The Satellite Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean to promote the rights of persons with disabilities began this February 10, with the aim of calling on States to assume commitments that eliminate barriers to the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The event is expected to address topics such as: international cooperation for development, education and inclusive work for people with disabilities; the strengthening of the organization of people with disabilities in the Global South; inclusion in situations of displacement, crisis and conflict; and international cooperation for development.
The exhibitors expressed the importance of regional commitments in this matter and the facilitation and implementation of policies and programs focused transversally on people with disabilities. As well as a specific focus on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Inter-American Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, the 2030 agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The president of the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities of the Organization of American States, Iris González, stressed the importance of taking decisive action in this area, so that “it is not reduced to a simple statement”
María Inés Castillo, head of the Ministry of Social Development, said that “it is necessary to move from a government approach to a state approach” when dealing with the issue of people with disabilities.
The summit was also attended by: the International Disability Alliance, the Latin American Network of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and their Families, and the ONCE Social Group
