Malawi disability report to UN delayed
Malawi is this October expected to submit a report to the United Nations (UN) on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD) three years later than scheduled.
The country became a signatory and ratified the UNCPRD in 2007 and 2009 and has been under obligation to submit periodic reports to the UN on the state of persons with disabilities in the countries, but has not managed to do so since 2011.
Speaking in Lilongwe at the national stakeholders consultative meeting towards compiling the report, Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Patricia Kaliati said the UNCPRD has been domesticated in the Disability Act of 2012, but a report remained to be submitted.
“The initial report was due in 2011 and, therefore, time is not on our side. It is better to be late than never. What we wanted was to do a good job after securing enough resources for this assignment,” Kaliati said.
She said despite the delay, her ministry would catch up on its disability programmes, among them, ensuring the Handicapped Persons Act of 1971 and National Policy on Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities are in line with the UNCPRD.
Senior deputy secretary in the ministry Isaac Katopola explained that according to the work plan, Malawi should submit the report before the end of the year and the consultant, Justice Zione Ntaba, and members of the taskforce would make sure it is followed.
Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi (Fedoma) head of programmes Simon Munde said challenges in submitting a report have been on the government side due to limited funding in the Department of Disability.
“It is very important to submit a report to the UN; it shows our commitment to advancing the rights of people with disabilities,” said Munde.
