Kuwait ‘protects’ rights of disabled

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 9, (KUNA): Kuwait affirmed that presenting its first report on implementing the articles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the UN, is part of its continuous support to disabled people.

The remarks were made by Kuwait’s permanent delegate to the UN Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghunaim on Monday, at the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ (CRPD) meeting.

He noted that Kuwait had joined the agreement on Feb 14, 2013, to improve care provided for this category of society.

He added that Article 11 of the Kuwaiti constitution states that “the state shall guarantee assistance to citizens in their old age, in sickness or in disability. It shall also provide them with social insurance services, social help and medical care.”

Kuwait has had achievements in improving the lives of special needs people, including abiding by international laws and agreements on protecting the rights of disabled people. It also involves closely working with the UN Development Program (UNDP) to enable them to engage in society and have proper education and job opportunities, Al-Ghunaim said.

Kuwait also issued Law No. 8/2010 on the rights of special needs people, stating that depriving them from their civil, political, economic, cultural and social rights due to their disability is prohibited, the ambassador said.

He added that the country then established the Public Authority of The Disabled, tasked with ensuring that the rights of this category of society are not violated in anyway.

Meanwhile, Al-Ghunaim noted that Kuwait signed partnerships with the Supreme Council for Planning and Development and UNDP to achieve “Kuwait Vision 2035 for the disabled.”