The United Nations in Kuwait mark the International Day for People with Disabilities

Kuwait - December 6, 2021, under the patronage and presence of Sheikha Sheikha Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah and the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the resident coordinator in the State of Kuwait, Dr. Tariq Al-Sheikh.. The Public Authority for People with Disabilities Affairs, with the participation of the Institute of Human Development, established the Training of Social Welfare Categories and People with Disabilities and the College of Social Sciences at the University of Kuwait event (Empowering people with disabilities is a joint national policy). The event was held on Monday, 6/12/2021 at the headquarters of the United Nations House in the Mishref area, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The event included:

 

For his part, the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Resident Coordinator in the State of Kuwait, Dr. Tariq Al-Sheikh, said on the sidelines of the event that Kuwait is a pioneer in integrating people with disabilities into society through digital inclusion, especially with regard to the United Nations Development Program. Sheikh stressed the need to develop specialized policies to integrate people with disabilities into society by facilitating their requirements and needs, praising the efforts of those in charge and participants in the event. He also stressed the constant quest to cooperate with the Public Authority for People with Disabilities, innovators and those with outstanding skills in this category, to shed light on their capabilities to be an active component in the development process led by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Where the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, Dr. Khaled Mahdi, explained that the five-year development plan for the State of Kuwait and the government’s work program pays attention to people with special needs, through the pillar of developing and strengthening human capital, as it provides programs dedicated to serving, caring and rehabilitating this category through the “Disability Authority” » Which included a number of development projects that achieve the desired goals by caring for people with special needs, developing the services provided to them, and naturally integrating them into society and the labor market.

 

 As we meet today on this occasion, which coincides with the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we reiterate the emphasis on continuing to care for this group in order to ensure equal rights for all members of society without discrimination, out of belief in the role of this group in the development of society and in order to achieve the goals of sustainable development in general.

  

After the opening speeches, the forum's symposiums began, where the first session dealt with the first axis, which is entitled Educational Integration, which was spoken by Mrs. Al-Khansa Al-Husseini from the Public Authority for Persons with Disabilities.

For her part, Ms. Hediko Hadjiac, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program, said, "Providing support and empowering people with special needs is an integral part of the national development plan for the State of Kuwait, within the framework of its third program, which provides for providing people with skills and incentives that work on the future development of these people, In addition to the achievements made by the State of Kuwait in the past years, which contributed to accelerating the pace of work with people with special needs for political, social and economic integration, as well as using innovative technologies and tools to improve the capabilities of people with special needs.

 

This included a short film on the United Nations Development Programme.

 

Dr. Maha Al-Sijari, Acting Dean of the College of Social Sciences at Kuwait University, explained

"The College of Social Sciences at Kuwait University provides students with disabilities with all services to facilitate all difficulties and provide a healthy environment and privileges that include several psychological, material and educational aspects to support students in their educational achievement. The College of Social Sciences also conducts scientific studies aimed at educational inclusion for students with disabilities and creating awareness Dr. Maha Al-Sijari called for concerted efforts from all parties concerned in the educational attainment of students with disabilities to achieve educational integration for the development of Kuwait and the realization of the New Kuwait Plan 2035.

 

In the second session, the participants discussed the second axis, which is vocational rehabilitation and employment in the State of Kuwait. The Director of the Institute of Human Construction for Training, Eng. Awatef Al-Salman, and Mr. Captain Al-Amin from Ahli United Bank talked about the experience of employing people of determination with disabilities in the bank for members of the first batch, since they were the first to initiate The Banking Sector To support the Partners Employment Campaign initiative, the axis featured a documentary film of the campaign and its affiliates and those appointed in the Ahli United, National, Commercial and Gulf Banks.

The event concluded with an open discussion of the participants and recommendations.

- This was followed by a distinctive qualitative donation presented by the human building system to the sponsors, which is a palm tree that expresses the spirit of volunteerism and its symbolism in challenge and giving, as it will be planted in the land of the headquarters of the sponsors of the system’s initiatives, and then the event concluded with a tour of the exhibition of talents of people with disabilities, which was well received by the audience.