Programmes to observe Int'l Day for Persons with Disabilities
International Day for the Persons with Disabilities will be observed across the country today with the theme 'Making the MDGs inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities (PWDs) and their communities around the world'.
A discussion, organised by Social Welfare Ministry, Jatiya Protibandhi Unnayan Foundation (JPUF), Department of Social Service and National Forum of Organisations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD), will be held at Rabindra Sarobor in the city's Dhanmondi area to mark the day.
NFOWD said this at a press conference at the National Press Club yesterday ahead of the day, which is being widely observed throughout the world since 1992.
A series of month-long programmes have been chalked out to mark the day with due dignity.
The two most significant parts of this year's theme is the empowerment of the persons with disabilities and their inclusion in the development activities.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set earlier excluding the PWD issue, which later gave birth to many controversies and finally leading the inclusion of the issue in the MDGs in 2005.
The first two goals of the MDGs -- poverty eradication and primary education - are utterly relevant to the rights of PWDs and the goals cannot be obtained wholly without their inclusion.
Quamrunnesa Khanam, social welfare secretary, will attend the programme as special guest while Syed Modasser Ali, health and family welfare adviser to the prime minister, will be present as the chief guest.
Besides, different programmes will be held to protect the rights of autistic children on December 6, discussion on the expansion of sign language on December 7 and view exchange meeting on formulating up-to-date law preserving the rights of the PWDs.
Zowaherul Islam Mamun, secretary general of NFOWD, presented a keynote paper at the programme with Khandakar Zahurul Alam, president of NFOWD, in the chair.
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