Qatar spares no effort to foster, protect, empower and integrate persons with disabilities at the national and international levels. The country is keen on continuing to implement its obligations towards the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Qatar was among the first States to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008. Since then, Qatar has made great strides in achieving and embedding the principles and foundation of Qatar’s National Vision 2030, including achieving equality and justice for all groups and sectors of society, including persons with disabilities.
Qatar has made continuous efforts to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in terms of addressing their rights and issues in detail in the relevant legislation and laws and providing resources necessary for implementation at the executive level in various fields including education, health care, employment, adequate housing and access to public and private facilities as well as cultural and sports facilities. This is to ensure that they are not left behind by the rapid development of the State of Qatar.
Qatar has many plans and strategies for persons with disabilities adopted by Qatar, most recently the National Autism Plan 2017-2021 to improve the lives of people with autism.
“We are proud that the State of Qatar is now considered to be among the developed countries in the field of care for persons with disabilities. Qatar currently has 34 specialized bodies that offer specialized services for people with disabilities,” said Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations. She was speaking at the 11th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which began on Tuesday at the UN headquarters.
Qatar believes in the importance of investing in information and communication technology to unlock the potential of people with disabilities and help them achieve independence and self-reliance. For this purpose, Qatar has launched the Digital Inclusion Strategy and the Mada Assistive Technology Center, which is working hard to help people with disabilities to attain their goals and access to equal opportunities in education and work so that they can live independently.
The steps by Qatar shows that the country believes in the welfare of all section of society and its policies are inclusive in nature.
