Experts demand economic inclusion of people with disabilities

Disability rights activists at a meeting called upon both public and private stakeholders to work together to ensure the social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh on Sunday.

Noting that persons with disabilities constitute around 10% of the country’s total population with many still facing economic exclusion, the experts stressed the need for improved access to education, vocational training, technical education and skills development to support their meaningful participation in the job market.

“If persons with disabilities have access to employment and a favourable working environment, they can also contribute significantly to the country’s economic development,” the experts observed while addressing a project inception meeting at Parjatan Bhaban in Agargaon area in the capital.

The event was organised under the Disability Inclusive Civic Engagement (DICE) project, jointly implemented by the Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID), Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) and Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (B-SCAN).

The DICE project is part of the Nagorikata: Civic Engagement Fund (CEF) Programme, funded by Switzerland, Canada and the European Union.

Speakers noted that systematic change is required to address the many barriers faced by persons with disabilities.

They said the overall job market environment remains largely unfavourable for persons with disabilities and called for a more enabling government structure, supportive communities and inclusive workplaces.

They also highlighted that Bangladesh has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and is committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whose core principle is to “leave no one behind”.

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They observed that Bangladesh cannot achieve inclusive national development without upholding these commitments.

AHM Noman Khan, executive adviser of CDD, chaired the event, while Khandaker Jahurul Alam, executive director of CSID, moderated it.

Abul Khair Md Akkas Ali, director general of Directorate of Technical Education, attended the event as the chief guest. In his remarks, he assured participants of his commitment to playing his due role in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities.

Jules Seitz, programme officer (governance, civil society and human rights) at the European Union delegation to Bangladesh, was present at the event.

He reaffirmed the EU’s longstanding commitment to supporting disability inclusion initiatives in Bangladesh, noting that disability rights are fundamentally a human rights issue.

In his address, Khandoker Zahurul Alam sought cooperation from all concerned stakeholders, including the government and the media, to advance and protect the rights of persons with disabilities.

Nazmul Bari, executive director of CDD; Salma Mahbub, executive director of B-SCAN; Dr Adi Walker, team leader of Nagorikata: Civic Engagement Fund; Niher Ranjon Das, principal of Narsingdi Polytechnic Institute; and representatives from different disability rights organisations, among others, also spoke at the event.