The Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi announced the launch of the "Universal Access in Times of Pandemic" Survey, to gather insights on local responses to the Covid-19 outbreak and its impact on the lives of people of determination and the older persons.
The study has been created by "World Enabled" in collaboration with the World Bank, and is for local government representatives, people of determination, the civil society, POD organizations and service providers, and other stakeholders. The study covers the themes of non-discrimination, accessibility, participation, inclusive programs and policies, capacity building, data for development and trust in institutions.
In this regard, Her Excellency Dr. Bushra Al Mulla, Executive Director of the Community Development Sector at DCD, affirmed: “The importance of launching the Universal Access in times of the pandemic survey is to accurately identify the impact of Covid-19’s pandemic on the lives of people of determination, their families and older persons , as well as the readiness of the existing procedures, measures, programs and policies to meet their needs in times of crisis. This will allow establishing an inclusive and comprehensive social protection scheme in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in line with the vision of the Abu Dhabi Strategy for POD aiming at creating an inclusive society enabling and empowering POD”.
Al Mulla added, "Based on the role of the Department of Community Development as a regulator of the social sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, we are keen to develop social public policies based on data and evidence and according to best international practices, taking into account the local context and culture of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Therefore, we launched this questionnaire in cooperation with "World Enabled" to access accurate and comprehensive data regarding POD and older persons in times of the pandemic, which will help shape our policy work on an inclusive emergency and preparedness policy.
Al-Mulla added, “with the current pandemic and global changes, new challenges have surfaced which led us to reconsider our lifestyles and find ways to promote innovation, in order to overcome the consequences of the crisis, and to ensure the security and prosperity of the community, and the continuous improvement of living standards and quality of life. This is where lies the importance of having a scheme enabling access and participation of all segments of the society including POD and older persons”.
The Department of Community Development assures the confidentiality of all information provided by the participants in this study as the responses will be used anonymously, in aggregate and only for research purposes. And emphasizes the importance of participation as this would help the department and other government entities to take the necessary precautionary measures to enhance the safety and well-being of community members during this time.