Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 19 September 2017- A three day training on disability mainstreaming and implementation of the Continental Plan of Action on the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2010-2019) for senior government officials of the African Union Member States and AUC Disability Focal Points took place at Capital Hotel and Spa in Addis Ababa. The training course was intended to sensitize and equip Senior Government officials of African Union Member States and AUC Disability Focal Points with relevant knowledge required to effectively mainstream and implement the strategic thematic areas of the Continental Plan of Action on the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2010-2019) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into policies, development programmes and service delivery activities.

The training was initiated by the African Union Commission (AUC) Department of Social Affairs (DSA) in recognition of the lack of awareness on how to mainstream disability among policy and decision makers in Member States and AUC Deaprtments and Directroates and made possible by the support of German international cooperation (GIZ) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Finland.

The main objective of the training is to equip policy officers and decision makers with skills and knowledge to mainstream disability for inclusive budgeting and programming for development in their respective departments and divisions.

Senior government officials responsible for disability mainstreaming from, Chad, Ethiopia, Kingdom of Lesotho, Nigeria, Uganda, Somalia, , South Sudan, The Gambia, and Zimbabwe, among others, as well as representatives from some AUC Departments and Direstorates attended the training and undertook to strengthen and build the capacity of their countries’ disability focal points in mainstreaming disability on their return.

During the training which will conclude by 22 September 2017 the participants will be briefed about the Continental Plan of Action on the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2010-2019) as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the proposed Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa and other Human Rights Instruments.

The intent in drafting the Protocol was to lay out the rights of persons with disabilities in a continental context, drawing from the CRPD and also addressing additional issues faced by persons with disabilities in Africa, such as increased rates of poverty; systemic discrimination; and risk of violence and abuse, particularly for those with albinism and women and girls with disabilities. The protocol also seeks to provide a foundation from which Member States can formulate or adjust legislation impacting persons with disabilities.

Other topics such as Disability and Gender Mainstreaming, Strategies for Policy Reform and Disability Financing, Monitoring and Evaluation of Disability Data and Statistics will be also discussed.

GAAK
For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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