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Eswatini stakeholders endorse new 5-year Disability Plan of Action
The Kingdom of Eswatini Stakeholders, led by the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, successfully validated the country’s 2024 to 2028 National Disability Plan of Action (NDPA) prioritizing, among other action items, health, education, advocacy, and awareness raising of disability issues at all levels of the country. The validation activity took place under the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Round Four Eswatini “Strengthening the Inclusion and Coordination of Disability Issues” project. It was held in Manzini and attended by at least 80 stakeholders comprising the Government, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, Members of the Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities and the UNPRPD Project Team.
In a keynote address read on behalf of the Principal Secretary, his representative, Mr. Mhambi Ndlangamandla, commended the collaborative efforts made towards advancing the rights of persons with disabilities.
This occasion marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts towards progressively addressing issues of persons with disabilities in the country. It is worthy to appreciate the financial and technical support from the United Nations made available for this significant exercise from UNESCO through the on-going United Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (two-year programme UNPRPD 2021 -2024) which is implemented and coordinated by the Kingdom of Eswatini office.
The 2024 to 2028 National Disability Plan of Action sets out Eswatini’s strategy for identifying and accelerating opportunities for persons with disabilities and to promote the recognition of their rights in alignment with national policies.
The NDPA will be a blueprint that guides our actions, policies and investments towards a future that LEAVES NO ONE BEHIND, as announced in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of 2030.
The 2024-2028 National Disability Plan of Action seeks to address the needs of persons with disabilities while promoting their full participation and equal opportunities in political, socio economic, cultural, and technological spheres. Most importantly, the NDPA fosters the Kingdom of Eswatini’s timely efforts to mainstream disability in policies and programmes to ensure growth and sustainable development. This will also ensure that persons with disabilities have equal access to education, health, social protection, training, employment, sports, and other opportunities and services.
Speaking on behalf of the government, Mr. Mcusi Shongwe, the Director of the Department of Social Issues at the DPMO commended the action plan for providing a roadmap to address and prioritize disability issues at national level.
The National Disability Plan of Action promotes inclusion and full participation of all persons with disabilities.
The UNPRPD Eswatini Project Coordinator reiterated the same sentiments.
The plan will provide a strategic roadmap to continue progressively addressing disability issues in the next 5 years.
Some of the key activities undertaken through the Deputy Prime Minister’s office during the previous NDPA (2018-2022) include the provision of assistive devices through allocation of an annual budget for the procurement of assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walking sticks, white canes, prosthesis, aluminum elbow crutches and eyeglasses.
According to the National Population and Housing Census of 2017, the Kingdom of Eswatini has an estimated 146 554 persons with disabilities, representing 13% of the population. Of these, rural population have the highest proportion of persons with disabilities (3.1 percent) compared to the urban population (2.4%). At least 85 percent of persons with disabilities in Eswatini is unemployed, and thus a lot still has to be done to promote inclusive economic growth, as only 28 percent of the population with disabilities in Eswatini is employed (2017 Population and Housing Census Volume 6).
