President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova participated in the National Conference “Together We Are Stronger”, organized by the Association of People with Cerebral Palsy and Other Disabilities – Veles.
As an activist for equality and social inclusion of people with disabilities, the President said that, on the path from stigma to ideal, we have unfinished business. For many, there are still barriers that prevent them from accessing basic rights. As she pointed out, the compass to the goal, where the beauty and well-being of the right to choose, the right to access education, health, the opportunity for these people to visit the park or the library, to go to the neighborhood without obstacles, is in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, although it was adopted late – in 2006, and entered into force in 2008.
“It is the first binding legal act in the field of international human rights law in the 21st century, one of the nine human rights conventions that represent the core of international human rights law. Even more, it also represents an official recognition of disability as a human rights issue in the international sphere. That quantum leap is truly a great step forward because through that instrument a social model of viewing disability is being created. Not as charity, which has long been a well-established system, but it has enabled the creation of a social model of viewing disability as a human rights issue. My position is that there is no disabled person, but rather a disabled state that does not recognize that people sometimes express their abilities in a different way”, the President said.
Citing Article 5, which guarantees equality and non-discrimination, and Article 6 of the Convention, which concerns women with disabilities, the President indicated that the treatment of persons with disabilities is high on the priority issues during her term. For her, this issue is important not only as a President, but also as a professor, mother, wife, woman and friend.
“My engagement, but also my broader mission in political terms, is to develop a country in which all persons with disabilities will participate as equal citizens. I am already working to raise public awareness of the challenges they face. In my talks with the Government, high on the political agenda, I put the issue of persons with disabilities and I stress this in all my public appearances. I affirm the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the local level and I believe that the involvement of local authorities is one of the keys to achieving success. I support the adaptation of public spaces, which would include active lobbying for investments in infrastructure that meets accessibility standards, such as ramps, elevators and adapted public toilets, for people with physical disabilities; Organizing public campaigns to combat stigma and prejudice against people with disabilities; Establishing a Presidential Center to monitor activities to improve the rights of people with disabilities; Continuous communication and cooperation with social and health institutions”, the President said, adding that we must not allow walking on the sidewalk to be an impossible mission in the 21st century because that space is occupied by vehicles.
Regarding the gap between urban and rural areas, especially for the female population, the President believes that we all need to find ways and means together to penetrate the inaccessible zones that are hermetically sealed in the world of traditionalism. “It depends on us”, the President concluded.
Today’s national conference “Together We Are Stronger” was also addressed by Fatmir Limani, Minister of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, Michalis Rokas and Ami Larsson Jain, EU and Swedish ambassadors to the country. Each of them, from their own perspective, spoke about working towards reducing discrimination and ensuring equal conditions for all. “No woman should be left behind and excluded just because she is a woman or has a disability”, the speakers agreed.
At the Conference, women with some type of disability, as well as women from rural areas, shared their experiences on 2 separate panels. Both stressed that to this day they face stigma, limited access to services, as well as the lack of opportunities for appropriate education.
Today’s conference is supported by the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation and Sweden. The Association of People with Cerebral Palsy and Other Disabilities – Veles actively advocates the rights of people with disabilities, with a special emphasis on women and girls, by providing a range of social services in the Vardar planning region. With the social service “Living with Support”, by placing 20 users in small group homes with 24-hour support, as well as personal assistance, it offers them full support in everyday activities.
“Personal assistants are the greatest friends of people with disabilities, the assistants are those who give them success in life. May we all awake the assistant in each of us”, the President added in a statement to the media.
