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- Ελληνικά
It is with great emotion that I join you today at the event organised by the Cyprus Autism Association for People with Autism for World Autism Day. A day that aims to remind us of the daily struggle of our fellow human beings on the Autism spectrum to secure their human rights, for an equal and fulfilling life.
Tonight, as we illuminate with the colour blue - a shade that evokes the vastness of the oceans and the sky, reflecting the infinite potential and depth of our fellow human beings with autism - we are not just illuminating buildings or landmarks.
Tonight, as we illuminate with the colour blue - a shade that evokes the vastness of the oceans and the sky, reflecting the infinite potential and depth of our fellow human beings with autism - we are not just illuminating buildings or landmarks. Tonight we shed light on the talents, challenges and dreams of these people.
The Deputy Ministry of Culture is actively supporting the Pancyprian Association for People with Autism again this year, illuminating with blue, together with the Department of Antiquities, the Cyprus Museum and the castles of Paphos, Limassol and Larnaca, as part of the global awareness campaign, during which important monuments and landmarks around the world are illuminated.
With the illumination of our cultural heritage, the Deputy Ministry of Culture wishes to emphasize the need for continuous education, care, essential support and especially acceptance of those whose lives are affected by this condition, which nowadays is increasing very rapidly.
It is the belief of the Ministry of State for Culture that all our fellow human beings should be able to enjoy our common cultural heritage, ancient and modern, tangible and intangible. Our culture is not only the living core of our society, but it belongs to our society, so it is the right of all citizens to enjoy all aspects of our culture. Our cultural heritage, as a patchwork of different cultural elements that have developed over time and space, is the most appropriate starting point for all the necessary actions that we have a duty to take to eliminate past social stereotypes with a view to inclusion. Since we are all equal parts of this diverse cultural mosaic, social change can only come about when we cultivate respect for all members of society, starting with our fellow citizens with disabilities, visible and invisible.
In the general context of implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the aim of the Deputy Ministry of Culture is to actively contribute to the National Strategy and the Government's Action Plan on Disability by implementing a series of actions. Already, action promoted by the Department of Antiquities aims to enable our fellow human beings with autism to cultivate their skills and develop their imagination, triggered by the stimuli of an archaeological site and the tranquility of nature - elements that are directly and effortlessly in line with the needs of children with autism, far from the visual or sound pollution of modern life.
The blue rays of Autism, which tonight illuminate monuments of our cultural heritage, serve as a reminder that in difficult times our fellow human beings struggle to survive, because of their difference, for what we take for granted.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In closing, I would like to congratulate the President of the Cyprus Autism Association and her entire dynamic team for the remarkable work they are doing for a better future for people with autism. Undoubtedly, in this era of multiple challenges, these people, with autism and other disabilities, are the purest and most unadulterated part of our society.
Thank you.
(EFF/AF/EP)
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