Ambassador Danny Danon addressing the Security Council. Photo: Courtesy.

JNS.org – Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon has suggested to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the Israeli Knesset’s decade-old initiative to hire more people with disabilities could be implemented at U.N. Headquarters in New York.

“The United Nations should reflect the makeup of society as a whole,” Danon said. “The parliament of nations should be accessible to everyone. We should give every citizen of the world an equal opportunity to contribute to the organization’s goals, making us [the U.N.] an exemplary model for morals and values.”

The Israeli legislature’s program has been run with the help of Israel Elwyn and SHEKEL, two organizations that cater to people with special needs.

According to Danon, Israel’s U.N. mission believes that this issue should be front and center. At a recent U.N. event that showcased Israeli society’s progress on disability inclusion, Israeli experts described what they called a disability-focused ecosystem that harnesses technological innovations to integrate people with disabilities. The Israeli U.N. mission’s event was a collaboration with the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Beit Issie Shapiro, a well-known organization that helps people with disabilities in Israel.

“When it comes to the integration of disabled people in the workforce, the past few years have seen a revolution,” Danon said. “Replicating this successful project will help the U.N. and showcase Israel’s positive image.”