By Nathan Guma
Civic society has urged government to act on commitments it made at the 2018 and 2022 Global Disability Summit (GDS), which would see advancement of rights of people with disabilities.
The summit – held after four years, is the largest gathering of PWDs and global leaders.
At the 2018 summit, the Zimbabwean government committed to work on the advancement of PWD rights, with a special focus on women and girls among others.
While government committed to fulfilling its commitment through domestication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the country is still yet to ratify the African Disability Protocol (ADP), an Africanised version of framework.
Sightsavers’, an international organisation that works in more than 30 countries to prevent avoidable blindness has called government to action.
“The GDS has been a huge opportunity for the government to address inequality. It was great to see them make commitments on how they will address disability-
inclusion. But, now is the time for action,” said Peter Bare, Sightsavers country director in a press statement.
Another partner, the National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped (NASCOH) said Zimbabwe has to provide an update on progress made so far.
“Ahead of the GDS, we put forward our recommendations based on engagement with people with disabilities in Zimbabwe. Five years on, we now need to know what progress has been made,” said Henry Masaya, Nascoh director. IDA, a permanent host of the GDS also said governments should prioritise action.
“Through the GDS we want to call on governments, multilateral agencies, and private sector and INGOs to report back on their commitments. Words are not enough, actions speak louder,” said Vladimir Cuk, IDA executive director.
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