Human Development Association Showcases Kuwait's Experience in Empowering People with Disabilities at UNESCO Forum

Kuwait City, Oct 31 (KUNA) -- Alta Al-Khalid, deputy president of the Kuwaiti Human Building Association for Social Development, affirmed 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, 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 stressed the importance of translating international treaties and legislation concerning the rights of persons with disabilities into concrete practices that promote their social and labor market integration, ensuring their effective and equal participation alongside 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, launched in 2018. The initiative has engaged 481 individuals, of whom 231 secured employment, with a job retention rate of 97.8 percent.

The initiative is based on the “Theory of Constructive Recognition” and the “Dignity, Recognition, and Empowerment” scale, developed by engineer Awaif Al-Salman. These frameworks emphasize the responsibility of institutions to remove barriers for persons with disabilities and to create an enabling environment that supports their capabilities and potential.

Al-Khalid 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 own perspective and to strengthen accountability regarding the implementation of international commitments. She reaffirmed 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-Hanzab, Chair of the Executive Board of UNESCO, and discussed prospects for joint cooperation in empowering persons with disabilities. He expressed his willingness to support the cooperation project between UNESCO, Kuwait, and the Association.

Al-Khalid also met with Myoun Kim, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and reviewed the “Dignity, Recognition, and Empowerment” scale and the Association’s experience in integrating persons with disabilities into the labor market, exploring ways to leverage these efforts to develop human rights practices.

Additionally, she held discussions with Denise Carvalho, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO, on 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 around the world. (End) SLM/NBS