International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a day that was promoted by the United Nations in 1992. The goal is to increase awareness on better understanding persons who are affected by a disability, to encourage people to be more aware about the rights, dignity and well-being of persons with disabilities.

According to data of the World Health Organization, over one billion people around the world live with some type of disability. The rate of disability is continuously growing, due to the aging of the population and the global rise of chronic health conditions.

In our country, it is estimated that 10 percent or around 200 000 citizens are people with disabilities. Health and social protection of persons with disabilities has an important place in every organized society, not only from a social and humanitarian aspect, but also due to economic reasons.

Countries with lower incomes have a higher prevalence of disabilities, unlike countries with higher incomes. Disability is more common among women, elderly people, children and adults who are poor.

Removing all types of barriers, inclusiveness in education, development and greater access to new support services, increasing the capacity of all institutions, greater involvement in society, are just some of the challenges that people with disabilities face on a daily basis.

“People with disabilities to be part of decision-making structures, to be directors, managers, MPs, members of government. To raise the ramp and give them equal opportunities in this society, which we have been seeing for a long time that it has been committed to building one society for all”, stated the President of CIVIL, Xhabir Deralla, as part of the speech at the public event “Ramp”, on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Translation: N. Cvetkovska