Officials and rights activists have said the present government puts maximum importance on mainstreaming of the disabled population to ensure their socio-political and human rights to attain sustainable development goals (SDGs).
They viewed this at inaugural function of the two-day district conference of representatives of the disabled peoples’ organisations (DPOs) held on Monday in the conference room of ASOD Training Centre in Rangpur. The National Council of Disabled Women with assistance of Action on Disability and Development (ADD) International Bangladesh organised the conference participated by representatives of all union and upazila level DPOs of the district.
Deputy Commissioner Enamul Habib attended the conference as the chief guest with country director of ADD International Bangladesh Shafikul Islam in the chair.
Deputy Director of the Department of Social Services Abdur Razzaque, Deputy Director of the Department of Youth Development Dilgir Hossain, District Women Affairs Officer Kawser Pervin, programme officer of ADD International Bangladesh Subodh Kumar Das and its Disability Affairs Officer Taposh Kumar Barma addressed as special guests.
Subodh Kumar Das discussed the SDGs announced by the UN and narrated activities of the DPOs in ensuring development and welfare of the physically challenged people.
Representatives of the DPOs said that sustainable national development would not be achieved without mainstreaming of the people with disabilities by turning them into worthy human resources to ensure their equal socio-political and human rights. Shafikul Islam termed the people with disabilities an integral part of the society and said that the disabled people could do the same like the capable ones if adequate opportunities were provided to them to enjoy the basic human rights as per the UN Convention concerned.
The chief guest said the disabled population and disability are no more being considered as a burden of the society in the developed countries where the physically challenged population has been mainstreamed with development.
“The present government has taken necessary steps to provide need- based
and suitable education and training to the disabled people for turning them
into productive human resources for their mainstreaming with development to
attain the SDGs,” he added
