Hala Al-Khalid: Kuwait Has Taken Important Steps to Enhance Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Hala Al-Khalid affirms Kuwait's progress in disability rights and meets with UNESCO officials
Translated by Qiyas from الأنباء — Original source
Higha Al-Khalid, Vice President of the Kuwaiti Human Building Association for Social Development, confirmed that Kuwait has taken significant steps to enhance the rights of persons with disabilities through Law No. 8 of 2010 and its accession to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2013.
This statement came during an interview conducted by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) with Al-Khalid on Saturday, on the occasion of her participation in the fifth session of the UNESCO Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination, hosted by The Hague, Netherlands, on October 29 and 30.
Al-Khalid explained that her participation was part of a dialogue session titled “Nothing About Us Without Us: Advancing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” where she served as the sole Arab and Gulf speaker alongside Myoun Kim, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The session was coordinated by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Yemen in Doha, and attended by Kuwait’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Abdulaziz Al-Jarallah, and his accompanying delegation.
She emphasized the importance of translating international treaties and legislation concerning the rights of persons with disabilities into practical measures that promote their integration into society and the labor market, ensuring their effective participation on an equal basis with others.
She added that the Association presented its experience in rehabilitating persons with intellectual disabilities and integrating them into the labor market through the “Partners for Employment” initiative, which it has implemented since 2018. The initiative involved 481 participants, 231 of whom secured employment, with a job retention rate of 97.8 percent.
Al-Khalid noted that the initiative is based on the “Theory of Constructive Recognition” and the “Dignity, Recognition, and Empowerment” scale, developed by Engineer Awaat Al-Salman. These frameworks emphasize the responsibility of institutions to remove barriers for persons with disabilities and to create a supportive environment for their capabilities and potential.
She called for the inclusion of a recognition indicator among internationally recognized human rights indicators to help measure the actual level of participation of persons with disabilities from their perspective and to enhance accountability regarding the implementation of international commitments. She affirmed the Association’s readiness to cooperate with international partners to test and apply the scale.
During her participation, Al-Khalid met with Dr. Nasser Al-Hanoub, Executive Board Member of UNESCO, to discuss prospects for joint cooperation in empowering persons with disabilities. He expressed his willingness to support the cooperation project between UNESCO, the State of Kuwait, and the Association.
Al-Khalid also met with Myoun Kim, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, where she presented the “Dignity, Recognition, and Empowerment” scale and the Association’s experience in integrating persons with disabilities into the labor market, exploring ways to utilize this experience to develop human rights practices.
Furthermore, she held discussions with Denise Carvalho, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO, to explore ways to enhance cooperation, exchange expertise, and disseminate successful Kuwaiti practices in vocational rehabilitation and employment integration for persons with disabilities at the international level.
The fifth session of the UNESCO Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination was held under the theme “From Commitment to Accountability: Change the System, Change the Future.” It was attended by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, government officials, representatives of international organizations, civil society institutions, and experts from various countries around the world.
