Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Accepted
Paragraph: 56
People with disabilities continue to face challenges in Pakistan, including in access to education.
Conclusion
People with disabilities continue to face challenges in Pakistan, including in access to education. We welcome the FCDO’s commitment to disability inclusive development, including through the former DFID’s strategy for Disability Inclusive Development and its new FCDO disability inclusion and rights strategy.
Government Response Summary
The government states they are implementing the FCDO’s inclusion and rights strategy in Pakistan, working with partners to ensure access for people with disabilities and referencing specific examples like scholarships and accessible ramps in schools, as well as support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paragraph Reference:
56
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Response: We are implementing the FCDO’s inclusion and rights strategy in Pakistan. We work with government and implementing partners to emphasise the need for, and right to, access for those with disabilities into our programme and policy work. For example, in girls’ education this entails ensuring scholarships have quotas for those with disabilities and advocating for the Pakistan 2007 Building Code to have accessible ramps in all new schools. The Punjab Education Sector Programme II (PESP II) included an inclusive education project to improve access of people with disabilities (PWDs) to mainstream schools. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the challenge faced by PWDs in Pakistan. We retained the focus on mitigating vulnerabilities arising from disability and gender-based violence. As part of the Aawaz II programme, UNFPA has worked with a local partner to provide psychosocial counselling to 350 PWDs facing violence and abuse. The British Council has worked at community level to facilitate 4,417 PWDs to obtain disability certificates and other documents that are necessary for accessing government services.