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Tunisia: Special needs rights - dignity, justice, equality and freedom

Global Arab Network - - Hannan Taha

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 16:23

Tunisia - The "Tunis Appeal for Promoting Employment of Persons with Disabilities" which was adopted at the closing session of the International Conference on the Promotion of the Employment and Welfare of Categories with Special Needs which was held today morning in Tunis reaffirmed that the rights of persons with disabilities are an integral part of human rights, resting on the principles of dignity, justice, equality, freedom and independence, which are all enshrined and upheld by Islam.

The appeal called upon the relevant official parties of ISESCO Member States to enact the necessary legislation and adopt the appropriate policies to ensure that the persons with disabilities have access to equal chances of employment and full participation in all aspects of life.

It also insisted on the role of the private sector and investment institutions in supporting public and private efforts aimed at ensuring employment of persons with disabilities; and invited the relevant officials and institutions to earmark a proportional share of their staff and fixed financial resources for the benefit of persons with disabilities and their associations.

Besides, it called for devoting further attention to the preparation of specialized training programmes, establishment of vocational technical training institutions and organization of professional training activities for the benefit of persons with disabilities, in line with the requirements of labour market, and in the light of the principles provided for under the relevant international conventions and declarations.

In the same vein, the Appeal recommended encouraging research projects and technological inventions aimed at alleviating or eradicating physical and mental disabilities, improving the living conditions of persons with disabilities and enabling them to exert their daily professional activities on an equal basis with other social segments. It equally called for preparing further field studies, analytical reports, databases and statistics on the situation of the employment of persons with disabilities, on the experts and institutions active in this field, on the challenges faced up by Arab and Islamic communities, as well as on the solutions to adopt and the resolutions to take by the competent parties.

Moreover, it recommended activating cooperation and partnership between the governmental parties, civil society organizations and private sector institutions, at the national, regional and international levels, with a view to sharing expertise, experiences and best practices in the promotion of the employment of persons with disabilities.

In addition, the Appeal emphasized the need that the official parties in charge of health, education, science and culture provide the services and facilitations needed by persons with disabilities to fully benefit from the programmes, activities and projects offered by these parties within their competence, and be actively engaged in these fields.

Furthermore, it invited the Arab and Islamic States which have not yet signed or ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to do so, and to consider the adoption of the terminology and principles contained in the Convention. It further invited them to prepare and widely disseminate special reports as stipulated by the Convention; and emphasized the need to engage persons with disabilities in relevant programmes and activities as provided for by the Convention.

By the same token, the Appeal insisted on activation of the role of media institutions in publicizing and sensitizing about the issues of disability to guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities and contribute to mobilization and awareness-raising efforts at the public and civil society levels, to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in professional and functional areas.

The Appeal equally called for helping civil society associations for persons with disabilities in designing investment projects for the benefit of those persons and securing fixed financial resources for these projects, through Islamic funding systems, national funds, and tax levies allocated to the associations and projects of persons with disabilities.

It also invited ISESCO to devise a comprehensive strategy dealing with the various areas relating to disability issues, to serve as a reference guide for the Member States both in the formulation of their developmental policies and in the implementation of their activities and programmes.

On the other hand, the Appeal commended the choice of the Tunisian Republic as a venue for hosting this conference, in view of its rich civilization and the steady progress it makes in the social and human fields, based on the firm values of this Islamic and Arab country, which advocate solidarity among the various components of the Tunisian Republic.

The document expressed it support for the judicious proposal put forward during the opening session by Lady Leila Ben Ali, Spouse of the Tunisian President, concerning the establishment of an international Prize for the service of persons with disabilities, to be awarded on an annual basis by ISESCO to the best public or private institutions or prominent personalities with an outstanding contribution to the support of the issues of the disabled, and leading achievements in the promotion of the conditions of persons with disabilities and meeting their basic needs.

In the same vein, the Appeal conveyed deepest thanks and gratitude to Mr Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Tunisian Republic, for kindly placing this conference under his high patronage, for his special care of persons with disabilities, and for the gains and achievements made by the Tunisian Republic in this field under His Excellency’s wise leadership.

Also, the Conference extended thanks to Lady Leila Ben Ali, Consort of the President of the Tunisian President, for her keen interest in the issues of persons with disabilities, and for the leading efforts being exerted by the Basma Association, under her kind directives, especially with regard to the promotion of employment, social care and integration in the economic and developmental fabric.

Besides, it expressed its thanks to Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), for ISESCO’s outstanding achievements in the care of persons with disabilities, and for organizing this conference jointly with the Basma Association.

The Conference entrusted ISESCO and the Basma Association for the Promotion of the Employment of the Disabled with follow-up of these recommendations and taking of the measures necessary to put them into action, in coordination and cooperation with the competent governmental parties, civil society institutions and regional and international organizations.

Global Arab Network

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