Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Participating in a high level meeting on Disability and Development, organized by the United Nations General Assembly on September, 23, 2013 in New York, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Selja reaffirmed India’s commitment to building an enabling and inclusive environment so that all persons with disabilities are able to enjoy their rights and realize their full potential in society.
It was a rare occasion when Heads of State, Heads of Governments and Senior Ministers/representatives of various Governments attended to reaffirm their global commitment and to shape the discourse on disability issues in the emerging post-2015 development agenda.
The Indian delegation to this high level meeting was led by Kumari Selja, who informed the international forum about various steps taken in this regard – establishment of a separate Department of Disability Affairs; various laws governing disability sector, and related policies schemes and programmes; action taken to make public buildings and websites accessible; establishment of national and regional institutes to train manpower; and partnership with private sector and civil society.
Selja called upon the international community to identify measures to advance their inclusion through incorporation of their perspectives in formulation of development policies and enhancing their accessibility to education, healthcare and employment. She also stressed the need to strengthen international cooperation through exchange of good practices, capacity building and provision of technical assistance.
Main highlights of this meeting were the address by the President of UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon. Presidents of different countries, Stevie Wonder, the famous singer and the UN Ambassador for Peace, John Kerry, Secretary of State, USA represented USA and Ministers from Germany, Norway and many other countries participated in the deliberations and re-affirmed their commitment towards the disability sector.
After detailed deliberations, an outcome document was negotiated and adopted by the Member States for the advancement of the rights of all persons with disabilities. This document stressed the importance of ensuring accessibility for and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of development and of giving due consideration to all persons with disabilities in the emerging post-2015 United Nations development agenda.
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