Signature of the Letter of Understanding for the EU-Arab Cooperation Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the launch of the Arab-EU Research Network on Disability
24 January 2022
Statement: Ms. Rola Dashti, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCWA
Distinguished colleagues and guests,
It is said that the true measure of any society is in how its most vulnerable members are treated. At ESCWA, we believe that the Arab region is at its best when everyone is included, and no one is left behind.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this special event. Today, we sign a new Letter of Understanding to inaugurate the EU-Arab Cooperation Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We are also pleased to launch the first activity under this Forum, which is the establishment of the Arab-EU Research Network on Disability.
I would like to note the important ministerial meeting that was held in Valetta in April 2019, bringing together representatives from Arab and European Governments, and experts and organizations of persons with disabilities from both regions. The meeting was an opportunity for dialogue and policy exchange, which facilitated the signing of the Valetta Declaration on EU-Arab Cooperation in Affirming Disability Rights and Creating the EU-Arab Cooperation Forum in the Field of Disability Rights. The Declaration was signed by 22 countries in addition to ESCWA and the League of Arab States. The Declaration and today’s event mark an important milestone in expanding and building on disability cooperation.
The EU-Arab Cooperation Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides an important institutional mechanism to ensure that dialogue and policy exchanges are ongoing and sustainable. The Arab-EU Research Network on Disability aims to create interlinkages between universities and research institutions in both Europe and the Arab region.
As Mehrinaz mentioned, the Network will act as a catalyst to drive research and policy exchange within and between the Arab region and the EU.
While national and regional contexts may vary, persons with disabilities face similar challenges and barriers to inclusion. Sharing research agendas, methodologies, and creating channels for knowledge exchange will ensure greater inclusion in both the EU and the Arab region.
At ESCWA, we follow a triple approach to disability inclusion. Firstly, we support Arab countries in implementing disability inclusion policies and initiatives, including project design to support inclusive employment, inclusive social protection, e-accessibility and digital inclusion. Secondly, we support Arab States in mainstreaming disability rights in other sectoral strategies and policies. Thirdly, we strive to mainstream disability inclusion in our work.
We launched the ESCWA Disability Inclusion Policy on 3 December 2021, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This initiative is part of our commitment to disability inclusion in development efforts, and to our role in mainstreaming the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy, which underpins sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion in all the pillars of United Nations work: peace and security, human rights, and development.
Esteemed colleagues and guests,
We are delighted to be partnering today with the Government of Malta and the United Nations Special Rapporteur to mark this important milestone in Arab-EU cooperation on the rights of persons with disabilities. We look forward to working together for greater inclusion in our societies and communities.
Thank you.
