On Friday, we marked the start of Disability Week. This week, we are celebrating a pivotal year for the Maltese disability sector. I believe in the United Nations mantra for the disability movement – ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’. Towards this end, I made it a priority to meet with the different stakeholders in the disability sector, not only in appreciation of their sterling work but also to be able to mutually discuss the best way forward for the sector. Last July, we successfully passed legislation to make sure that disabled people and their families have access to the various rights mentioned by the UN Convention. Appropriate structures, procedures and enforcement systems were put in place. This also entailed strengthening the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD). The national focal point for implementing the convention is now housed within the new Directorate for Disability Issues (DDI) of the government, as are brand new structures for inter-entity and inter-ministerial coordination and civil society participation. In terms of clear road maps, in September my ministry launched ‘Freedom to Live’, Malta’s 2021-2030 National Strategy on the Rights of...
