BUJUMBURA December 14th (ABP) – The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender, Mr. Pontien Hatungimana proceeded, Wednesday, December 13, 2023, to the opening a reflection session on the state of inclusion of people with disabilities in basic social services.
It was as part of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebrated on December 3 each year.
Mr. Hatungimana said that Burundi has made the social protection of its entire population a priority, particularly the protection of vulnerable people including women, children, the elderly and disabled people. That was materialized by the establishment of legal texts as well as the ratification of international instruments relating to the protection of those categories of people, he indicated.
The day of reflection aimed to provide stakeholders with a common understanding of the state of play of the inclusion of people with disabilities and more particularly children but, also, to take a look at the challenges and priorities of future, within sectoral ministries, development partners, both national and international organizations working throughout the country. He called on all those partners to ensure that their development programs include the disability dimension, so as not to leave anyone behind.
Regarding the government’s bet to see that every mouth has something to eat and every pocket has money, the ministry in charge of national solidarity has considered the plan to remove barriers among disabled people, so that they can also participate in the inclusive development of the country, but also contribute to the vision of Burundi as an emerging country 2040 and a developed country 2060, he stressed.
Despite the initiatives and the establishment of the legal framework for people with disabilities, Mr. Hatungimana revealed that the road ahead remains enormous in view of the number of people with disabilities and their needs.
He also indicated that as part of promoting the protection of the rights of disabled people, the government of Burundi, in collaboration with the networks of organizations, centers and associations, carried out a study on the state of play of the implementation of the national policy for people with disabilities as well as its action plan to meet the challenges and set priorities until 2027.
For his part, the president of the national committee on the rights of disabled people (CNDPH), Mr. Ndayisenga noted the challenges they face, in particular the lack of own means for the operation of the CNDPH, the lack of legal texts of application of conventions and laws, the non-representation of disabled people in state institutions, as well as the lack of ordinances on the employability of disabled people, various exemptions, accessibility to private and public infrastructure.
To that end, Mr. Ndayisenga took that opportunity to call on the various sectoral ministries and both national and international organizations to always ensure the inclusion of the disability dimension in all their development programs, while facilitating the CNDPH in monitoring their implementation.
Note that the International Day of Disabled was celebrated in Burundi on December 7, 2023 in the political capital Gitega.