Fiji called on Thursday for an integrated and coordinated approach to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind in the post COVID-19 era.

"An integrated and coordinated approach is required to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind," said Fiji's Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa while commemorating the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.

The theme of the day this year is "Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World".

Vuniwaqa said that people with disabilities -- 1 billion people across the globe and over 100,000 in Fiji - are one of the most excluded groups are among the hardest hit in this crisis. These unprecedented times require partnerships, pledges and compassion like never before.

She stressed that it not only requires commitment from governments but all its stakeholders in this area of work.

To mark the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, Fiji launched on Thursday three crucial items, namely the National Directory and Information on Disability Services, the National Council of Persons with Disabilities website and the dignity kits for persons with disabilities, that will enhance access to services for Fijians living with disabilities and making Fiji a more inclusive country.

The island nation has come a long way since 2013 when the rights of Fijians living with disabilities got recognized for the first time as a stand-alone human right by the Constitution.

In 2017, Fiji ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 2017 also, the Fijian government made a further commitment by creating a new social protection scheme for persons living with disabilities called the Disability Allowance.