(Mbarara | Fort Portal) 10 Feb. 2022. In partnership with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) supported the process of compiling data to formulate a National Disability Report. The process was aimed at enlightening the evaluation of the extent of Uganda’s strides in mainstreaming the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) concluding observations made in 2016 thus providing recommendations therein. The consultations were carried with heads of the departments of education, and health, community development officers, councilors and representatives of persons with disabilities and the private sector from the districts of Rukungiri, Kasese, Kabale and Hoima in Western Uganda, and from the districts of Oyam, Lira, Moyo and Gulu, in Northern Uganda.
In 2014, Uganda submitted its initial report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); the report was reviewed in 2016 by the CRPD and several concerns were raised as part of its concluding observations. Since then, Uganda has been working to address the observations from the committee.
The consultations were intended to assess and comprehend the efforts taken by Uganda to incorporate disability issues within the local governments, identify gaps while delivering recommendations for strengthening further disability inclusion in local government planning and budgeting at the grassroots development processes. These will inform the progress on the implementation of the CRPD observations and recommendations by national institutions in Uganda, assess the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the COVID 19 response programs, financial services and the Justice, Law and Order Sector - JLOS.
The consultations were carried out through key informant interviews, focus group discussions and site visits in schools, health centers, commercial banks, hospitals and district administrative offices.
In 2022, Uganda will submit its 1st periodic report to the CRPD and in order to ensure that the Government of Uganda fulfils this obligation in a timely and effective manner, OHCHR in collaboration with the NCPD and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development conducted a two-day consultative meeting in Lira to assess the progress of the implementation of the gaps identified by the CRPD in 2016 in protecting the rights of persons with disability.
The data collected will inform the development of the disability status report for the period 2020/2021 and Uganda’s report on the implementation of the CRPD concluding observations to be submitted to CRPD in 2022.