The President of Rehabilitation International – Arab egion, Khalid Al Mukthar, addressing the fifth conference at the Sharq Village and Spa in Doha on Monday. Salim Matramkot
By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Rehabilitation International – Arab Region commenced its fifth conference here on Monday calling on nations to ratify the UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The four-day conference is held under the Patronage of H E Sheikha Hessa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, President of the Supreme Council of Family Affairs to discuss issues on the theme ‘Together for world development with people with disabilities.’
The conference hailed measures taken by Arab countries to facilitate people with disabilities and called policy makers to integrate them into development plans.
“Arab countries have been very active in advocating rights of people with disabilities through conferences and training programmes,” said Khalid Al Mukthar, President, Rehabilitation International – Arab region, opening the conference yesterday at Sharq Village, Doha.
He also said that the world could not achieve millennium goals if people with disabilities are not treated equally.
“We have achieved much, yet there is a long way to go as many people with disabilities are from developing countries which have poverty and lack infrastructure. Also it’s important for more countries to ratify the UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” Mukthar further said.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights instrument of the Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities opened for signature on March 30, 2007.
Parties to the Convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure that they enjoy full equality under the law.
The Peninsula
