DUSHANBE, 25.06.2019. (NIAT Khovar) – An International Forum on Recovery and Rehabilitation of the Disabled will be held on October 18, at the Kokhi Navruz (Navruz Palace) in Dushanbe.

The forum will be held with the support of the government, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population and the support of the Representative Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Tajikistan with the cooperation of UN agencies, national associations of the disabled, international non-governmental organizations and other development partners.

The focus of the forum will be the health, social protection, education, development of economic opportunities, rehabilitation, technical aids, disability sector financing and creating disabled-accessible environments in Tajikistan.

Senior government officials, members of civil society organizations, national associations for the disabled, international non-governmental organizations, other development partners, as well as the heads and employees of health and social protection institutions are expected to attend the forum.

“The International Forum on Recovery and Rehabilitation of the Disabled will be conductive to discussing the implementation of the National Program for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled for 2017–2020 and will make it possible to assess the impact of this program on the lives of the disabled and their families,” said the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population on Social Issues Shodikhon Jamshed.

“The forum will contribute to the promotion of disability issues and the creation of a platform for discussions of related issues with the participation of senior officials from the government, public associations, UN special agencies, international and local public organizations, other development partners, as well as the media,” added Shodikhon.

“The forum also aims to promote activities, partnerships and sector’s statistics in order to ensure long-term changes for the disabled in Tajikistan, and to facilitate the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which was signed by Tajikistan in 2018, and to achieve sustainable development goals for the disabled in accordance with the National Development Strategy of Tajikistan for the period up to 2030. The forum will go over the possibility of developing general coverage of medical and social services in Tajikistan,” he noted.

The National Program for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled for 2017-2020 was adopted in 2017 by a governmental decree, which wserved as a stepping stone toward an action plan concerning disability rights, access to quality services relating to rehabilitation and aids, as well as general coverage of medical and social services.