Coronavirus pandemic has exposed the heightened vulnerability and risks to persons with disabilities in UAE.
The People of Determination Advisory Council has recommended including disability issues in the UAE’s 50-year Development Plan – therefore, the services and programmes provided to them and their parents must be included in the government’s public policies authorities to ensure their full inclusion in the society.
The meeting was held under the Ministry of Community Development’s coordination, it announced the new formation of the members of the Council, including new disability board members representing various types of disabilities, as well as specialists working in the field.
“The new formation of the Council aims to add new youth members in the Council who are capable of looking ahead and understanding the challenges faced by persons with disabilities during the next phase being an important stage in the history of the UAE with the vision of the next 50 years,” said Nasser Ismail, Assistant Under-Secretary of Social Welfare at the Ministry of Community Development.
“When we fight to secure those rights, we move our world closer to upholding the United Nations Charter’s core values and principles,” he explained. “When we remove policies or biases or obstacles to opportunity for persons with disabilities, the whole world benefits,” said Wafa Hamad Bin Sulaiman, Director of Welfare & Rehabilitation Department for People of Determination.
The new UN Disability Inclusion Strategy to ensure that people with disabilities are included in all development, human rights and humanitarian aid efforts is laudable.
The UAE’s vision and government’s unlimited support to the people of disability certainly deserves a salute.
