not only help these professionals develop their extraordinary talents, but will also help the UNDP system unlock greater potential and form inclusive societies, where no one is left behind.
