Henry Mukasa
21 November 2007
Kampala — PERSONS with disabilities have asked the Commonwealth Secretariat to recognise them as an interest group and set up a special office for them.
Speakers from the disability movement during the Commonwealth Human Rights Forum at Hotel Africana on Tuesday said the organisation had ignored their plight.
"We are 180 million persons with disabilities in the Commonwealth. That's not a small number," said former MP for the disabled, James Mwandha.
"We want a Commonwealth Disabled People Forum so we are visible and can be heard."
Mwandha said while most of the 53 Commonwealth states were members of the UN, only Jamaica and India had ratified the convention on the disability. "I would like this forum to ask the heads of government to ratify the convention."
Hadijah Kisembo of the Disabled Women's Network said issues affecting the disabled should not be generalised. She also appealed for gender mainstreaming.
"We want issues of persons with disabilities on the agenda on the next CHOGM."
The Commonwealth People's Conference that met from November 4 to 7, appointed Mwandha as chairperson of the steering committee to engage the organisation into establishing a disabled people's forum.
His committee has Mark Harrison (UK), Thoman On'golo from the African Decade of Disabled Persons secretariat and representatives from Canada and India.
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