Ministry, UN Programme To Tackle Challenges Faced By The Disabled

Thursday, April 17, 2008

BERNAMA - General
April 10, 2008

Ministry, UN Programme To Tackle Challenges Faced By The Disabled

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 (Bernama) - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), together with Women, Family and Community Development Ministry will embark on several landmark initiatives to tackle challenges faced by people with disabilities.

According to a UNDP statement, a pilot project each in Johor and Penang would look at reducing barriers faced by the disabled, in finding employment and accessing public transportation.

It said the projects were expected to be officially launched in the first half of the year.

On April 8, Malaysia became a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a treaty that upholds and safeguards the rights of people with disabilities to be independent and live with dignity and respect.

According to statistics, the disabled in Malaysia remain disproportionately uneducated, untrained, unemployed and poor.

The statement said there were currently 197,519 disabled people registered with the Social Welfare Department.-- BERNAMA