The Maldivian government is committed to promoting the rights of people with disabilities across all national strategies, Attorney General Ahmed Usham has emphasised. He made the remarks during his speech at the review of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The Maldives acceded to the Convention on 5 April in 2010. In 2018, the country submitted its initial report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for review, and participated in the review session held on Wednesday.
The initial report submitted by the Maldives covered implementation efforts undertaken by the Maldives from 2010 to 2018 to ensure the rights guaranteed to persons with disabilities under the Convention. The Committee issued its List of Issues in 2022, to which the Maldives provided its Replies in April 2023.
The review was conducted across two interactive sessions, during which members of the Committee engaged with the Maldivian delegation on progress made in implementing the CRPD.
In his opening statement at the review session, Attorney General Usham underscored that the rights of persons with disabilities are rights inherent to human dignity and demand equal opportunity, full participation, and the dismantling of every barrier that limits potential. He further highlighted that the Maldives has adopted an integrated approach to policymaking, one that ensures that disability is no longer treated in isolation, but integrated into all major national strategies.
The Maldivian delegation was led by Attorney General Usham, and included senior officials from the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social and Family Development, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.