Fiji commits itself to making disability visible during times of crisis – Minister for Social Welfare
The Fiji Government has committed to making disability visible during times of crisis.
The commitment comes days before the global community celebrates International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) on 13 October.
Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Jiko Luveni told journalists in Suva that government will work all relevant stakeholders to ensure the needs of people living with disabilities are addressed.
“In the coming weeks, we hope to receive the final endorsement from Cabinet before final preparation of the UN Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) instruments for its ratification in the not too distant future.
“Another anticipated historical milestone would be the availability of the Braille copy of the 2013 constitution of Fiji by next month for the visually challenged in Fiji, said Dr Luveni.
She was launching Fiji’s weeklong celebrations to mark International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, which this year has the theme “People with Disability and Disasters.”
Fiji signed the CRPD in June 2010. Dr Luveni said for the past two years, government has been reviewing existing legislations relating to disability in Fiji which has led to the formulation of the 2013 Disability Decree.
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) focused its attention on people living with disabilities as the theme of the International Day for Disaster Reduction because it estimates that around a billion people around the world live with some form of disability.
“This represents roughly one-sixth of the world's population, a substantial group of people that need to be included when making plans to prepare for a disaster, yet often we find such planning does not exist even in developed and wealthy countries, said Timothy Wilcox, head of UNISDR Pacific.
“People living with disabilities are often more vulnerable to disasters; because they are more likely to be poor with limited access to education, health care, shelter, food and financial resources to recover from a disaster. Emergency planners often compound these vulnerabilities by failing to consider their needs.
“For example: How does someone confined to a wheelchair make their way to the nearest school to be evacuated by a government provided bus or pick up their ration pack?
“But people living with disabilities have unique contributions, often overlooked, to help reduce the risk of disasters and build resilient societies and communities. We need to change our mindset and see them as equal and positive contributors to society, said Wilcox.
The global flagship for disaster reduction, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) will conclude in 2015.
“Unfortunately it speaks less about disability but more on vulnerability and risk. The lack of inclusion and participation in disaster risk reduction processes means the needs and possible contributions of persons living with disabilities are often overlooked. This needs to change and the anticipated replacement HFA2 is expected to address this issue, said Wilcox.
Along this line, UNISDR is also hosting a Media Training for Fiji journalists from 8 - 9 October to appraise media personnel with the right approach towards disability and disaster reduction issues.