KUWAIT: The 17th conference of countries that are parties to the international treaty for disabled rights was held at the United Nations premises in New York with the participation of a Kuwaiti delegation headed by Minister of Social, Family, and Childhood Affairs Dr Amthal Al-Huwailah. Representatives from the Social Affairs Ministry, Public Authority for the Disabled, and NGOs also attended the conference.

Several recommendations were issued at the end of the conference, the most important of which is to support digital technology and the development of creative initiatives. The conference called for strengthening support of digital technology and the development of creative initiatives that must have accessible digital systems to help the disabled. Technology is considered a vital tool to achieve equality, and it is necessary to be available for all.

The conference stressed the need to design and implement comprehensive strategies to limit the risks of disasters with consideration for the needs of both genders. The strategies must include protection mechanisms for the disabled and provide the necessary support for them during emergencies and natural disasters, and that requires intensive cooperation between government entities and NGOs to guarantee efficacy.

The conference highlighted the importance of having comprehensive markets that are characterized as being fair to guarantee training, education, and equal employment opportunities. Policies and legislation must include guarantees for the disabled rights at the workplace and provide suitable work environments from them. The conference also called all those concerned to continued cooperation and joint action to achieve the goals and guarantee the implementation of international treaties concerned with the disabled rights.

President of the Kuwait Society for Guardians of Persons with Disabilities and delegation member Rihab Buresli said the conference addressed the needs of the disabled in the societies and strengthened their right to reach information in the way that suits their abilities. Buresli is proud of Law 8/2010, which is considered an international example for caring for the disabled. She spoke about the importance of consolidating the efforts of state entities, NGOs, and guardians of the disabled in order to strengthen their psychological stability.