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The past ten years have ushered in a new sense of urgency in efforts to change the quality of life of persons with disabilities in Africa. The African Union and its agencies have made various efforts towards ensuring the rights of persons with disability including through developing an Africa-specific protocol for persons with disabilities.

The Department of Social Affairs of the African Union hosted a validation workshop on the Draft Protocol to the African Charter on the Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa from the 29 – 30 November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The purpose of the workshop was to consider and adopt the Draft African Protocol on Disability to be considered by the 2nd Meeting of the Specialised Technical Committee on Social Development, Labour and Employment and the Specialised Technical Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs in 2017.

The workshop was attended by members of the Working group on the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities, Disabled People’s Organisations including the African Disability Forum, Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled, Africa Disability Alliance, Pan African Network of People with Psychosocial Disabilities, Sight Savers and academic institutions which included the Centre for Human Rights.

The Centre in 2014 in collaboration with the Africa Disability Alliance organised a roundtable to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to contribute to the process of drafting the proposed African Protocol on Disability. Many of the suggestions made at the conference found their way into the revised version of the Protocol.

Members of the Working Group present Mr Dube, Dr Nhongo and Commissioner King speaking at the commencement of the workshop reiterated that the Working Group in drafting the Protocol recognised the standards set by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Protocol reinforced those rights and where possible set higher standards. During the meeting stakeholders extensively debated the various provisions of the Protocol and adopted a revised draft of the Protocol.

Annie Robb from the Pan African Network of People with Psychosocial Disabilities reflecting on the workshop shared her hopes that  the African Protocol on Disability will promote and protect the rights and dignity of all people with disabilities on the African Continent and will make a profound contribution to redressing existing inequalities and ensure the full participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of economic, cultural, social and political life of the family, community and State.

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