Shireen Mazari presides over third meeting of the Council on CRPD

ISLAMABAD, Feb 14 (SABAH): Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari presided over the third meeting of the Council on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on Monday in the ministry of Human Rights. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Secretary Human Rights, senior officers and representative from various ministries and federal departments participated in the meeting. Meeting was commenced with a welcome note by the chairperson.

She briefly discussed some agenda points laid in the second meeting of the council and urged to know the current status of their implementation. Afterward, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed highlighted that a team, constituted by the Council, should visit ICT to check and monitor the steps that have been taken by the Capital Development Authority to make the territory more disabled-friendly. He emphasized that selection of athletes for Paralympics should be focused so that we may have footprints in all such international events and stressed that a special Liaison Officer can be hired for CRPD to get better coordination with Embassies and NGOs.

While discussing the status of implementation of 2% disability quota reserved in all ministries and divisions, Dr. Shireen Mazari said that as per the data received till date from 34 federal ministries, hardly 4 ministries are fully observing the prescribed quota for persons with disability, whereas there is a short fall of more than five thousand that must be filled in. She said that Ministry of Human Rights will take all steps including necessary correspondence with Prime Minister Office and Establishment Division to ensure the observance of quota both in public and private sector. She added that council is striving to improve the standards of its mechanisms for medical assessment under the international guidelines of WHO. As introducing of such kinds of assessments are necessary for making rehabilitation, training and independent living possible for physically challenged persons of the society.

She said that concerned provincial departments would also be taken on board in future for devising these frameworks and mechanisms. Meeting was apprised that on the request and proposal of BISP a special desk under BISP Ehsaas One Window Centre has been created in their existing facilitation center in Islamabad that is fully functional these days and catering all the needs of PWDs. Minister for Human Rights stated that data collection methods and enumerator trainings, especially on Washington Group Questions on Disability, are much needed to improve the accuracy of census data.

For this, Ministry of Human Rights will also coordinate with Ministry of Planning and Development to have better results in terms of data on persons with disability in forthcoming census. Minister reiterated that in the follow up meeting a special briefing by National Paralympics Committee may be arranged to further advance the procedures of selection. For strengthening the structure and for capacity building of CRPD, she insisted that experts with special skills and abilities should be hired to improve the functioning of council in line with the international standards and preference should be given to PWDs.

On the request of a special member of council, minister acceded to convert the ICT Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2020 in accessible format for visually impaired persons.