(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Ayeni Olusegun |
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: National Human Rights Committee Chairperson H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah has called the success stories of institutions and people with disabilities in Qatar a model to be emulated globally.
In a statement after the Second National Forum on Human Rights, themed 'Human rights of persons with disabilities; protection and empowerment,' Al Attiyah said the two-day forum covered vital discussions with support from 10 state ministries, government agencies and educational institutions, and several civil society organisations.
“The success stories of institutions and people with disabilities in Qatar, and supporting this vulnerable group, locally and internationally through sustainable development efforts, is a model to be emulated globally. However, many challenges which were addressed in the recommendations and outcomes of the conference must be considered,” Al Attiyah stated.
The forum, which concluded yesterday, saw comprehensive conversations around issues, challenges, and recommendations to facilitate the integration of people with disabilities into society.
Participants proposed key recommendations, including harmonised legislation, a national strategy to protect and empower persons with disabilities, and create a central national registration and data system for people with disabilities.
Speaking at the conclusion of the forum yesterday, NHRC Secretary-General, Sultan bin Hassan Al Jamali, said the forum held in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and Family Affairs follows an MoU between the NHRC and the ministry earlier this year to support and empower families, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.
He added that this was done in recognition of“the fact that promoting human rights for this category of society does not stop at the limits of protection, but rather goes beyond them to empowerment.”
In a statement, Al Jamali said the forum achieved the desired results by examining several different facets of issues surrounding people with special needs.
Among the recommendations read out by Al Jamali, participants urged issuing a law on the protection and empowerment of persons with disabilities consistent with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities based on the human rights approach. Other recommendations include joining the Protocol on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; inclusion of civil society organisations concerned with disability and persons with disabilities to discuss relevant draft laws before they are issued; a comprehensive national strategy to protect and empower persons with disabilities in light of human rights; positive discrimination measures to implement the rights of persons with disabilities, especially women, children and the elderly.
The participants also proposed enacting policies to remove behavioural barriers and the negative stereotype about persons with disabilities within society, implementing the participation of persons with disabilities in the public sphere, and continuing the approach based on their inclusion in the elections of the Municipal Council and the Shura Council; inclusion in the third national development strategy; increase their employment percentage across sectors; consider retirement age to be compatible with specific issues; avoid negative effects of AI and involving people with disabilities in developing technology and adopting educational policies to ensure enrolment of people with disabilities.
Comments
No comment