Enabling the Disabled Through the Public Purse in Lithuania
This Project Showcase is part of the Community Voting, vote here for your favorite session.
There are around 50 thousand people with disabilities registered for employment opportunities in Lithuania. Those are IT programmers, academics, craftsmen, and others who are ready to do great work; they just need an extra bit of attention from employers for their special conditions.
However, they do not have it easy. Lithuanian businesses are often reluctant to employ them for a combination of reasons, including a distorted perception of the disabled and weak incentives.
Every year, Lithuania spends around EUR 8.5 billion through public procurement. Government buyers employ massive numbers of people through catering, cleaning, construction, and many other contracts. However, they rarely spend it on (or with) those who need it the most. Public contracts are a powerful hidden lever to uplift marginalized groups through economic opportunities. The Government started using that power to promote the inclusion of the disabled by encouraging public buyers to spend their money with requirements to include the marginalized population, aiming to spend at least EUR 1.5 billion with inclusion requirements over 2024 and grow that figure over time. The Government is to use a people-centered, empathetic, and open data-driven approach to change the status quo and help change the lives of thousands of the disabled in the country.
This session is part of the “Living Better Together” block, which runs from 17:15-18:00 CET. The sessions in this block will appear in the following order:
· Transform Freetown: Enhancing Homes, Improving Environments, Transforming Lives
· Putting the Community at the Center to Provide Safe Water for All
· Digital Archipelagos: Connecting Communities
· Enabling the Disabled Through the Public Purse in Lithuania
· Empowering Collaborative Innovation in Cities Across Latin America and Africa
Karolis Granickas
Head of Europe, Open Contracting Partnership