Govt's Responsibility To Make Environment Inclusive For Differently-abled People

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Aug, 2023 ) :Federal Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada on Thursday said it was the responsibility of the government at both federal and provincial level and also the duty of each citizen to make the environment inclusive for differently-abled people.

He was chairing the 4th Meeting of the National Committee for Implementation of UNCRPD, Incheon Strategy & Other International Commitments Pertaining to Disability here at the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR).

The meeting was attended by Director General Special Education, Islamabad, Special education Department and Social Welfare Department Punjab, Social Welfare Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Department for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Sindh, Social Welfare Department Balochistan, Social Welfare Department, Gilgit-Baltistan and Social Welfare Department Azad and Jammu Kashmir and prominent NGOs representing differently-abled people from each province including the federal capital, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Director MoHR Shahzad Ahmed Khan gave a detailed presentation on the strategy for the inclusion of differently-abled people by presenting the efforts undertaken by the ministry with respect to the Government of Pakistan's international commitments as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Persons with Disability and Incheon Strategy.

Director General, MoHR, Muhammad Arshad said there was a lack of accurate data representing differently-abled people and emphasised the role of relevant Federal and Provincial stakeholders to update the data.

He also stated the Federal and Provincial implementation mechanisms should be aligned with the UNCRPD and the Incheon Strategy to provide further clarity on Pakistan's international commitments.

The provincial departments shared their progress on the policy implementation of mainstreaming differently-abled people and providing them with numerous facilities in their respective presentations.

Federal Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada appreciated the overwhelming response of the participants and said that the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities was a provincial subject and that both Federal and Provincial governments should work together in the context of international reporting.