20 February 2019

As a joint venture between the Saudi Human Rights Commission (SHRC), UNDP, Technical Cooperation Programme of Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Office in Saudi Arabia a Symposium on the Right of Persons of with Disability was organized on the 20th February 2019. This Symposium is a continuation of the preparatory workshop - Seminar on the Right of Persons with Disability, that was held two weeks in advance on February 7th to identify the challenges being faced in the realization of the rights of persons with disability according to CRPD and national laws. The recommendations taken from the preparatory workshop were raised in the Symposium to a wider audience, that included right holders - people with disabilities, duty barriers from the ministry of health, ministry of education, public security directorate, ministry of justice, ministry of labor and social development, ministry of civil service, technical and vocational training corporation, and civil society affiliated with persons with disabilities.

The United Nations office in Saudi Arabia participated in the event where the R.C. Nathalie Fustier presented a welcoming remark recognizing the efforts made by the Kingdom to realize the right of persons with disability and putting more emphasis that all these efforts should comply with the CRPD and relevant national laws. She also appreciated the support provided to programs and initiatives related to the integration of disabled persons as embedded in Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2018 – 2020. The UNDP also shared a contribution on the right of persons with disabilities based on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability. As a next step, the outcomes of the symposium - the challenges and recommendations raised by the right holders and civil society organizations, are to be shared with the affiliated ministries to include in their programs to suit the rights of persons with disability across all sectors.