Wednesday, September 28, 2022 – A three-day training workshop to enhance the capacities of persons with disabilities have been concluded today. Members of the Jordanian Persons with Disability Coalition took part in the training organised by the Al-Hayat Centre (RASED) with the support of UNDP and in partnership with the Government of Norway as part of phase 2 of the Local Government Network project. The training targeted the member organisations of the Jordanian Coalition for Persons with Disabilities. 39 trainees including 12 persons with disabilities from all governorates took part in the training. The Coalition comprises 30 member associations in various governorates with 1,900 beneficiaries. 

Director of the Jordanian Persons with Disability Coalition Dr. Ahmed Al-Louzi expressed his thanks and appreciation for supporting the Coalition, which was established in 2011 and was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with the withdrawal of member associations from the Coalition. The participants underlined the need for continued support to the Coalition since it is the civil umbrella for raising awareness and defending the rights of persons with disabilities and enabling them to participate in all spheres of life.  

The training programme included four main modules: leadership skills and problem-solving strategies, proposal writing and reporting skills, advocacy and alliance building and a detailed overview of the Persons with Disabilities Law N.20 of 2017 and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities CRPD and the related rights of persons with disabilities.

In the opening session a dialogue about the outcomes of the Royal Committee for the Modernization of the Political System and moderated by Dr. Amer Bani Amer, with the participation of His Excellency Senator Dr. Khalid Bakar, Chair of the Election Committee, and His Excellency Adnan Al-Sawair, Chair of the Political Parties Committee in the Royal Committee. The participants were briefed on the most important outcomes related to persons with disabilities of the Law on Election and the Law on Political Parties and the importance of capitalising on political modernization to enhance the political representation of persons with disabilities.

In the closing session Ambassador of Norway to the Kingdom Espen Lindbæck stated that he was pleased to participate in the closing session, especially as the Local Government Network project is aimed to promote the participation and representation of the most disadvantaged groups at the local level, including youth, women and persons with disabilities. Supporting the capacity development of marginalized individuals and groups is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advancing human development, Ambassador Lindbæck added. The overall focus of this exercise is to strengthen the role of the Jordanian Persons with Disabilities Coalition and to ensure the effective participation of vulnerable groups and leaving no one behind.

Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Majda Alassaf confirmed that UNDP continues to support the Coalition and strengthens its capacity to advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities like other citizens in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs, which call for leaving no one behind and stress the need to reach out everyone including the disadvantaged persons, particularly youth, women and persons with disabilities so as to achieve the objectives of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities CRPD, which the Kingdom ratified in 2008. CRPD states the right of persons with disabilities to participate as active community members on an equal basis with others in all political, social, economic, environmental and cultural areas

In the closing session the participants were briefed about the structure and content of the Coalition's website, which is under development. A number of recommendations and measures were agreed by the participants, including developing the coalition into a federation, expanding membership, supporting opportunities of capacity-building, research, exchange of experiences and best practices and policy sessions with experts covering all areas of the sustainable development, and supporting the coalition’s initiatives and projects in support of the rights of persons with disabilities