Ghana to host first Disability Inclusion Summit

General news for Thursday, December 3, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-12-03

The National Council of Persons with Disabilities will host the first Ghana Summit on Disability Inclusion in Accra on Thursday 17 December.

The summit’s theme is, “Not all disabilities are visible: Building standards for a disability-inclusive and sustainable post-COVID-19 Ghana.”

The National Council of Persons with Disabilities, in a statement, said that the Council in collaboration with stakeholders, including; Organizations of people with disabilities, civil societies that worked to promote the interest of people with disabilities, people with different categories of disabilities, State Agencies, public and private sectors, held the summit to commemorate this year the International Day of People with Disability.

The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) was proclaimed in 1992, through resolution 47/3 of the United Nations General Assembly. The observance of the Day aims to promote 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 the benefits derived from the integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of political, social, economic and cultural life.

The inaugural Summit on disability inclusion seeks to bring together all stakeholders in the disability sector to critically evaluate the implementation strategies for disability inclusion in the country; building on Ghana’s many efforts in the field of disability integration such as the Mental Health Decree (NRCD 30), the 1992 Constitution, the 1998 Children’s Act (Act 560), the Labor Act of 2003 (Law 651), the Law on Persons with Disabilities, 2006 (Law 715), the Education Law of 2008 (Law 778), the National Health Insurance Law of 2012 (Law 852), ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2012 and presentation of the initial report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).

The Summit will also discuss the Mental Health Act 2012 (851), Ghana’s commitment under the 2030 Agenda and Ghana’s commitments during the World Summit on Disability in 2018. In addition, the Summit will provide stakeholders in the health sector the opportunity to evaluate the viability and effectiveness of their advocacy strategies and empowerment approaches to optimize results.

A total of 150 participants are expected to attend the inaugural Disability Inclusion Summit. The host will be Ms. Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the guest of honor.

Esther Akua Gyamfi, Executive Secretary of the Council, said the Summit was central to the human rights discourse on disability inclusion.

“It will provide the disabled fraternity the opportunity to network to achieve effective coordination, share experiences and promote best practices,” he added.