The most important recommendations of “The Rights to Access and Work for Persons with Disabilities” Conference
“The Rights to Access and Work for Persons with Disabilities – The opportunities and challenges” Conference was organized by SDF and its local partners on December 1st, 2016 in Gaza City as part of the “Partnership for the Future” Project’s activities. It included a number of themes that addressed the legal and civil frames of the rights of work and accessibility. It also displayed the opportunities and challenges facing the effective response to the rights . Additionally , it discussed the status of disabled women’s employment in the Gaza Strip.
The following are the highlights of the recommendations:
1. The need for taking legislative measures and adjustments after the joining of the Palestinian Authority to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2014, and calling for the signing of the Additional Protocol of the Convention; to strengthen the principle of accountability and to work on issuing a national report based on that.
2. Adopting clear policies that are devoted to protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, through the inclusion of amendments to the national strategic plans in the field of labor and employment, and through developing clear financial budgets for it, as well as in the field of making their surroundings accessible through the adoption of clear monitoring and accountability mechanisms to keep up with the violations or lack of commitment to the rights of persons with disabilities, as stated by international conventions and by Law No. 4 of 1999.
- The importance of a comprehensive application of the national development plan and not for it to be restricted to the West Bank, which will be an obstacle to persons with disabilities. Also, ensuring that they have access to services at the level of work and basic services.
- Reconsidering the policies and programs of vocational education and training for persons with disabilities, and developing educational programs that take into account the needs of persons with disabilities and the needs of the market.
- The Ministry of Social Affairs must fulfill their legal commitment to the fulfillment of the rights included in the Convention, and must provide practices and mechanisms to fulfill these rights.
- The Ministry of Social Affairs must initiate a cooperation with non-governmental parties from the civil and the private sector; and to coordinate with them in order to implement various programs that promote and protect the rights of work and accessibility for persons with disabilities.
- Reconsidering the projects of the Ministry of Social Affairs and other ministries that target persons with disabilities, since it is based primarily on the concept of relief.
- Calling civil society organizations and trade union bodies for applying the employment ratio, and to facilitate the access to services and facilities as part of their role inside the Palestinian community
- Working on periodically issuing a shadow report by Palestinian civil society organizations, and the continuity of community-based interventions at the level of advocacy, and the pursuit of civil society organizations for maintaining the continuity of the results of projects and enhancing sectorial coordination and information exchange.
- Strengthening local networks and alliances; to improve the continuity of Civil Society Organizations projects’ results, and to improve the exchange of experience and information.
11. The importance of an International lobbying to work on lifting the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, which affects a large group of people with disabilities and their access to the service.
- The importance of addressing the rights and services’ system comprehensively, since you cannot separate the right of accessibility or work from education and training, or health or mobility and the importance of working on them comprehensively even if the service providers and operators differ.
- Giving young disabled leaders and their representatives more opportunities break down all the barriers and challenges faced by persons with disabilities
- The importance of the working on the comprehensive concept of accessibility which includes all kinds of disabilities, and monitoring the development of the means of transferring knowledge and information.
15. Pressuring those in charge of reconstruction projects to make their projects responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities and facilitate their service provision’s process.
16. The importance of involving women with disabilities and improving their participation in the labor market, strengthening their legal protection;