The Qatar Foundation for Social Work (QFSW) has concluded a series of workshops leading up to the inaugural Doha International Conference on Disability and Development (DICDD), sponsored by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, founder of Qatar Foundation for Social Work (QFSW), on December 7-8 at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
The aim of the DICDD is to highlight and address the issues and challenges faced by people with disabilities, which affect more than 1. 5bn people worldwide.
The DICDD will culminate in the announcement of the "Doha Declaration," which will become a key international reference point for policy development and the advancement of human rights and sustainable social development for persons with disabilities.
The DICDD will take place under the theme "Leaving no one behind" and will be organised by the QFSW in collaboration with local and international partners.
More than 20 sessions were held at the workshop, which included the participation of Amal bint Abdullatif al-Mannai, CEO of QFSW, and hundreds of experts from universities and ministries, private organisations and centres related to persons with disabilities.
The sessions discussed important topics such as: data collection and analysis strategies, disability policies, assistive technologies, empowerment of women and girls with disabilities, and international cooperation on disability.
Al-Mannai said, “It took us a long time to prepare for this conference and among these preparations were the five workshops that we organised with the participation of hundreds of experts. We carefully chose the topics of the workshops to complement the theme of the conference and to enrich its outcomes. We hope that the conference will garner international support from different countries for people with disabilities and that the announcement of the Doha Declaration will act as a roadmap for countries to follow to enhance their people with disabilities.”
The conference will feature several distinguished speakers including Amina Mohamed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, deputy secretary general of the UN; Xavier Torres, advisor of the Presidential Government of Ecuador; and Edward Ndopu, United Nations Secretary-General's advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals.
