The Diplomat
In the framework of the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government that is taking place these days in the Dominican Republic, the Ibero-American Disability Programme (PID) presented yesterday its achievements in its first four years of implementation.
The IDP, which was promoted by seven countries in the region and whose adoption took place at the XXVI Summit in La Antigua, Guatemala, in 2018, currently has 12 member countries and aspires to reach full membership of the 22 countries of the Ibero-American Conference before 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Agenda.
The improvement of disability assessment and certification processes, the prioritisation of this population in vaccination plans during the COVID-19 pandemic, the training of public administration staff to mainstream the disability perspective in public policies, increasing the commitment of the private sector in the recruitment of people with disabilities or support to ensure accessibility to educational platforms for all students, are some of the areas mentioned by its president Fernando Galarraga, Director of the National Disability Agency of Argentina, on which the Programme has focused since its launch.
The leaders of the member countries of the Programme were privileged witnesses at this meeting, which also included the words of Ambassador Lorena Larios, Secretary for Ibero-American Cooperation; Gina Riaño, Secretary General of the Ibero-American Social Security Organisation; Alberto Durán, Vice-President of the ONCE Social Group (Technical Unit of the IDP), and the President of the Network of Indigenous and Afro-descendant Women with Disabilities of Latin America and the Caribbean, Olga Montúfar.
During her speech, the Secretary for Ibero-American Cooperation underlined the achievements of the IDP and reaffirmed the commitment of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) to persons with disabilities.
“You can rest assured that SEGIB will continue to be committed to generating a facilitating environment, putting actors in contact, articulating and strengthening networking, based on our natural mission, political dialogue,” she said.
At the meeting, the World Bank announced its commitment to people with disabilities in the region, through its incorporation into the Consultative Commission of the Ibero-American Disability Programme, in the words of its Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Felipe Jaramillo.
This event reinforces the commitment of the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government to the disability agenda.
The event “Just and Inclusive Transition: A firm commitment to leave no one behind” organised by the Programme and presided over by King Felipe VI, was attended by the Heads of State and Government of the member countries, the Ibero-American Secretary General, Andrés Allamand, and other high authorities from Ibero-American organisations, multilateral entities and official delegations from the 22 countries of the Ibero-American Conference.
