Skopje, 28 December 2023 (MIA) - The Government has adopted the National Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2023-2030, including an Action Plan 2023-2026. The document has been drafted with the participation of persons with disabilities and their respective organizations, and incorporates measures to be implemented by various institutions and ministries. The Government has allocated EUR 46 million for the Strategy's realization.

The Strategy is extremely important because it includes the needs of all groups of persons with disabilities, measures to be implemented and their follow-up. The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy is the carrier of the strategy, with the support of the German development agency GIZ, in coordination with the National Coordination Body on implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and technical support from all UN agencies in the country, the Government said in a press release.

Almost all ministries and institutions are involved in the strategy's implementation - Ministry of Information Society and Administration, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Local Self-Government, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Economy, State Statistical Office, Youth and Sport Agency, Employment Agency, and Health Insurance Fund.

These institutions should clearly plan activities and measures in their jurisdiction, as included in the Action Plan, ensuring the required resources (human, material and technical) for their implementation.

The strategy's development involved 27 organizations of persons with disabilities, all UN agencies in North Macedonia and the EU Delegation. The strategy has been drafted in accordance with the principles of the UN Convention and its slogan "Nothing About Us Without Us".

In addition, the strategy is complementary to the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, based on data and analyses on the current situation related to the observance and realization of the rights of persons with disabilities, reads the press release.

Photo: MIA archive