Each year the day is celebrated, there is an emphasis on a new aspect related to improving the lives of people living with a disability. last year the theme was “Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality”, a call to help disabled people live in The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the United Nations.
The observance of this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on 3 December, provides an opportunity to further raise awareness of disability as a cross-cutting development issue. The theme of this year’s commemoration was “Promoting the Participation of Persons with Disabilities and their leadership”. The 2019 commemoration of IDPD was work to promote inclusion and accessibility to help realize the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society and shape the future of sustainable development for all. This was a big event held on this day at the conference Hall of Minatory of Women Development and Family Affairs of Puntland in Garowe, the event was organized jointly by Puntland Disability Organization Network (PDON), Ministry of Women Development and Family Affairs (MoWDAFA) with the support of the Save the Children.
Guests from different agencies and governmental & nongovernmental Institutions, People with Disability organizations were invited, the overall number of the participants was nearly 110 persons.
The Overall Objective of this commemoration was To enhance morale, promote rights in Puntland through awareness raising, improve linkage between disabled people’s organizations (DPOs), government authorities and international partners in Puntland and Deliver the PWDs message to the public and the key ministries of the government
Key Speakers of the Event
At the opening of the speeches as usual the Quran is kicked off recited by Abdinasir Gureye (The vice Chairman of PDON who also a blind), then Minister of Women Development and Family Affairs Mrs Amina Osman Officially opened the event of the IDPD:
- Minister of MoWDAFA has Officially Opened the event and talk about the role of her ministry for serving to the PWDs and mentioned the importance for protecting and supporting the disable people,
- PDON chairman Mr. Ali Abdi Adan has expressed his happiness about the day and how important it is for the disable people worldwide, he talked about the and explained stages which shows that the Network has done, the chairman has asked the authorities who has come to listen the grievance-voices from those people who are shouting for their different supports, reminding the participants about the Article in the constitution which talks about their rights to be protected and supported constitutionally.
- The Persons with Disabilities including children with visually impairments were given chance to present their points,
- Other Key Speakers of the event include:
- Mohamed Assayr from the Safe The Children
- Representative from UNICEF
- State Minister of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of Puntland.
- Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health of Puntland.
- The Chairman of the Puntland Human Rights Defender Office Mohamed Yusuf Ali honored to address the day and he spoken about his appreciation of all the speakers and the distinguished guests who spoke here at this memorable day pointing out that disable people have every right to display their feelings and express what they have to share it with the world, also emphasized what people with disabilities deserve according to their state of living, education, socially and human rights,
Mohamed Yusuf spoke pledged clearly in front of the audience that he will closely work with the people with impairment in Puntland.
During the celebration PDON has distributed the Disability Policy Books to the Government authority, Agencies and the some of the guests invited.
