OSCE Presence, United Kingdom urge for increased support to people with disabilities in Albania

TIRANA, 7 April 2011 – Promoting the rights of disabled people by strengthening the capacities of the Albanian National Council of People with Disabilities (ANCPD) and relevant civil society organizations was the focus of a roundtable discussion organized today in Tirana by the OSCE Presence and the British Council Albania.

The Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, the Head of the OSCE Presence Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth and British Ambassador to Albania Fiona McIlwham opened the discussion between ANCPD members, representatives of civil society organizations, state institutions and international community.

“The 130,000 disabled people living in Albania represent one of the most marginalized groups”, stressed Ambassador Wollfarth in his address to the event participants. “It is time to strengthen the efforts in re-activating the National Council, assisting it in implementing the law and enforcing a co-operation model between state and civil society effectively promoting rights and fundamental freedoms of disabled people, in particular their integration in public life,” he added.

British Ambassador Fiona McIlwham said: "As well as raising awareness and challenging perceptions, people, and particularly people affected by disabilities, need to feel change. Albania now must take firm steps towards strengthening legislation which will ultimately improve the lives of thousands of people with disabilities”.

She added that “achieving a society based on true equality for all is a long and not easy journey. A journey which we in the UK are still on. Which is why when next summer London host the 2012 Olympic Games, it has pledged to make this the most inclusive games in the history of the Olympics.”

Participants, discussed a draft strategy for the work of the National Council prepared by an international expert funded by the Presence and the British Council Albania. Issues concerning accessibility, employment challenges and the relationship between disabled people and the media were also discussed.

In 2010, in co-operation with the British Council Albania, the British Embassy in Tirana, the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, as well as civil society organizations, the OSCE Presence in Albania provided policy assistance to the ANCPD, facilitated exchange of experiences between the Council and its counterparts in the United Kingdom, contributed to enhancing its effectiveness and further raising of its public profile.

Today’s event was also part of a series of activities under the Promoting Inclusion Week co-ordinated by the British Council in five Albanian cities.