Complete the Challenge Workshop for Maputo

The Complete the Challenge Workshop for Maputo was held on May 6, 2014 at Sunway Hotel. It was attended by 67 people from government, mine clearance agencies, and people who work with those who have survived the weapons. Inputs from this meeting will form part of the Cambodian governments response in Maputo, Mozambique.

Quality of Rehabilitation, and Economic, Social, and Political inclusion were key components.

Cambodia is committed to the full and effective participation of mine victims in society on an equal basis to others. Victim Assistance will be integrated into broader national policies, plans and legal frameworks related to disability (eg CRPD), health, education, employment, development and poverty reduction. Cambodia is committed to improving the quality of life of vulnerable survivors, upholding their rights and meeting their needs. Cambodia believes most individuals experience improvements in the quality of their lives in their own villages, so we are committed to ensuring implementation and monitoring at district, commune, and village level. The village community with its village leader will be strongly encouraged to treat people with disability with respect acknowledging their abilities, upholding their rights and meeting their needs.

The priorities that Cambodia will focus on in the next 10 years are.

1) Good quality affordable rehabilitation centres with outreach and transport fund
How: The government will:
- ensure enough funding for these centres.
- accept Technical expertise and upgrade staff.
- promote Liaison between commune leaders, Ministry of Social Affairs, and Disability Action Council, so vulnerable are able to access rehabilitation services.

2) Economic Inclusion of People with Disability including Survivors
How:- Implement job quotas named in law.
- Give income generation grants through a well-monitored fund.
- Continue issuing titles to land for people with disability on an equal basis with others.
- Ask all actors, government and non-government organizations to report how many people with disability have benefitted from their development activities.

3) Social Inclusion
How:
- Stress the capacities of people with disability and challenge negative discrimination.
- Arrange appropriate quality education to include all children.
- Set up emergency fund for most vulnerable.
- Implement accessibility to all public buildings.
- Include people with disability in all village meetings.

4) Political Inclusion
How:
- Hear voice of people with disability at province level yearly forum.
- Implement CRPD and National Law on Disability.
- National Identity Documents issued to all including people with disability.
- Ensure people with disability participate in all decisions that affect their lives.
- Monitor National Disability Plan with input from people with disability.
- Gather data at commune level on People with Disability and feed it to National, Provincial and District Planning Offices.

In addition
- Cambodia will try to encourage Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Singapore to join the Convention and become Mine Free ASEAN.
- Cambodia will strongly condemn use of landmines anywhere in the globe- A Mine Free World.
- Cambodia will join the Convention on Cluster Munitions.