DUBAI, (Pakistan Point News - 12th Aug, 2020) The People of Determination Advisory Council in the UAE held its first meeting with its new members to discuss a number of issues related to the People of Determination especially the challenges they may face during the next phase.
The Council recommended to include disability issues in the UAE's 50-year Development Plan, considering that the People of Determination represent an important segment of the community and have long received the attention of the UAE wise leadership and the government, therefore the services and programmes provided to them and their parents must be included in the public policies of the government authorities to ensure their full inclusion in the society.
The meeting was held under the coordination of the Ministry of Community Development, after it announced the new formation of the members of the Council, including new People of Determination board members representing various types of disabilities including audiovisual and motor, as well as representatives of service providers such as the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Ministry of Education, as well as specialists working in the field.
Nasser Ismail, Assistant Under-Secretary of Social Welfare at the Ministry of Community Development, said, "The new formation of the Council aims to add new youth members in the Council who are capable of looking ahead and understanding the challenges faced by the People of Determination during the next phase being an important stage in the history of the UAE with the vision of the next 50 years."
The council was very keen to select members carefully taking into consideration their professionalism and high motivation to work, he added.
Wafa Hamad Bin Sulaiman, Director of Welfare & Rehabilitation Department for People of Determination stated that the Council discussed a range of related issues, including a review of the most important achievements of the previous council to give new members a full picture of the efforts made earlier to start where others ended up, as well as a presentation of the most important amendments proposed in the draft law on persons with disabilities in the UAE, to fit the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and to cover more life aspects that affect the needs of People of Determination in various fields, while creating the opportunity to include them more in the community in line with the forthcoming stage.
The Council also discussed the draft autism policy in line with the aspirations of the UAE government for the next 50 years, in terms of providing innovative services for people with autism and early screening of children with autism at a very early age, training staff and specialists on global best practices in terms of assessment and rehabilitation of autism, activating the role of families being active members in the programmes offered by various authorities and at the same time enable people with autism transit safely into social and practical life in a smooth way to ensure their full inclusion in the community and different life situations.
The advisory council included Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Al-Omran Al Shamsi, Advisor to the Executive Council of the Government of Dubai and Chairman of the Advisory Council for People of Determination, and members as follows: Noura Ibrahim Salem Al-Marri, Director of Special education Department at the Ministry of Education, Dr. Ammar Hamid Al Banna, Head of Child & Adolescent Mental Health Centre at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, Salem Khamis Al Mazrouei, Chief Information Technology Specialist in the Executive Office of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Hassan Al Mutawa, Director of Green Economy at Dubai Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, Hanan Ahmed Al-Hashimi, Quality and Excellence Specialist at the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi, Abdullah Mohammed Al Souri, Journalist, Founder and Chairman of "Yes to My Giving" Initiative, Saif Juma Al-Falasi, Director of Human Resources Policies Department at Dubai Police, Dr. Lubna Al Shaali, Director of Public Health Policies at the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Fatima Ibrahim Al-Muslimi, Director of Strategy and Projects at the UAE Special Olympics and Reem Al Fahim, CEO of Sidra Foundation.
On this occasion, Dr. Ahmed Al Shamsi expressed his gratitude for Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, for her unlimited support to the Council and the logistic role of her ministry to support the council. "The confidence of the ministry towards the members of the council provides us high motivation to continue serving People of Determination and work to achieve the aspirations of our leadership in various areas of development, particularly those related to People of Determination," he noted.
The first council meeting discussed important topics, including the proposed draft amendments to Federal Law No. 29 of 2006 on the rights of People of Determination, where it stressed the importance of including disability programmes in national strategic plans."Today, we are at an important stage in the reformulation of government plans and preparation for the next 50 years," he added.
The Council also recommended the need to verify the availability and comprehensiveness of the 50-year plan for various issues related to People of Determination and the initiatives included in this plan will receive high government support.
Abdullah Al Souri emphasised that the Council represents the embodiment of the UAE’s vision and government unlimited support to the People of Determination.
