29 November 2023
On November 29, 2023, a thematic meeting of the Council for Sustainable Development «On the rights of people with disabilities, their social rehabilitation and the formation of an inclusive society», dedicated to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, was held in Minsk.
During the meeting, participants discussed the implementation of state policy on the integration of people with disabilities into the active life of society, the creation of an accessible environment and improving their quality of life, partnerships with public organizations and the UN country team in the Republic of Belarus in the field of ensuring the rights of people with disabilities and their social rehabilitation and the formation of an inclusive society.
The meeting of the Council was opened by the National Coordinator for Achieving the SDGs, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Valery Ivanovich Belsky. In his speech, he noted that in the system of state social support in Belarus, people with disabilities occupy a special place – 6% of the country – that’s more than half a million people. Social protection of people with disabilities, their equality and full participation in the life of society is one of the priority tasks among the areas of state social policy in Belarus.
In the welcoming speech, acting UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Belarus Erol Arduch underscore the significance and importance of the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities. As we strive to achieve the SDGs, it is critical to uphold the principle of «leaving no one behind», noted Erol Arduch.
The speakers at the meeting of the Council for Sustainable Development were representatives of government bodies, public and scientific organizations, and UN agencies.
Three main blocks that are extremely important for people with disabilities:
In Belarus there are 146 social service centers and 169 social rehabilitation and habilitation departments for day care of people with disabilities, which are attended by 7.6 thousand people.
“Each social service center has its own unique projects. One example of such an inclusive project is the project of the Borisov Center for Social Services to the Population” – noted Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus Marina Borisovna Artemenko.
Today in Belarus there are 196.9 thousand people with disabilities of working age, of which 68 thousand people or almost 60% work. According to the data, in January-October 2023, employment services employed 1,397 people with disabilities, 153 were provided with subsidies to start their own business, 388 were employed as part of adaptation to work.
Much work has been done in the country to increase the share of social and transport infrastructure facilities, the road network, accessible to people with disabilities and physically weakened persons – 20% of facilities are fully accessible, and by 2025 it is planned to ensure 100% accessibility.
One of the priorities of the modern education system of Belarus is the accessibility and quality of education for every child, which is enshrined in the Education Code of the Republic of Belarus. Issues of inclusion in education are included in the National Action Plan for the implementation in the Republic of Belarus of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for 2017-2025, the Concept for the Development of the Education System of the Republic of Belarus until 2030, the State Program “Education and Youth Policy” for 2021-2025, etc. 236 special education institutions, 141 correctional and developmental education and rehabilitation centers, 46 special kindergartens, 47 special schools and boarding schools take part in the implementation of the principle of inclusion in education in Belarus.
“The implementation of the principle of inclusion in education is a long-term strategy, considered as a systematic approach in organizing the activities of the education system across all departments as a whole. Inclusion in education affects all subjects of the educational process: children, their parents, teachers, specialists, administration, and structures of additional education. By further ensuring the solution of pressing problems raised today, we will generally ensure the realization of the right of every citizen to education, regardless of the presence of violations, their type and severity” – says Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Vladimirovich Kadlubai.
Much attention in Belarus is paid to the issues of medical rehabilitation of people with disabilities and promising directions for its development – staffing standards, standards for equipping rehabilitation departments are being revised, criteria for labor standards are detailed, expert doctors, hygienists, physiologists, psychologists are involved in drawing up an individual rehabilitation program, etc.
A special role is played by the activities of public associations to support people with disabilities in interaction with government bodies and provide legal assistance.
“Public organizations took a direct part in the development of the Law «On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Their Social Integration” – this Law is necessary to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities” – Oleg Aleksandrovich Shepel, Chairman of the public association “Belarusian Association of the Visually Impaired”.
An important tool for inclusive communication is clear language. Since 2017, 4 projects on clear language have already been implemented in Belarus, more than 100 materials have been translated into clear and simple language, 10 courses have been developed for specialists. In 2023, in order to promote clear and simple language, the organization LLC “Center for Effective Communications and Partnerships “Clear World” was created in Belarus. One of the first projects on clear language in Belarus was the translation of the Sustainable Development Goals into clear language, as well as the development of special pictures for the SDGs.
One of the blocks of discussions at the meeting was to discuss the partnership of Belarus with the UN country team, which contributes to the provision of comprehensive socio-economic support for people with disabilities, the formation of digital inclusion of people with disabilities, the development of training programs, and the implementation of social and educational initiatives.
Among the promising areas of UNDP in Belarus, Armen Martirosyan, Acting UNDP Resident Representative in the Republic of Belarus, outlined: promoting inclusive employment among private businesses, developing training programs, conducting sociological research, supporting social initiatives, developing an intersectoral employer platform, improving data on people with disability.
“Inclusion ensures that everyone feels respected, valued and integrated into the community” – said Olga Atroshchenko, Head of the UNFPA Office in the Republic of Belarus.
The activities of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Belarus for 2023-2024 are aimed at developing a partnership with A1 on digital mobile literacy, supporting the efforts of organizations to create barrier-free access to information for people with disabilities, creation of a virtual space to inform people with disabilities, older people and their environment about products that improve the quality of life, expansion of the #WeareWaitingforaChild platform to include preparation for pregnancy for mothers and fathers with disabilities, including online counseling, etc.
An important approach to building an inclusive digital society is to ensure that all members of society have equal fair rights through ICT, regardless of age, gender, ability or location.
ITU Development Sector contributes to ICT adoption/accessibility – provides expert advice on ICT/digital accessibility guidelines, policies, regulations, strategies, trends, designs, develops and provides tools and resources to support efforts in the implementation of the digital inclusion process at the national, regional and global level, develops and conducts trainings on what and how to do in order to take into account the needs of ALL people when forming a digital society, etc.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, education departments, NIO, APO, RIPO, Institute of Inclusive Education, is implementing the project «Inclusive education – a favorable environment for the development of every child», aimed at providing support in the development of children with disabilities at all stages of life, developing educational programs, training specialists, etc.
The full recording of the meeting in video format is available at the link.
Presentations by speakers at the meeting of the Council for Sustainable Development are available at the link:About the implementation of the principle of inclusion in educationInclusive society as an integral component of sustainable developmentComprehensive social and economic support for people with disabilitiesRehabilitation of persons with disabilities in the Republic of BelarusAbout the development of forms of social support for people with disabilitiesPeople with disabilities and civil societyClear language as an important tool of inclusive communicationSupport for digital inclusion of people with disabilities
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