The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disabilities, Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, has commended the recent move by the Qatar Central Bank to introduce banknotes which have features to help the visually impaired denominate them.

Speaking to Gulf Times in an exclusive interview about her roles and duties as the UN special rapporteur on disabilities, Sheikha Hessa said: “This is good news. I really appreciate the efforts of the Qatar Central Bank to introduce these notes as it will make life easier for the visually impaired in the country.”
Sheikha Hessa also praised all efforts channelled toward helping people with disabilities (PWD) by the Qatar government and charitable organisations in the country.

“I am very proud of all the efforts channelled toward PWD in Qatar and other countries as well. I am aware of many advances made in Qatar and other countries in this region, which aim at improving the quality of these people.”

Sheikha Hessa highlighted some of the major obstacles militating against the actualisation of the rights of PWD in the Arab region. “The main (problem) is lack of awareness,” she said.

“Awareness is needed not only to bring the issues to the notice of public officials, but to the entire society.

“And it is important for PWD themselves to be aware, to know about their rights, to ask for them and to fight for them at all times.”

Talking about the Arab region, she said PWD did not know exactly what their rights were, adding that the “situation is a little better now”.

“Other obstacles are when people don’t do what they believe in. Because, most times there is the political will but there is no actual implementation at the ground level and this is one of the main findings of a global survey,” she said.

“Maybe in other countries, it is the lack of resources and lack of co-operation, be it international or regional. I think some countries or organisations do not know how to co-operate with others on how to contribute for the needy. There are also negative attitudes emanating from cultural beliefs, towards PWD,” she said.

Speaking on the impact of her office on the life of PWD globally and in Qatar in particular, she mentioned that the major impact was on ensuring the rights of PWD.

“The work of a special rapporteur is a combination of both the efforts from the Qatar government, represented by the delegation in the UN through their negotiations and participation in the process of the Convention on Rights of People Living with Disabilities, and also (from) my (own side) with the people here to sign the convention in the beginning and then to ratify it in 2006,” Sheikha Hessa said.

She said her office partnered with Qatar’s Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) to develop policies and regulations about the disabilities as well as in raising awareness.

“We also partnered with some other organisations like the Association for the Deaf and with schools on education for the hearing-impaired students.”
Sheikha Hessa hinted that she would conduct a symposium in association with the SCFA next year about legislation and rights of PWD, which would be the fifth of its kind in the world, with Qatar playing host after Oman, Lebanon, Yemen and Morocco.

She disclosed that she was planning to build partnerships with charity organisations, by introducing developmental approach to their charitable work in a bid to help and contribute toward the uplift of the PWD.

“This process is still in the pipeline and we would be supporting the rights of PWD in all developing countries through activities of charity organisations like Eid charity, Qatar Sundook Zakat and Qatar Red Crescent. We are in the middle of this process,” she added.