The President of the Republic of the Gambia H.E. Adama Barrow, Dr. Isatou Touray the Vice President of the Republic of the Gambia, Secretary General and the head of civil service, the speaker of the National Assembly, my fellow Cabinet members, chief of defence staff, the Gambia Armed Forces, Inspector General Gambia police force, Director Gambia Immigration Department, Ambassadors and High commissioners of various Embassies and High commissions in the country, UN country Representative, WHO country Representative heads and representative of all international organizations and NGOs in the Gambia, the Gambia Federation of the Disabled and entire disability family and fellow Gambians, good morning to you all.
Dear Gambians as we join the rest of the world to observe the 3rd December commonly known as World Disability Day. We should know that it is a very important day in the life of Persons with Disabilities, and we should also use the day to reflect on challenges they face in the society and how to address them.
The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life
Since 1992, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) has been annually observed on 3 December around the world. The theme for this 2019 IDPD is ‘Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership: taking action on the 2030 Development Agenda’. The theme focuses on the empowerment of persons with disabilities for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which pledges to ‘leave no one behind’ and recognizes disability as a cross-cutting issues, to be considered in the implementation of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
This 2019 observance of the IDPD in The Gambia will be intended to be organized by The Gambia Federation of the Disabled in collaboration with Department of Social Welfare, United Nation Development Programme, (UNDP) Article 19 on Tuesday 3 December 2019 in the alternative, subject to the availability of funding and perhaps, other exceptional circumstances, to this important event, to be commemorated in January 10th, 2020 The official commemoration of the event will consists of an official opening, a panel discussion on new initiatives for disability inclusion, and a spotlight event on sport for all for peace and development, at a later date which will be an opportunity to discuss pertinent issues as powerful enablers of peace and sustainable development through the empowerment of persons with disabilities.
UN entities and other stakeholders are individually and collectively taking action to mainstream disability and build an inclusive, accessible and sustainable work for all. Progress has been made at many fronts to advance the inclusion of persons with disabilities, their rights, well-being and perspectives in the global agenda. Accessibility – an essential means and the precondition for an inclusive society and development – continues to gain more visibility and deliver results through the efforts of the international community. A first ever Security Council Resolution to protect persons with disabilities in armed conflict (S/RES/2475(2019), further articulated the important nexus between disability and peace and security and marked an important step forward for persons with disabilities who are particularly at risk during conflicts.
Civil society and the private sector are also taking the lead in supporting the inclusion of persons with disabilities at the global, regional, national and local action. New and emerging networks are spearheading the mainstreaming of disability in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the SDGs.
In conclusion, duty bearers and partners wish to appeal to the Government of The Gambia to enact the Persons with Disabilities Bill – 2019, which was developed since 2012 suffering an unprecedented delay, and also for the progressive implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) that was ratified by the Government of The Gambia in July, 2015 and Sustainable Development Goals Agenda of 2030.
SDG 4 and article 24 of the CRPD on education, promotes equal access to all levels of education and vocational training and calls for the building and upgrading of education facilities to ensure that they are disability friendly, and to ensure that learning environments are safe, effective and inclusive for all: SDG 8 and CRPD article 27 aims to achieve full and productive employment, decent work for all and equal pay for work of equal value for everyone, including persons with disabilities: SDG 11 and article 9 of the CRPD mandates member states to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, to improve road safety in keeping with the needs of persons with disabilities, and to provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible green and public spaces, particularly for persons with disabilities: and SDG 17 where member states are called upon to enhance capacity building support to developing countries, including least developed countries (LDCs) and small Island developing states, to significantly increase the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data also disaggregated by disability.
Let us reaffirm our commitment and express solidarity of the international community to make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for all by, for and with persons with disabilities.
I thank you all and wish you a prosperous commemoration of International day of Person with Disabilities.
By Magistrate Muhammed Krubally,
Chairman – GFD
