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Reducing poverty and ensuring social integration for persons with disabilities in Afghanistan

February 21, 2013 By

Reducing poverty and ensuring social integration for persons with disabilities in Afghanistan
Statement of Mr. Ahmad Zahir Faqiri
Deputy Permanent Representative (DPR) of Afghan Mission to the United Nations
Commission for Social Development

 Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to begin by thanking the organizers of today’s event, and The Right Honorable Kim Campbell, for moderating our panel. I am pleased to be here today among fellow panellists. The Commission for Social Development is involved with important work and I am pleased to contribute to panel through focusing on the theme, “Reducing poverty and ensuring social integration for persons with disabilities in Afghanistan.”

Statement of The Islamic of Republic of Afghanistan Delivered by Mr. Ahmad Zahir Faqiri, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United Nations.

The Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is now in the process of reversing decades of economic and social decline from long years of conflict through a series of initiatives with significant assistance from international donors. While efforts are underway to ensure equitable growth and development opportunities for all, there has been a special focus on vulnerable groups and especially people with disabilities. In Afghanistan, one out of every five households has a person with disabilities. While this is only a conservative estimate according to the national sample survey, the actual prevalence of disability could be around 15% considering  the definition of a person with disabilities under the UNCRPD (UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).

This survey indicate that majority of persons with disabilities are in the age under 14 yrs. Among the population of children in Afghanistan, children with disabilities face many challenges and are in a vulnerable situation due to various reasons such as poverty, illiteracy, lack of health and nutritional support apart from prevailing insecure environment. The level of literacy is the lowest among children with disabilities and especially among girls with disabilities. The Survey also pointing out that around 73% of children with disabilities above the age of 6 do not receive education, with the rates of school attendance even lower for girls with disabilities. Economic difficulties and burden on the families to arrange transportation are the main causes for high drop-out rates among children with disabilities.

The constitution of Afghanistan has many enabling articles that promote and protect the rights of the people with disabilities.  In addition to the constitution, the government of Afghanistan has formulated a number of legal frameworks and strategies to empower people with disabilities to overcome poverty and to promote social integration.

Ladies and gentlemen

The Government of Afghanistan has recently passed legislation for persons with disabilities titled ‘Law of Rights and Privileges of Persons with Disabilities’. This Law has been established to provide economic, social, political, cultural, educational, and rehabilitation support for the disabled (men, women and children) to ensure their rights and active participation in society. The law provides 3% reservation of jobs in government and private sector.

The Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disability (MOLSAMD) with active cooperation and participation of civil society framed an action plan as a way forward to integrate the economic and social needs of the persons with disabilities within the over- arching framework of the Afghanistan national development strategy and other key national policies.

The following measures have been envisaged for people with disabilities to achieve economic and social integration within the Afghan society;

 

  1. Promoting decent employment for all, including people with disabilities by developing efficient labor market.
  2. Reduce the risk of poverty among people with disabilities through developing social insurance.
  3. Reduce poverty and social exclusion through developing social assistance arrangements.
  4. Strengthening extended network of social care services for the protection of people with disabilities
  5. Enhance awareness about the socio-economic needs of people with disabilities
  6. Strengthening capacity to lead national labor and social protection policy development and implementation.

In order to fulfil its responsibilities both in National and International level to protect and promote the human right values, the government of Afghanistan, apart from the national instruments has joined the  following international conventions and frame works

The following treaties ratified by the government of Afghanistan are enabling people with disabilities to overcome poverty and to join the mainstream of development: Convention on the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personal mine and on their destruction; The Convention on Cluster Munitions; UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and Vocational rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention.

There has been substantial work undertaken by the government, UN agencies, international development organizations and the Afghan civil society in establishing economic, social and legal institutional foundations to promote the interest of vulnerable populations which includes people with disabilities as well. Through development and humanitarian work, disability is emerging as a cross-cutting issue in all policy and programme development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation process. The government of Afghanistan has identified the following principal areas of intervention to create enabling environment for people with disabilities: Access to education, especially for girls and women with disabilities; Access to justice; Access to decent and full employment; and Good governance for persons with disabilities.

The Afghanistan relevant institutions will sensitize the officials of the key ministries impacting the lives of people with disabilities to deal with issues related to disability benevolently and with all sensitivity. Disbursement of pensions and other social security benefits will take place in a time frame manner. The Directorate will ensure that grievances related to social security benefits are disposed -off without inordinate delay and within the time stipulated by the government. The proposed disability commission will monitor the process ensuring good governance to persons with disabilities in all the key departments.

The disability movement is largely led by the civil society which is exposed to ‘social and a rights-based model’ of approaching disability. The Disability Stakeholder Group in Afghanistan comprises NGO, INGOs and members from the civil society such as the media who attend monthly meetings and are part of the decision –making process of the ministry regarding all issues related to policies and programmes for people with disabilities. The government will ensure that the disability stakeholders group of Afghanistan is consulted by the UN Country Team in preparing the UN Strategic Framework in accordance with the UN Guidelines.

No single agency can fulfil the needs of people with disabilities alone; all development agencies should include disability as a key component within their efforts. Afghanistan is going through a brisk period of reconstruction and development. It will be the policy of the government to ensure that disability becomes a ‘cross-cutting theme in our agenda. Every effort will be made by the government to include disability within the policies and programmes of agencies such as UN, NGOs, civil societies, donor agencies and other ministries. The proposed National Institute for Persons with Disabilities will have a department for promoting disability policy and advocacy which will specifically focus on mainstreaming disability within the national agenda of all the stakeholders.

I thank you.

“New Approaches to the Security Council Reform” Ministerial Meeting in Rome, Italy

February 6, 2013 By

Feb. 5th, by Afghan Mission

On Monday, February 4th, 2013, in Rome, Italy, a Ministerial Meeting on the subject of UN Security Council Reform was co-chaired by Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi and Spanish Secretary of State Gonzalo de Benito Secades.  The theme of the meeting was, “New approaches to the Security Council Reform.”  Over 60 countries met in Rome to foster political dialogue on this important matter.

Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi’s opening remarks, noted that “the reform of the UNSC can no longer be postponed so as to reinforce the UN’s credibility as a champion of international peace and security and in laying the solid foundations of a new architecture of collective security.”

Ambassador Zahir Tanin, was in attendance in his capacity as Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform.  He addressed the Member States in attendance by expressing his encouragement at the recent level of participation and involvement in the Intergovernmental Negotiations.  He highlighted “a notable increase in the momentum of the process, and the beginning of real give and take”, during the most recent round of negotiations in New York and expressed a wish to move the process along further in this session of the General Assembly. Ambassador Tanin also made reference to his 25 July 2012 letter to Member States and the recommendations contained within it, stating that it is his hope that “even if they are not a point of agreement for all, they can be points for discussion.”

Ambassador Tanin also urged discussion from the participants in regards to the level of real give and take interaction in the negotiations and asked Member States to comment on how to further “bring the process to this point and how Member States intend on contributing to that.”

The meetings focus on “new approaches” to reforming the Security Council and high level of its participants not only raises awareness but shows the commitment of the Member States to take the reform process forward in the next General Assembly session.

Historic First U.S. Tour by Ensembles of Afghanistan National Institute of Music Includes Concerts at Kennedy Center (Feb 7) and Carnegie Hall (Feb 12)

January 30, 2013 By

New York – The Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) breaks new ground this winter, when leading ensembles of the institute – the nation’s sole music academy, founded and directed by Ahmad Sarmast, the first Afghan with a doctorate in music – make their American debut with a U.S. tour (Feb 2–17). Presented by the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, of which ANIM is a model school, this landmark visit will be crowned by performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC (Feb 7) and New York’s Carnegie Hall (Feb 12). These concerts will feature the Afghan Youth Orchestra (AYO) and other ANIM ensembles performing orchestral and chamber music on both Western and traditional instruments; collaborations with their contemporaries from American youth orchestras; and guest appearances by award-winning Russian violinist Mikhail Simonyan. Additional tour highlights include a residency and concert at Boston’s New England Conservatory, master classes, school outreach concerts, and a wealth of further opportunities for cultural exchange.

At the upcoming Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall concerts, ANIM will be represented by the AYO, conducted by ANIM violin teacher William Harvey, and three smaller ensembles: the Young Afghan Traditional Ensemble, led by ANIM Principal and ghichak teacher Muhammad Murad Sarkhosh; the Sitar and Sarod Ensemble, led by ANIM sitar/sarod teacher Irfan Muhammad Khan; and the Chamber Wind Ensemble, led by ANIM brass teacher James Herzog. Joined by Afghan and expatriate faculty members, including percussion teacher Norma Ferreira, cello teacher Avery Waite, piano/oboe teacher Allegra Boggess, and saxophone teacher Derek Beckvold, the performers will be drawn from the institute’s students, who are Afghans between 10 and 21 years of age.

Besides demonstrating their mastery of the orchestral and keyboard instruments of the Western classical tradition, they will draw on their homeland’s own rich musical heritage, playing on traditional stringed instruments – the rubab, sitar, sarod, dilruba, tanbur, and ghichak – and the tabla drum. In a characteristic example of invaluable youth exchange, ANIM’s students will play alongside American string players of their own age, from the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras when they perform at the Kennedy Center, and from the Scarsdale High School Orchestra when they take the stage at Carnegie Hall.

Repertoire will include original arrangements by William Harvey of two favorites of the Western canon – Ravel’s Bolero and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – alongside examples of Afghan traditional and folk music. Mikhail Simonyan joins the students to perform Lariya for violin, rubab and chamber orchestra, Harvey’s arrangement of a traditional rubab piece made famous by the Afghan rubab virtuoso Muhammad Omar (1905-80).

Funded by the United States Embassy in Kabul, the World Bank, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, the tour will showcase the extraordinary success of ANIM. Founded by Ahmad Sarmast, winner of the 2009 David Chow Humanitarian Award for his “brave and selfless” efforts to rebuild and promote music education in Afghanistan, the remarkable school and its achievements have already attracted international notice. As the New York Times described in a recent feature,

“The Institute teaches some 150 young people, about half orphans and street hawkers. … About 35 of the students are female, important in a country where women face obstacles to education. The young people study both Western and Afghan instruments…and music theory from both cultures. Many of the Western instruments are donated, and the World Bank provides financial support. Tuition is free.”

In a country where, as the Wall Street Journal notes, “there are some 70,000 street children in Kabul alone and as many as 600,000 across Afghanistan,” it is of the most profound significance that half of ANIM’s students come from such disadvantaged backgrounds. Reuters observed:

“At Afghanistan’s sole music academy, students are taught music with the hope it will bring comfort in the face of war and poverty, bringing back cellos and violins to revive a rich musical legacy disrupted by decades of violence and suppression. ‘We are committed to build ruined lives through music, given its healing power,’ Ahmad Sarmast, head of ANIM, told Reuters.”

The impact of ANIM, which is seen as a model for future Afghan music schools, can hardly be overestimated. “An effective cultural barometer in the Muslim world,” as the Wall Street Journal put it, “music has the potential to move Afghan society away from fundamentalism toward more moderate cultural values.”

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