By DisabilityNewsGH
The Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Ingrid Mollestad has urged persons with disabilities around the world to demand Accountability from their Governments.
According to her, the 15% of the world’s population being people with disabilities meant that issues of disability were “not only a question of the dignity of the individuals but also a question of society”. And while she expected that Governments around the world would act on their commitments to the disabled, she also said to the disability community, “Be loud, be clear and hold us accountable”.
Madam Ingrid Mollestad made the call in Accra on Thursday, February 17, 2022, the last day of a two-day Global Disability Summit co-hosted by Ghana and Norway.
The event which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic was in collaboration with the International Disability Alliance and had over 4,000 people participating across the world.
In Ghana, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in partnership with the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations, organized a hybrid version in Accra where some members of the disability community watched the event on a giant screen.
This year’s summit was the second edition after the first one in London in 2018.
The Global Disability Summit is the world’s biggest gathering of Persons with Disabilities and stakeholders, where Governments make specific commitments to improve the lives of persons with disabilities; commitments that would lead to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Madam Ingrid Mollestad said, after the many commitments made at the summit, the various Governments would have to get to work to improve the welfare of persons with disabilities. And to ensure that Governments take the needed actions, she said that Governments would have to be motivated and pushed to action.
Watch video below:
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana also said that “persons with disabilities must be given ample opportunities to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from development interventions”.
Watch video here:
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH