Ashgabat, 8 July 2011 — Representatives from 5 disability organizations and staff from the National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (NIDHR) under the President of Turkmenistan met at a roundtable on the rights of persons with disabilities in Ashgabat on 5 July 2011. This roundtable took place at the Resource Centre, which was recently opened at the premises of the NIDHR.
Representatives from the Central Fitness and Sports Club for Persons with Disabilities, the Association for Disabled, the National Paralympics Committee, the Chess Centre for the Blind and the Red Crescent Society presented information on their work during the meeting.
“This was a great opportunity to learn about the work of disability organisations in Turkmenistan and to exchange experiences,” said Mr. Al-Tarawneh, a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He gave a presentation on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the roundtable.
“Awareness raising is vital to promote an attitude of respect and recognition of the contributions that persons with disabilities make to society” said Mohammed Al-Tarawneh, “Persons with disabilities themselves play a key role in this endeavour and this why disability organisations deserve our full support,” he stated.
It is expected that roundtables, such as this one, will be held at the centre on a regular basis. The NIDHR’s Resource Centre aims to contribute to the promotion of human rights in Turkmenistan by making available and disseminating information on human rights.
The roundtable was organized within the framework of the EU/UNDP/OHCHR project “Strengthening the national capacity of Turkmenistan to promote and protect human rights”. This project is implemented in partnership with the Government of Turkmenistan. Its overall objective is to increase knowledge on international human rights standards and mechanisms in Turkmenistan and to strengthen national capacities to promote and protect human rights in accordance with these standards.
[EU/UNDP/OHCHR press release]