On 12 October, the Forum of Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development (FAPPD) and Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) held a parliamentary meeting on people with disabilities and the elderly in Cairo, Egypt, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Japan Trust Funds (JTF). The meeting aimed to review the current situation of people with disabilities and the elderly and to intensify and accelerate efforts to achieve the SDGs, given that they are often marginalized and left behind in the society. The meeting included the following Egyptian parliamentary committees: the Parliamentary Committee on Social Solidarity and People with Disabilities, the Parliamentary Committee on Family Affairs, the Parliamentary Committee on Health, the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Scientific Research, the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, and the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional and Legislative Affairs. Furthermore, among attendees were the Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity, the Minister of Youth, representatives from ministries concerned with population and development, representatives from UNFPA Arab States Regional Office and civil society organizations.

During the meeting, Hon. Dr. Abdelhadi Al-Qasabi affirmed that the Egyptian Parliament has approved a set of human rights laws that were recommended and advocated by FAPPD and APDA in their meetings held in Arab and Asian countries. Such laws include: the National Council for Women Law No. 30 of 2018; the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Law No. 10 of 2018; the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood Law; the Rights of the Elderly Law, and the issuance of the National Human Rights Strategy. Other parliamentarians also highlighted the importance of the Comprehensive Health Insurance Law No. 2 of 2018, which came to fruition due to the efforts of the Egyptian House of Representatives and FAPPD, which serves as a constitutional obligation to guarantee their access to integrated healthcare.

It was also reported that in Egypt, 8 seats are allocated to people with disabilities in the Egyptian House of Representatives, along with free education and healthcare for them, and 5% employment quota for people with disabilities in both the public and private sectors. However, according to some data, children with disabilities are four times more likely to experience violence than their non-disabled peers. Disabled adults experience violence 1.5 times more than those without disabilities. Among the factors exposing people with disabilities to violence are stigma, discrimination, ignorance of disabilities, and a lack of social support for those who care for these individuals. As a way forward, the participants discussed promoting social inclusion, leveraging innovation and technology for people with disabilities to enhance access to information, education, and lifelong learning to participate in the workforce and society on equal footing, and strengthening strategic roles of parliamentarians to play in creating legislative, enabling environment for this purpose.

Throughout the meeting, the Egyptian parliamentarians reiterated their appreciation to the Government and people of Japan for their support to FAPPD’s activities, making essential and effective contributions to addressing population and development issues in the Arab countries.

■Inter Press Service (IPS)
Egyptian Parliament Moves to Strengthen Support for People with Disabilities and the Elderly