The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is currently holding a Roundtable Conference on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – Compliant Budgeting Guidelines at the Senegambia Beach Hotel.
The conference brings together relevant stakeholders form various government Ministries, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transportation. Works and Infrastructure, National Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and civil society, to discuss how the national budget can be disability inclusive and sensitive, with the full participation of persons with disabilities from the planning to the execution stages of the budget.
Earlier in June this year, the NHRC produced a Compliant Budgeting Guidelines to support the implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2021. The Guidelines is intended to support Government institutions, particularly Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Local Government Authorities to integrate a disability perspective into all stages of the budget and public policy life cycle in a bid to ensure the allocation of sufficient resources to enhance the enjoyment of human rights by Persons with Disabilities.
The President of the Gambia Federation of the Disabled (GFD) and the Chairperson of the National Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities, Your Worship Muhammed Krubally, highlighted the importance of inclusion of persons with disabilities during budgeting. “There is nothing about us without us. Consider us when doing your budget”, he stated. Krubally also commended the NHRC for always including disabilities in their programmes.
Stakeholders urged the Government to adopt the CRPD Budgeting Guidelines.
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