Kazakhstan to Develop the National Action Plan to Ensure the Rights and Improve the Quality of Life of Persons with Disabilities

July 28-29, 2010, Karaganda - UNDP and the Kazakh Ministry of Labour and Social Protection held a joint meeting on the development of a long-term National Action Plan to Ensure the Rights and Improve the Quality of Life of Persons with Disabilities and a meeting on the implementation of the Kazakh Law ‘On Special Social Services’.
 

Kazakhstan has more than 485,400 persons with disabilities of all categories, accounting for 3% of its entire population. In December 2008, by signing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Kazakhstan demonstrated its serious intention to introduce important reforms in the system of human rights in the domain of disabilities aiming at realisation of human rights and social inclusion of disabled persons.

When developed, the Long-Term National Action Plan to Ensure the Rights and Improve the Quality of Life of Persons with Disabilities will allow Kazakhstan to identify ways and a timeline for ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In the course of the meeting, participants formulated proposals regarding the National Plan, discussed arrangements for Kazakhstan's participation in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and summarized the results of implementation of the Law ‘On Special Social Services.’

The meeting was attended by members of the Coordinating Council on Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities and the Working Group responsible for drafting of the National Action Plan (Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Vice Ministers of Health, Education and Science, Finance, Deputy Akims of Oblasts, Astana and Almaty, Chairmen of Public Associations of Persons with Disabilities) as well as heads of the Construction and Housing Agency, Divisions of Coordination of Employment and Social Programmes, children's and adults’ social rehabilitation facilities.

The event was arranged within the framework of the joint project of the Kazakh Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and the UN Development Programme in Kazakhstan (UNDP) ‘Strengthening of the Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities in the Context of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Development of the Special Social Services System’.