UK (Commonwealth Union)_ This month, the Commonwealth Secretariat, in collaboration with the Government of Seychelles, orchestrated a series of events in Victoria, aiming to accelerate advancements in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The convention encompasses critical aspects such as the right to independent living and education without discrimination based on disability. Accordingly, a team from the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit engaged in a multi-stakeholder discussion, a working session, and a workshop in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Family.
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The dialogue convened representatives from Seychelles’ ministries, parliament, human rights commission, electoral commission, bureau of statistics, and disabled people’s organizations. Their focus was on exploring meaningful strategies to integrate people with disabilities into policymaking and program delivery, particularly in areas directly impacting them, such as education and independent living. Hon Marie-Céline Zialor, Minister of Youth, Sports, and Family, underscored her government’s robust commitment to safeguarding the rights of people with disabilities in her opening dialogue. Recognizing the imperative for increased efforts in disability inclusion, she expressed gratitude to the Commonwealth Secretariat for its crucial assistance in this domain.
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During the interaction, Christine Winslow, a disability rights advocate, shared insights into her ‘Ramp Up Rise Up’ campaign, aiming to raise awareness and eliminate accessibility barriers encountered by wheelchair users. Further, delegates also opened up about their personal experiences with societal barriers, highlighting issues like the lack of reasonable accommodations and providing concrete recommendations to address them. Following the dialogue, the Commonwealth Secretariat conducted a working session to train care home administrators and employees of the Ministry’s Elderly and Disabled Division. The training centered on incorporating human rights principles into care homes, including the provision of accessible and reasonable accommodation for older people with disabilities.
Additionally, a subsequent two-day workshop also equipped staff of the Elderly and Disabled Division with practical measures to implement specific provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, encompassing data collection, awareness raising, health, exploitation, abuse, and violence. Further, adding to the week-long engagements, the workshop came to a close with a strategy development session. Participants identified objectives, priorities, and timelines for future strategies. Further, major action areas identified included accessibility, training, and enhancing coordination across government departments. This series of events stemmed from a comprehensive needs assessment conducted by the Human Rights Unit in February 2022 to fortify the Seychelles’ national framework for protecting the rights of people with disabilities.
