Wednesday 13/November/2024 – 12:02 PM
Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister, directed Solidarity The President of the 43rd session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs delivered a recorded speech to the preliminary regional summit on disability held in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, within the framework of preparing for the World Summit on Disability scheduled to be held in Berlin in 2025.
Dr. Maya Morsi, in her recorded speech in her capacity as President of the forty-third session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, welcomed the attendees; This is in preparation for the World Disability Summit 2025, which will be held in Berlin in April 2025, and in implementation of the Second Arab Decade on Disability 2023-2032, which seeks to improve the conditions of persons with disabilities to reach the principle of equal citizenship in Arab countries with their various circumstances and challenges, by providing equal opportunities and their inclusion. Fully integrated into society and support the efforts of Arab countries to continue implementing the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and develop legislation and policies to respond to the needs This segment of society, and this meeting is an essential step towards building a unified vision that reflects the aspirations and challenges of our region, in an effort to enhance the rights of persons with disabilities and ensure their full inclusion in all aspects of life.
Minister of Solidarity: We cannot meet without expressing our concern about the situation in Gaza and Lebanon
Morsi stressed that we cannot meet without expressing our deep concern about the current humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and in southern Lebanon, where communities, including people with disabilities, are exposed to continuous attacks, noting that Egypt, under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi It continues to provide support and assistance to brothers in those areas, and calls on member states of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to provide more humanitarian aid, and Egypt continues to facilitate the entry of aid from brothers and Arab and international organizations until social conditions improve. And humanity is there.
The Minister of Solidarity indicated that the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is considered the comprehensive framework that guides our efforts towards achieving equality, non-discrimination and full inclusion of persons with disabilities, and since its adoption in 2006, signatory countries have sought to implement its principles and develop national policies that enhance the rights of this group, Explaining that during the summit, we will focus on how to translate these principles into concrete practical steps that include adopting national laws and implementing policies and programs that support the rights of persons with disabilities in the areas of education, work, and social life.
Morsi mentioned the efforts made by Egypt in supporting the issues of persons with disabilities and empowering them with their rights, as it was one of the first countries to sign the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007, and ratified it in 2008, and its efforts towards activating its obligations to the Convention culminated in the formation of the National Council for Disability Affairs. By Prime Minister’s Decision No. 410 dated April 17, 2012, which became the National Council for Persons with Disabilities pursuant to Article 244 of the Constitution 2014, and the 2014 Constitution allocated 11 articles to guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities, in addition to issuing Law No. 10 of 2018, which enhances their rights in various aspects of life.
Within the framework of implementing the recommendations of the World Disability Conferences in London 2018 and Oslo 2022, Egypt has made tangible progress by integrating the issues of persons with disabilities into national strategies, especially Egypt Vision 2030. It has also worked to improve the accessible infrastructure in some metro and railway stations, and provided support to persons with disabilities. With disabilities and their families economically through programs such as Karama, which ensures that they live in dignity and independence, it also facilitated access to services through disability proof cards and integrated services, and in the field of education, Egypt supported the inclusion of students with disabilities in schools, universities, and in the field of work, and launched a rehabilitation platform for employing persons with disabilities within a cooperation protocol with the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Labor with the aim of empowering persons with disabilities and integrating them into the labor market in a way that guarantees them decent work with appropriate facilitative arrangements.
She added: This meeting today seeks to unify our vision and present a strong and influential voice for our region at the World Summit on Disability 2025, as this meeting represents a pivotal step through which we seek to enhance the rights of people with disabilities and ensure their full inclusion in all aspects of life, and we need here to address the basic themes of the World Summit. The third in Berlin 2025, and building a unified vision that reflects the aspirations and challenges of our region, and those axes are non-discrimination, equality, participation, and strengthening national and regional policies that ensure the full participation of people with disabilities. Disability, with a focus on living independently, and working to provide supportive physical and digital environments, and must include access to modern technology and artificial intelligence to facilitate the lives of people with disabilities, as well as developing strategies to protect people with disabilities during crises and conflicts, ensuring an effective response to their needs and providing safe evacuation. The necessary support, and focus on providing social guarantees and educational and employment opportunities as a means of promoting social and economic integration.
