Minister of Gender Children Disability and Social Welfare has called on African countries to strengthen their collaboration and accelerate domestication and implementation of the Africa Disability inorder to advance rights of people with disabilities in their respective countries.
Navicha has said this in Lilongwe during the opening of a three day regional conference on the ratification, domestication and implementation of the African Disability Protocol.
Navicha says Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are facing similar challenges affecting people with disabilities which are fueled by myths and superstition hence the need for the countries to build stronger alliances with all critical stakeholders to advance rights of people with disabilities.
The minister says the conference is important as it will enable African countries discuss their challenges, identify practical solutions, share best practices and strengthen partnerships that will help to accelerate the domestication and implementation of the African Disability Protocol.
” Let us develop clear and actionable commitments that will advance disability rights beyond this conference.The success of the African Disability Protocol will not be measured by the number of countries that ratify it, but by the extent to which its principles are translated into tangible improvements in the lives of persons with disabilities”
Country Director for Sight Savers Bright Chiwaula says domestication of the Protocol will help to accomodate and address issues affecting people with disabilities adding failure to domesticate it will be catastrophic for the lives of people with disabilities for generations to come.
” The African Disability Protocol Accomodates issues to do with killings of people with albinism which are not well captured in the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.We are looking at our selves as Africans,what are the issues that affect us what are the issues affecting people in our communities. We know those better so we need this to address our African issues and it is important that this is done”
One of the participants John Chiti from Albinism Foundation of Zambia has commended Malawi for the progress made in responding to issues affecting people with disabilities. Chiti has urged other countries to emulate by ratifying and domesticating the protocol.
” It is important to collaborate because the problems are regional. For example Malawi and Zambia shares a border through Chipata and we have cases where persons with albinism a attacked and perpetrators flee to Malawi and vice versa. It is important to collaborate because these cases affect the region”
The three day Regional Conference has brought together key stakeholders and organisations from Malawi Zambia and Zimbabwe which are implementing the
Realization of the African Disability Protocol (RAD-P) Project and it is being funded by Europen Union
By Beatrice Mwape
