HIBAPRESS
The city of Sale witnessed, on Wednesday, the launch of the Third National Disability Survey, during a meeting described as distinctive and qualitative, chaired by Naima Benyahya, Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Family, along with Abdeljabar Rachidi, Secretary of State in charge of Social Inclusion, and in the presence of each of Chakib Benmoussa, High Commissioner for Planning, Othman Kair, President of the National Observatory for Human Development, and Marielle Sander, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Morocco.
This research aims to update national data and provide accurate data that takes into account the territorial dimension regarding the situation of disability in Morocco, by diagnosing the reality of people with disabilities, and monitoring the nature of the barriers that limit their participation and social inclusion and their enjoyment of economic and social rights.
The results of the research will contribute to the preparation of a new national map of disability supported by statistics and figures, which will be adopted as a basic reference in the formulation of public policies, regional development plans and integrated territorial development programs, which will enhance the public offer directed to people with disabilities.
The meeting constituted an important station during which a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Secretariat of State for Social Inclusion and the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Family, the High Commission for Planning, the National Observatory for Human Development, and the United Nations Population Fund, within a collaborative framework that aims to unify efforts, exchange experiences and ensure the successful implementation of this national research.
The interveners emphasized the utmost importance of this research as an essential diagnostic tool for monitoring new transformations and challenges, and measuring the impact of the policies and programs implemented since the Second National Research of 2014, and revealing the existing gaps at the national and territorial levels.
The research will practically enable the measurement of the prevalence of disability and its demographic, social and economic characteristics, and the assessment of the extent of access of people with disabilities to basic services and their suitability to their specificities, which supports the formulation of policies and programs that respond to their needs and take into account local and regional specificities.
This event represents a major practical step in activating the new development model and fulfilling the constitutional and international obligations of the Kingdom of Morocco in the field of protecting the rights of people with disabilities and promoting their inclusion, in harmony with the high royal directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, and accelerating the implementation of the related government commitments.
The meeting witnessed a significant presence of representatives from government sectors, the Supreme Council of the Judicial Authority, the social services of the Royal Armed Forces, public and national institutions, the Parliament with its two chambers, elected bodies, international organizations, and civil society organizations working in the field of disability, in addition to the national media.
