EAC Conference on Persons with Disabilities

East African Conference on Persons with Disabilities, 19th-20^th June 2014, Nairobi

The East African Community (EAC) with regional stakeholders on Persons with Disability issues with the support of the national and regional partners hosted the Conference on Persons with Disabilities under the theme ““Empowerment: The Disability in the EAC Regional Integration Agenda”.

Objective

The overall objective of the Conference was to ensure that disability concerns are mainstreamed in legislations and policy frameworks both at national and regional levels.

Participants

Participants included

• the media,
• people with disabilities,
• Civil Society Representatives,
• high-ranking government officials from the five member countries,
• judges,
• Cabinet Secretaries,
• members of the East African Legislative Assembly,
• Kenya national Assembly representatives,
• Disabled Peoples Organizations and heads of delegations.

Shikuku Obosi, Inclusion International’s Regional Coordinator for Africa participated at the conference together with representatives of IA member organizations from Kenya, Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar Island. IA called for special measures to support families and to have the family dimension mainstreamed in all EAC policy making areas.

The East African Community (EAC)

The East African Community (EAC) is the regional intergovernmental organization of the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Republic of Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Vision of EAC is a prosperous, competitive, secure, stable and politically united East Africa.

The Mission is to widen and deepen Economic, Political, Social and Culture integration in order to improve the quality of life of the people of East Africa through increased competitiveness, value added production, trade and investments.

The Treaty establishing the East African Community recognizes the importance of addressing and responding to the challenges that confront persons with disabilities. The 2nd East African Community conference on persons with Disabilities was organized to operationalize Article 120 (c) of the Treaty, which provides for the EAC Partner States Development and adoption of a common approach towards disadvantaged and marginalized groups, including children, the youth, the elderly and persons with disabilities. This conference builds on the first EAC conference that was held in Kampala, Uganda from 19th – 20th February 2010, whose theme was “Towards a policy and law to address challenges facing persons with disabilities in the EAC region. The 1st EAC Conference set the foundation for the establishment of a representative regional forum to monitor the implementation of the UN convention on Persons with Disabilities in the EAC Partner States and the foundation for the development of a regional Policy for Persons with Disabilities.

There is an EAC policy on Disability (2012). All the EAC Partners states have ratified the CRPD and have policy measures in place to mainstream the disability concern at both the national and regional level, the EAC and the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). However, there is a need to accelerate efforts towards implementation.

The conference issued communiqué to be passed on to Africa Commission, EAC Ministerial council, EAC Heads of State and the African Union for action.