Pakistan, A Strong Advocate For Access To Assistive Technology: First Lady

First Lady Samina Alvi Thursday said that Pakistan had been a strong advocate at both regional and global levels for access to assistive technology which consequently got space in the agenda of World Health Organization Executive Board for the first time in 2015

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Aug, 2019 ) :First Lady Samina Alvi Thursday said that Pakistan had been a strong advocate at both regional and global levels for access to assistive technology which consequently got space in the agenda of World Health Organization Executive board for the first time in 2015.

The First Lady said this in her keynote address as the chief guest of the WHO Consultative Conference on the Global Report on Effective Access to Assistive Technology (GReAT), being held in Geneva from August 22-23, at the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters.

More than 250 delegates from 100 countries are participating in the meeting, said a press release received here.

Reckoning Pakistan's lead role in accessibility to assistive technologies, the First Lady said that Pakistan's efforts were crowned with success in October 2016 when on the request of Pakistan, the Eastern Mediterranean Region became the first WHO Region to adopt a regional resolution on the subject and develop a strategic framework to improve access to Assistive Technology.

She reiterated the dedication and strong political will and resolve in Pakistan in reaching out to those in need of assistive technology.

She also shared the national initiative under the social protection program that had been launched for provision free assistive products free of charges to all those who needed those across the country.

Samina Alvi appreciated the efforts of the WHO and all the stakeholders in developing the Global Report on effective access to assistive technology, and urged the member states to redouble their efforts in developing policies, forging partnerships, acquiring robust data, encouraging innovation and research in the area of assistive technology.

She emphasized that it was incumbent upon all to make every effort to extend benefits of the modern-day technology to support persons with disabilities andthose affected by the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases and aging population.

The First Lady urged the member states of the WHO to resolve to work in unison to achieve the goal enshrined in WHO's Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology initiative and assured Pakistan's advocacy and technical support in the implementation of such initiatives.