Bahrain's efforts to support persons with disabilities highlighted at 30th CRPD session
Geneva, Mar. 8 (BNA): Osama bin Ahmed Khalaf Al Asfoor, Social Development Minister, and High Committee for the Care of People with Disabilities Chairman, has led the kingdom’s delegation to the session devoted to discussing Bahrain’s combined initial and second periodic report on the rights of people with disabilities, within the 30th session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Addressing the session, the minister affirmed Bahrain’s continued commitment to safeguarding the rights of people with disabilities, commensurate with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), in addition to providing them with comprehensive protection, through the implementation of many policies aimed at promoting and supporting their rights across various social and development fields.
Al Asfoor reviewed Bahrain’s initiatives and achievements to guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities, citing the launch of the National Strategy for Persons with Disabilities in 2012, in addition to updating its executive action plan for the years (2023-2027), as well as the initiatives and activities it included in various fields.
He also highlighted the progress of the implementation of the 2022-2026 National Human Rights Plan and the projects it includes to strengthen policies and develop systems, regulations, and edicts governing the implementation of international conventions on the rights of persons with disabilities, ensuring their access to their full rights, and developing their capabilities in order to integrate them into the labour market.
The Social Development Minister also shed light on the steps taken by Bahrain to enhance the involvement of civil society in efforts to provide care to people with disabilities, through the establishment of 17 civil society organisations for persons with disabilities, where women with disabilities are highly represented in decision-making positions.
Regarding the academic, vocational and rehabilitation care and services provided by Bahrain to people of determination, Minister Al Asfoor highlighted the joint national efforts aimed at delivering all types of rehabilitation services, pointing also to the students who are integrated into all government schools, in addition to a package of direct and indirect projects and programmes, both material and in-kind, which are launched in cooperation with various sectors.
Concluding his statement, the Social Development Minister indicated that based on the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 and the Government Plan, the kingdom is committed to continuing its endeavours to activate the role of all social groups, including persons with disabilities, in the sustainable development process to reach the best practices, based on the principles enshrined in the kingdom’s Constitutions, and in compliance with international conventions.
Commenting on the combined report, CRPD Chairman and members praised the remarkable progress made by Bahrain in supporting persons with disabilities, noting that the Kingdom has shown high efficiency in interacting with the CRPD, providing clear responses to its inquiries and submitting the required reports on time, which has contributed to establishing a constructive and continuous dialogue Bahrain and the Committee in this regard.
The kingdom’s delegation comprised representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, in addition to the supporting team comprising representatives from the Supreme Council for Women, the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Information, the Labour Ministry, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Housing and Urban Development Ministry and the Public Prosecution.
