Saa Lamin Kortequee commends government.
The National Commission for Persons with Disability(NCPD), in collaboration with Sightsavers- an international Organisation that fights for the rights of people with disabilities has on Wednesday, 15th February 2023, intensified the campaign, thereby calling on Government, decision-makers and other stakeholders in the disability sector to fulfil their commitments made concerning the disability rights.
It could be recalled that at the Global Disability Summit, hosted by the Governments of Norway and Ghana in 2022, over 7,000 participants, including the Government of Sierra Leone, made 1,400 commitments about disability rights.
In light of those commitments, Sightsavers and the International Disability Alliance are now calling on the Government, decision-makers and other stakeholders in Sierra Leone to report on their commitments’ progress so far.
Nancy Smart, Country Director for Sightsavers Sierra Leone, said, “The Global Disability Summit has been a huge opportunity for the Government of Sierra Leone to address inequality. It was great to see them attend and commit to how they will address disability inclusion,” she stated. Madam Smart furthered that the Government must continue to honour these commitments and make their actions speak louder than their voices. “Our Equal World Campaign urgently calls on the Government to uphold disability rights and make their summit commitments a reality”, said the Country Director of Sightsavers.
NCPD Executive Secretary, Saa Lamin Kortequee, commended the Government for the support given to disabled people in the area of Education and Health but said there is still room for improvement for the Government to meet the Medium-Term development plan of leaving no one behind.
According to him, Government has created the enabling environment for disability inclusion in Health and Education and therefore called on them to do more by reviewing the legal framework to promote inclusive Health and educational systems for disabled people in line with the principles of the UN Convention on the rights of person with disabilities; and to make disability inclusion an integral part of shock responsive social protection systems.
He also called on Government To follow through on their commitments made in the Global Disability Summit and further capacitate the Commission and other government institutions to meet the commitments.
Vladimir Cuk, Executive Director of IDA, said, “one year from the 2022 Global Disability Summit, the World faces huge challenges and millions of people with disabilities are treated unequally. The GDS can be the carrier of good news in such a sphere. It can inspire governments to take action through commitments and can rally people behind, in which involvement can bring positive and concrete results. Through the GDS, we want to call on governments, multilateral agencies, the private sector and INGOs to report back on their commitments… words are not enough; actions speak louder”, said the IDA Executive Director.
It is important to note that the Global Disability Summit is the World’s biggest gathering of people with disabilities, governments, and global leaders and an opportunity to implement the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. The next summit will be held in 2025 and co-hosted by the International Disability Alliance and the Governments of Germany and Jordan.
