Global Disability Summit 2018: Commitments made by the Govt of India
NEW DELHI: The Global Disability Summit hosted by the UK Department for International Development (UK DFID), along with the International Disability Alliance, and the Government of Kenya, in London, UK, on July 24, 2018, has resulted in 170 ambitious commitments from all over the world to take action on stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities.
Global leaders from over 40 countries attended the summit and have committed themselves to work towards economic empowerment of persons with disabilities. They expressed their commitments towards the elimination of stigma and discrimination, promoting inclusive education, economic empowerment, technology and innovation in assistive devices, data desegregation, etc.
Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, along with Ms Shakuntala D. Gamlin, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt of India, represented India at the summit.
The outcomes of the summit are important to us, as leprosy is a leading cause of permanent physical disabilities. We believe they will help in creating a world where people with disabilities (including those with leprosy-related disabilities) can live as equal citizens breaking the barriers of stigma and discrimination.
We’re happy to mention here that Mr Harsha Gudasalamani and Mr James George from CREATE project, and CREATE project’s leprosy champion from Tamil Nadu, Mr Ganesh Muthusamy, attended the summit. They had a short meeting with Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot and Ms Shakuntala D. Gamlin when they spoke about the discrimination against people affected by leprosy, discriminatory laws, and the need to pass EDPAL Bill in Parliament. Also, they shared TLMTI’s Stigma Toolkit with the minister.
Check out the link below for commitments made by India at the summit: