UN Special Rapporteur on Disability

Sudan Country Visit Report: 27-31 December 2008

Objectives of the Visit:

To monitor the implementation of UN Standard Rules For Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disability.
To raise awareness of and to monitor the situation of persons with disability in conflict zones and areas of war.
To draw attention to disability issues and the rights of persons with disabilities to decision makers and government officials of the Republic of Sudan.
To raise awareness regarding the ratification of the International Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities.

Visit Brief:

The UNSR conducted a five-day visit to the Republic of Sudan, as part of her mandate, during which she met with highest officials in the government, including:
- H.E. Omar Albasheer, President of Sudan
- H.E. Mrs. Samia Ahmed, Minister of Social Welfare, Women and Child Affairs .

The Special Rapporteur also met with representatives of the disability federations and organizations, as well as field visits to vocational training institutions and rehabilitation centers.

The Special Rapporteur also conducted a visit to North Darfur, in particular the IDP refugee camps and met with representatives of UNAMID and UNIMS.

Meetings:

Meetings with local Officials and Government representatives:

A- Meeting with H.E. President Omar Al-Basher;

The UN Special Rapporteur on Disability met with H.E. Omar Albasheer on the 28th of December 2008. The following issues were discussed:

Disability issues at the legislation and policy making level.
1. H.E. the President stated that the republic of Sudan has no problem when it comes to the issue of Disability at the legislative level. Sudan passed a disability law in 1984 and now a new law is being discussed in the National Council (Parliament).
2. The Special Rapporteur highly valued the current momentum of reviewing the disability laws and how much the new law is in keeping with the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
3. She also urged the Government of Sudan to ratify the International Convention.
Funding,
1. national resources are limited and which makes it difficult to support development projects targeted toward Persons with Disabilities.
War and Disability,
1. The President stated that one of the significant out comes of war is Disability and in Sudan war is one of the major causes of Disability, and the number one cause of Disability in Sudan is Diabetes.
2. He also stated that the international understanding of what is happening in Darfur is wrong and the current situation there is completely different than what is being represented in the international media.
3. The Special Rapporteur emphasized the critical situation of persons with disabilities in conflict zones and the need for awareness raising programs for persons who work in such areas especially persons working in human rights and development issues in refugee camps.
The role of State of Qatar:
1. The President highly valued the role of the State Qatar in the Security Council, and all its initiatives aimed at achieving peace at the regional level. H.E. also valued the role that Arab women are plying at the national and international levels.
2. The Special Rapporteur expressed her appreciation for the role played by Sudanese women, in particular the fact that they have been among the first Arab women to take an active role in the social and political life in Sudan.

B - Meeting with the President of the Sudanese National Assembly (Parliament):

The Special Rapporteur met with H.E. Ahmed Ibrahim Al Taher the President of the Sudanese National Assembly on 28 December 2008. The following issues were discussed:

Disability Legislation:
1. The H.E. briefed the Special Rapporteur on the legal process taking place in the National Council regarding the passing of the new disability law. He stated that the law is now going through the second reading at the council and is receiving wide acceptance from all the Council representatives. He was hopeful that it will be approved in the coming sessions.
2. The Special Rapporteur thanked the President of the Council for his cooperation and stressed the concept of "what is good for us is good for all".
3. The Special Rapporteur also encouraged the council to seize this momentum and discuss the possibility of ratifying the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.
4. The President of the Council/Assembly stated that the legislation process is a continuous process and that he will take this into consideration and will work toward ratifying the Convention.
5. He also stated that people with disability are well represented in the National Council. The National Council in this Fourth Assembly has 2 blind members and in the 3rd assembly there was one Deaf person who actually won his seat through elections and was a very active member.
6. The Special Rapporteur valued this rich experience and expressed her wishes that all the countries of the region follow Sudan's foot steps in the legislative process.

C- Meeting with the Minister of Social Welfare, Women and Child Affairs:

The UN Special Rapporteur on Disability met with Mrs. Samiah Ahmed Mohammed, on 28 December 2008. The following issues were discussed:

Country Visit Program:
1. The minister thanked the Special Rapporteur on her visit and interest
2. The Special Rapporteur discussed the visit program that was arranged by the Ministry and the objectives of the visit; as well as the importance of going through all the issues related to disability, from legislation to implementation, and advocacy to empowerment.
3. The Special Rapporteur emphasized the need to include UNAMID and UNMIS and other UN Agencies working in Darfur and South of Sudan in the visit.
Disability in Sudan:
1. a. The Minister explained that the role of the Ministry is to draw policies and procedures that ensure full participation of persons with disability in the society.
2. b. She stated that there are several laws being implemented that include persons with disabilities and protect their rights, such as:
  1. The Constitution.
  2. Disability law of 1984
  3. Education law.
  4. Labor law.
  5. Accessibility Law
3. The Minister stated that at the legislative level people with disability are fully covered by laws that protect their rights and dignity, but what the disability movement in Sudan lacks is:
  1. Financial Support: the cost of caring for a disabled person is very high and what adds to the problem is that Sudan is very big country and the government alone can't afford this cost
  2. Awareness raising: the Ministry is working in coordination with the Ministry of Information on programs to raise awareness of disability and disabled people’s right.
  3. Mainstreaming: the Minister stated that the work is now targeted toward mainstreaming specially in education . (No examples were given in this context).
The Iinternational Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:
1. The UN Special Rapporteur valued all the work that is being done on Disability and persons with disability, and asked the about the possibility of Sudan ratifying the Convention since it was one of the first Arab countries to sign the Convention.
2. b. The Minister stated that the Convention is being discussed in the National Assembly and it's on the way to being ratified. She also stated that the new disability law which is also being discussed in the National Assembly of Sudan is in keeping with the Convention.
The Disability on the UN Agencies Agenda:
1. The Special Rapporteur was asked about disability on the agendas of UN agencies like UNICEF and UNIFM, she stated that there is no unified strategies or action plan regarding disability on the agendas of UN Agencies, and that these agencies should take a more active role and pay more attention toward disability issues each according to their specialty. the office of the Special Rapporteur has worked and is working in collaboration with some of the UN agencies on specific disability related issues.

D- Meeting with the Minister of Social Affairs of North Darfur:

The UN Special Rapporteur on Disability met with Essa Baher Eldddin, Minister of Social Affairs State of North Darfur, on 29 December 2008, in which she discussed the following issues:

Disability in Darfur:
1. Mr. Baherelddin stated that this association consists of the union of the Physically Disabled Federation, the Deaf Federation and the Blind Federation, which are the main federations that works with disabled people in North Darfur. This association is the centeral association and it has 14 different branches throughout the State.
2. The Association consist of physical therapy clinic, orthotic and prosthetic workshop, a center of women development, a nursery and school.
3. the Special Rapporteur discussed the achievements and challenges that the disability movement is facing in Darfur especially after the war. Many achievements and challenges were highlighted in several aspect such as:
  1. Achievements:
    1. establishment of the Association
    2. establishment of prosthetic workshop in corporation with Leprosy Mission, and physical therapy clinic in corporation with T.L.M
    3. establishment of audio library for the blind.
    4. the provision of some motorcycles for student.
  2. Challenges:
    1. lack of financial support.
    2. Lack of educational opportunities
    3. Lack of assistive devices.
    4. Poverty—which constitutes a major challenge
    5. No early intervention services.
    6. Persons working in the field of disability lack knowledge and experiences. Lack of professional training is another major challenge.
4. The Special Rapporteur stressed awareness raising and the need to shift from the charity approach to rights-based approach when dealing with disability issues. She also stressed the importance of training and international cooperation and sharing of best practices among the countries of the region and the world. The Special Rapporteur expressed her willingness to be a bridge to international cooperation between disabled people in Darfur and the world.

E- Meeting with the H.E. Mohammed Yusuf Keber, Governor of North Darfur state:

The UN Special Rapporteur on Disability met with H.E. Mohammed Yusuf Keber on 29 December 2008, in which she discussed the following issues:

Disability in Darfur:
1. the Governor of North Darfur expressed that one of the major out comes of Darfur conflict has been disabled people and the state’s lack the funding and manpower to deal with this issue. He added that the conflict between tribes still exist the safety is still an issue but not to the extent that the international media is showing. The Special Rapporteur and the Governor agreed that there is a lot that needs to be done for disabled people in Darfur and that UN agencies should take a leading role in that.
2. The Special Rapporteur committed that she is going to work on linking organizations of with disability in Darfur with the international community and try to facilitate funding and technical support for these organization.

F- Meeting with the Advisory Council for Human Rights:

The Special Rapporteur me with Secretary General of the Advisory Council for Human Right and members of the Council’s Board on 30,Decmeber 2008, and several issues were discussed such as:

the Role of the Council: the Secretary General briefed the Special Rapporteur on the nature of the work of the Advisory Council and stated that the role of the Council :
1. is considered a department under the Ministry of Justice and includes representatives of different sectors of the government.
2. It works as an advisory unit to the Sudanese Government.
3. It studies all the international conventions and gives opinion on whether or not to become party to them .
4. Recommends reservations depending on the nature of the international conventions and their compatibility with Sudanese culture and values.
5. The Advisory Council includes different committees, each having it's own role and one of them is the committee on the rights of persons with disability. The role of this committee is to raise awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities, make recommendation on existing laws and their suitability to persons with disabilities, the provide of research and studies on laws related to persons with disabilities.
6. The Committee on the right of PWD achievements so far was:
  1. enrollments of PWD in the health insurance Law, the civil rights Law, and the child welfare law. The establishment of the Prosthetics and orthotics law.
  2. the adjustment of the Civil Services Law and force the government to give 2% of positions in the public sector to PWD.
The role of the Council in Darfur:
1. The UNSR discussed the role of the Council in Darfur and what the council is doing about the violations of human rights that are taking place especially against PWD in refugee camps. The council replied that the council is working closely with the government in Darfur -in Alfasher and Nealah- to raise awareness of human rights in officials and people working directly with refugees. And this is happening in coordination with the UNAMID. Also the council is working with the local governments to change the existed concept toward PWD.
2. The Special Rapporteur asked about what is being done for PWD in Refugee Camps in Darfur and if there are any special programs that are directed to them in particular, the council replied that the local government is integrating them with the already existed in the local Cities.
3. The Special Rapporteur and the Council agreed that the problem facing the provision of services to PWD in refugee camps is the lack of statistics and information. The Special Rapporteur recommended the establishment of an organization concern with the welfare of PWD in conflict zones.
4. Replying to a question about the coordination between the Council and PWD organizations in Darfur and international Agencies, the council replied that issue of disability in conflict zone was not an issue specially in Darfur because the type of conflict in there, didn't generate disability among people. And the Council agreed that it will place the coordination issue on its' agenda and will coordinate with UNMID regarding this matter.

G- meeting with Dr. Sulafelddine the Commissioner of the North Sudan DDR Commission:

The UNSR met with the Commissioner of the DDR of North of Sudan in DDR headquarter on the 30 December 2008, the issues that were discussed were as follows:

the DDR work:
1. the DDR is a government institution that was establishment according to the Abuja Peace Treaty and Addis Ababa Peace Treat. It's main role was to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate soldiers in northern Sudan. According to statistics there is 350 thousand soldiers that need reintegration in northern Sudan, a large number of them are young people. The DDR performs its work in collaboration with the UNIMS, UNDP, and other UN agencies.
2. DDR has a special integration program for PWD specially soldiers that acquired disability during the war. The program so far has registered 28,000 disabled person, only 5000 persons have been reintegrated back into society. The funding for integrating these 5000 persons came form local government, the DDR stated that UN Agencies are unable to provide funding for the reintegration process.
Challenges:
1. Poor funding contributed to the fact that the soldiers went back to enroll in armed militias in war and conflict zones. According to statistics the cost for reintegrating per person is 3000 US Dollars.
2. The Commissioner stated that the major problem is lack of coordination with the UN agencies specially the UNMIS " the UNMIS didn't identify a focal person on Disabled matters.", and the funding stakeholders, till now didn't provide the funds that they promised.
3. The Special Rapporteur stressed on the initiation principle to find solution to this issues, and suggested that the DDR can work with agencies like Landmine Survival Network "LSN", ILO, that can provide financial and technical support.

H- Meeting with representatives of Disabled peoples organizations and federations;

In DDR headquarters the Special Rapporteur met with several representatives of disability organizations and federation that represent all sectors of the disability in Sudan on 30 December 2008. The meeting was an open discussion regarding the current situation and the challenges that are facing the disabled people and the organizations working in the field. Several issues were highlighted as follows:

awareness raising: not only on rights of persons with disability, but also on services provision, technical and social support.
Statistics and information; the lack of which contributes to poor strategic planning.
training and technical information; the representatives stressed the fact that the professionals working on the field lack technical information and evidence-based practice and need on-the-job training. There is also lack of specialized professions like Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Pathologists, Prosthetics and Orthotics Specialist.
Funding; most of disability organizations funding comes form individuals and charity, and there is lack of funding entity at the country level,
coordination between organizations; there is poor coordination between the local organizations and this results in poor administration of services provided, there is a need for a national organization that takes on the responsibility of coordination between local and national organizations around Sudan.
assistive devices; at the national level there is shortage of assistive aids and devices especially prostheses, hearing aids, wheel chairs that meet individual needs, walking aids for the blinds, and lack of access to information.

Go to page 2 >>