HCD-CBM event discusses plans for ‘inclusive tomorrow’

AMMAN — Under the patronage of HH Prince Mired, president of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), Christian Blind Mission (CBM) and the council on Tuesday hosted an introductory reception titled “Planning for an Inclusive Tomorrow” in Amman.

The event aimed to create a space for experts and peers to share and learn from a diverse group of attendees, to work towards the goal of improving the lives of persons with disabilities and their communities, according to a statement from the organisers. 

The reception coincided with a five-day Community-Based Inclusive Development (CBID) Training held in Amman, delivered by CBM experts for local partners in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Addressing more than 200 attendees, made up of representatives and stakeholders in the government and civil society, as well as members of diplomatic missions and the donor community, Prince Mired underscored that “we must do more and we must do better”.

“We welcome our dear friends from CBM here tonight. Their direct financial support to the Higher Council, as well as the deep plunge that we are taking together into the depths of CBID has been truly remarkable... for which we are beyond grateful. Much thanks is also owed to the German government for supporting this initiative... we are forever appreciative and in your debt. Increasing our capacity and our understanding of CBID fits perfectly into our overall plan and supports the notion of doing more and better,” the prince said.

During the event, CBM Regional Programme Manager of Asia and America’s Asfandyar Mandokhail introduced event participants to the work of CBM and its 110 years of experience as well as the organisation’s impact in the field of disability-inclusive development.

“CBM today is one of the leading international organisations for inclusive development. Our vision is an inclusive world in which all persons with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential. CBM addresses poverty as a cause, and a consequence, of disability, and works in partnership to create an inclusive society for all,” Mandokhail said.

CBM Eastern Mediterranean Programme Representative, Omar Alsaket, spoke of CBM’s impact in the Eastern Mediterranean.

 “The CBM Eastern Mediterranean office implements numerous projects in the region to promote disability-inclusive and comprehensive development, and we are on the brink of transferring a number of grants to implement projects in Jordan in collaboration with local partners, such as the HCD, the German-Jordanian University, the King Hussein Foundation and the Al Hussein Society Centre for Training and Inclusion,” Alsaket said. 

CBM Director of CBID Dominique Schlupkothen highlighted the need for and rational behind CBID as the way forward for an inclusive tomorrow. “Community Based Inclusive Development is the basis of self-empowerment and collective action to build resilient, equitable and inclusive communities. It is a great approach to implement and localise the UNCRPD and the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.

The reception concluded with a musical performance by the Jordan-based Caritas Children’s Choir; a group made up of 12 children and eight band members, including some staff members.

CBM is one of the leading international organisations for inclusive development. It supports persons with disabilities throughout the world and has been doing so for more than 110 years. 

The HCD is an effective and inclusive specialised national institution working to promote the inherent rights of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life, and ensure their full enjoyment of these rights on an equal basis with others. It was established in 2008 by virtue of the then-titled Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Number 31 for the Year 2007.