The National Disability Council of Namibia will hold a consultative meeting from today to 30 August 2023 at the MTC Dome Hotel in Swakopmund to deliberate on issues around the exclusivity of persons with disabilities in the country.

The draft Persons with Disabilities Bill and the amended National Policy on Disability are due for consultations across all regions.  “The consultation is about reviewing the policy and legislation of disability in Namibia. 

Before anything else, the public needs to be consulted and contribute, especially affected persons with disability should give their views because this is about them,” said Jeremiah Shilukeni from the council’s legal team.

He added the drafting of the document started in 2020 and was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and they expect this document to be in parliament by the end of 2023 or the beginning of next year.

Shilukeni stated: “Most of these policies are all about enforcing the UN Convention, and Namibia is a party. 

This is a local legislative to enforce – and as signatories to such a convention, it is important to enforce the convention.”  The convention serves as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension, adopting a broad categorisation of persons with disabilities and reaffirming that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Existing and broad policies guiding the plight of persons with disability include the National Disability Act, Affirmative Action Act, several sections of the Labour Act, Education Act, Child Care and Protection Act, which are general acts.

Shilukeni reiterated that the Persons with Disability Bill is specific and requires key stakeholders to be part of the discourse to thoroughly deliberate on issues of disability.

- psiririka@nepc.com.na