On the one-year anniversary of the Global Disability Summit, campaigners are calling on the Government of Ghana to follow through on commitments it made on disability rights.

February 16 marked the one-year anniversary of the second ever Global Disability Summit (GDS), which was virtual and hosted by the Government of Norway, the Government of Ghana, and the permanent co-host, the International Disability Alliance.

The Global Disability Summit is the world’s biggest gathering of persons with disabilities, governments, and global leaders and an opportunity to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(UNCRPD).

 There were more than 7,000 participants at the event in 2022, with 1,420 new commitments about disability rights submitted by 190 governments and other stakeholders.

To mark the date, Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations, Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign and the International Disability Alliance (IDA) are calling on the government, decision-makers and other stakeholders in Ghana to report back on the progress they have made on their commitments so far.

They are expected to report back by accessing the online platform “iData”, a GDS Tracking system hosted by the GDS Secretariat.

In Ghana, the government committed to do among other things: Ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,  Ensure comprehensive implementation of the Inclusive Education Policy, Adopt an Employment Equity Policy and develop a strategy for effective implementation, Increase the participation of women and girls with disabilities in decision making and Set Up a Disability Fund

Mr. David Agyemang, Senior Programmes Manager of Sightsavers said, “The Global Disability Summit has been a huge opportunity for the Government of Ghana to address inequality. It was great to see them attend and make commitments on how they will address disability-inclusion. But now is the time for action.

“It is vital that the government continue to honour these commitments and make their actions speak louder than their words. Our Equal World campaign urgently calls on the government to uphold disability rights and make their summit commitments a reality”.

Mr Joseph Atsu Homadzi, the national President of Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations has indicated that “ahead of the GDS, we put forward our recommendations, based on engagement with people with disabilities in Ghana and called for the government to attend and make ambitious, financed commitments. One year on, we now need to know what progress has been made.”

Vladimir Cuk, Executive Director of IDA added: “One year on from the 2022 Global Disability Summit, the world faces huge challenges and millions of people with disabilities are treated unequally. In such a sphere, the GDS can be the carrier of good news: it can inspire governments to take action through commitments, and can rally people behind an area in which involvement can bring positive and concrete results.

“Through the GDS we want to call on governments, multilateral agencies, the private sector, and NGOs to report back on their commitments. Words are not enough, actions speak louder.”

The next summit will be held in 2025 and co-hosted by the International Disability Alliance, and the governments of Germany and Jordan.

About Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD)

GFD is a national umbrella of organisations of persons with disability that promotes inclusion, participation and representation of persons with disabilities in the Ghanaian society. GFD works to influence national legislations, policies and programmes for disability inclusion, and also empowers organisations of persons with disabilities to lead and advocacy on issues of relevance to their groups.

GFD has a current membership of twelve (12) organisations of persons with disabilities with branches in the 16 regions of Ghana and over 250 districts.

For more information visit: www.gfdgh.org

About Sightsavers

Sightsavers is an international organisation that works in more than 30 countries to prevent avoidable blindness and fight for the rights of people with disabilities. Our vision is of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes, and where people with disabilities can participate equally in society.

They influence global and national development policy to be disability-inclusive, and we support people with disabilities and their representative organisations through our health and inclusion programmes.

Sightsavers has been working and campaigning in Ghana since the 1950s, making significant achievements in improving the quality of life of people in Ghana.

For more information, visit: www.sightsavers.org

About Equal World

Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign fights for disability rights worldwide. We campaign for an equal world and amplify the voices of people with disabilities.

For information on the Equal World campaign please visit:

www.sightsavers.org/EqualWorld

SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com

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