QNA
New York
Qatar has asserted that it had crossed many significant milestones for persons with disabilities at the local level and showed a keen interest in backing regional and international efforts in this respect. Minister of Social Development and Family and Chairperson of the 42nd Meeting of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad made the remarks at the 16th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP16) that kicked off Tuesday at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The session will run for three days. The minister said Qatar gives special attention to the rights of persons with disabilities at the national, regional and international levels and was the first country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008. She pointed out that Qatar has managed to make numerous achievements for persons with disabilities at the legislative and executive levels, adding that one of the most outstanding achievements is the creation of high-quality professional centres for the service of persons with disabilities.
She affirmed that Qatar has invested its presidency of the 42nd Meeting of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs in adopting several initiatives that support full integration for persons with disabilities, including Arab Decade for persons with disabilities 2023-2032 and Arab Classification for Persons with Disabilities, pointing out that the two initiatives epitomise the most crucial accomplishment for the Arab region in this respect.
Misnad added that Qatar hosted the Day of Persons with Disabilities, which coincides with December 3 each year, in coordination and partnership with the Secretariat-General of the League of Arab States.
She said Doha hosted the 2nd edition of ‘Living Independently for Persons with Disabilities’, initiative that was initiated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), recalling that Qatar is set to host the fourth Global Disability Summit 2028 in partnership with International Disability Alliance.
Qatari youth Ghanim Al Muftah delivered a speech in his capacity as representative of Qatari society organisations for persons with disabilities, expressing pride to represent Qatar in the international conference being convened at the UN Headquarters.
He expressed pleasure to participate in the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament, describing it the best edition ever in the history of world cup tournaments, in terms of facilitations that were offered to fans, especially persons with disabilities who flocked to Qatar from all over the world and enjoyed the tournament’s events. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is an international mechanism that reviews this convention and lays out the stances of states with respect to national policies pertinent to persons with disabilities’ integration.
