Disability Rights Parliament: Persons with disabilities celebrating 20 Years of Democracy
The United Nations General Assembly appealed to Member States in 1992 to devote 3 December to the reflection on issues of persons with disabilities so as to advance the equalisation of opportunities for this constituency.
Cabinet in 2013 approved that 3 November to 3 December be observed as National Disability Rights Awareness Month, and that 3 December be observed as the National Day of Persons with Disabilities.
2014 will see Parliament hosting the Inaugural Disability Rights Parliament on 3 December 2014, which will bring together representatives of all nineteen national disability organisations, as well as delegates from provinces, over three days from 1 to 3 December.
The first two days will be spent preparing for the Inaugural Disability Rights Parliament which will take place on 3 December 2014.
The occasion provides South Africans with disabilities with an opportunity to engage one another across racial, gender, age, geographical and other divides on the progress we have made as a society in breaking barriers which segregate, isolate and exclude persons with disabilities, and fostering social cohesion where South Africans with disabilities are valued community members able to participate in their communities’ social, economic and governance life.
But it also provides an opportunity for South Africans with disabilities to reach consensus on priorities to be addressed collectively over the next five years. This is in line with President Zuma’s commitment during his June 2014 State of the Nation Address that the current administration will ensure that the period of radical socio-economic transformation is inclusive of persons with disabilities:
“To further consolidate our democratic gains, we will continue to advance and improve the lives of people with disabilities over the next five years. We will work with the disability sector to identify key areas in which we should fulfil South Africa’s role as signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol.”
Delegates will as such have an opportunity to focus on the consolidation of a national disability rights programme of action for the next five years, focusing on specific actions to be taken to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in improving access to lifelong quality education and training, the creation of decent work, improving access to health and rehabilitation, improving access to justice and ensuring that we build rural communities and economies inclusive of persons with disabilities.
It is envisaged that the outcome of the Inaugural Disability Rights Parliament will set the tone for Parliament’s oversight, legislative and constituency programmes for the next five years as it pertain meeting our Constitutional and international treaty obligations towards persons with disabilities.
Media RSVPs may be forwarded to Mr Jaconia Kobue on 073 026 1111 or JaconiaK@dsd.gov.za.
Media enquiries may be forwarded to:
Ms Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: LumkaO@dsd.gov.za
