BackThe Conference: “Legal Status of Persons with Disabilities: problems and duties”, was co-organized by Elimra Suleymanova - the Commissioner for Human Rights, ABA-CEELI, USAID, Human Rights Academic Research Institute of Azerbaijan National Academy of Science and Union of Disabled Persons’ Organizations.
The event was attended by the members of the Parliament, respective state bodies, NGOs, international organizations, mass-media. The aim behind the visit was to discuss the provision of the rights with persons with disabilities enshrined in the Constitution, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as in other international and national legislative acts and to draw the attention of the society to their problems.
The Commissioner focused on May 5- European day of Protection of the Rights of persons with disabilities. She noted 15 percent of the world population is persons with disabilities, about 2 billion of population are suffering from disability considering the family members of those persons. It was also noted 423.000 persons with disabilities are registered in our country.
It was highlighted ratification of the UN Convention “On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” and its Optional Protocol was proposed by the Commissioner, so Azerbaijan was the first country in the region that ratified these documents.
Elimra Suleymanova noted the Commissioner was recommended fulfilling the functions of the independent monitoring mechanism pursuant to Article 33.2 of the Convention.
The Commissioner made a number of proposals at the event such as to strengthen efforts for implementation of commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities, to conduct joint monitoring together with NGOs represented by persons with disabilities, to work as a Network, to speed up the process of adoption of the State Program on Protection of Social Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to accede to Article 15 of European Social Charter, to enhance the cooperation with respective state bodies and DPOs, to involve the resources of private sector, to set up specialized centers for ensuring integration of those persons into society, their physical, social, psychological, moral rehabilitation, etc.
Source: Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan
