PRETORIA, Dec 8 (NNN-SANEWS) — South Africa’s Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) is hosting a virtual meeting with technical experts on the proposed establishment of a Disability Forum within BRICS countries.
The Disability Forum will aim to promote the mainstreaming of disability inclusion across BRICS priority areas, policies and frameworks, agreements, and across programmes and activities.
BRICS is the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa bloc of nations.
“The proposed forum aims to provide a platform for the exchange of best practices, research and knowledge relating to disability. It will also assist in providing a platform for BRICS members to engage on critical issues on the empowerment of persons with disabilities with specific emphasis on women with disabilities and young persons with disabilities,” the department said.
The BRICS Disability Forum will also ensure that BRICS countries accelerate the implementation of the existing commitments, principles, goals and actions set out in the international instruments on disability inclusion and rights, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), UN Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The purpose of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all people with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.
South Africa’s term as BRICS Chair ends on Dec 31, 2023. The Russian Federation will take over on Jan 1, 2024.
