Tripoli: The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has issued the National Charter on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, aiming to secure their effective participation in structured dialogues to achieve unified elections and institutions.
According to Libyan News Agency, the Charter, announced on Wednesday, includes commitments to guarantee a minimum of 70 percent representation for persons with disabilities in the next government, as well as in all sovereign councils and administrative institutions. It also ensures comprehensive representation in the four dialogue tracks: governance, security, the economy, and national reconciliation and human rights.
The Charter is described as a fundamental step towards promoting equality and equal opportunities, ensuring accessibility, and guaranteeing genuine and sustainable representation for persons with disabilities in Libya's future. It includes monitoring and implementation indicators, such as establishing an independent national body mainly composed of persons with disabilities, empowered to monitor, evaluate, and issue binding recommendations, alongside their representation in Parliament and the government.
The Charter calls for organizing training courses for decision-makers and senior officials, ensuring easy access to information and services for persons with disabilities, protecting them from discrimination and abuse, and facilitating their access to security and judicial institutions. It also includes provisions for developing compensation, psychological support, and rehabilitation programs, and organizing awareness campaigns to combat social stigma and discrimination.
The responsibilities of the four representatives in the structured dialogue tracks include ensuring easy access to facilities and information, providing training and empowerment programs, and actively participating in political, cultural, and social activities to promote the full and sustainable representation of persons with disabilities.