BRADES, Montserrat, CMC – The Montserrat Association of Persons with Disabilities (MAPD) Sunday said it is looking towards increasing its advocacy efforts for people with disabilities in the British Overseas Territory as it joined in observing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
“The MAPD has had its challenges over the past year with the loss of a significant number of our leadership team and members due to migration. However, we remain committed to advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities on Montserrat,” said MAPD vice president Jester “Iceman” Weekes.
“We want to intensify our efforts to champion more opportunities for work and a good quality of life for persons with disabilities. Remember, not all disabilities are visible. We welcome you to join us if you or a member of your family are managing a disability, be it physical or neurodiverse,” Weekes added.
The MAPD said that it had been able to contribute to critical infrastructural project consultations and policies for Montserrat, as well as international conversations and reports on disability.
It said that over the last year, consultants from the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) invited them to help with their disability audit of the Montserrat Port Development Project.
“The views of 14 people with disabilities on the island made it into the final report, and we support the recommendations around access and employment,” the MAPD said, adding that it has also worked with the Ministry of Finance on the Sustainable Development Plan and with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to develop a disability strategy for all overseas territories.
“MAPD also became a member of the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum and is working with them on their policy. The non-profit has also submitted evidence to the United Kingdom parliamentary inquiry on its relationship with the overseas territories.”
The MAPD said that in 2024, it intends to help complete Montserrat’s Sustainable Development Plan and ensure it is inclusive, meet architects to discuss the new hospital design, and discuss with the relevant department’s arrangements for disability inclusion in the 2024 general election.
“Mobile voting for people who cannot get to the polls has been promised, and election observers are always keen to speak with the association about their experience,” it added.
December 3 is observed internationally as a day to recognize people living with a disability. It is being held under the theme “United in action to rescue and achieve the SDGs for, with, and by persons with disabilities.”
“Given the multiple crises of today’s world, achievement of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) is in peril. At the mid-point of the implementation period for the 2030 Agenda, the world is not on track to reach numerous SDG targets by 2030. For many, progress has either stalled or regressed below the 2015 baseline,” the United Nations said.
It said preliminary findings from the forthcoming UN Disability and Development Report 2023 indicate that the world is even more off track in meeting several SDGs for persons with disabilities.
“Our efforts to rescue the SDGs for, with, and by persons with disabilities need to be intensified and accelerated, given that persons with disabilities have historically been marginalized and have often been among those left furthest behind,” the UN added.
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