On behalf of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr.Nicos Anastasiades, I convey his cordial greetings.
Thank you very much to the President and members of the Pancyprian Organization of the Blind for inviting me to greet your Annual General Assembly.
I congratulate your Organization and express my appreciation for its long-standing contribution to our fellow citizens with visual disabilities and for the rich work it carries out in all areas of their lives.
Undoubtedly, people with visual disabilities in Cyprus have the right to equal and active participation in the social life of our country. It is the obligation of the state to provide the opportunities and the means to empower individuals to realize this participation.
Ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities and combating prejudice and discrimination has been and still is our priority. And this is demonstrated by the First National Disability Strategy for 2018-2028 approved by the Council of Ministers in December 2017, as well as by the three-year National Action Plans that bring together and reflect all the actions of all state services that serve, within their competences, persons with disabilities. Without claiming to cover all needs in all areas of life, it is important to recognize that many important actions are being promoted, as shown by the current National Action Plan on Disability for 2021-2023, which includes 135 actions to be implemented by eight Ministries and three Deputy Ministries, in the areas of social protection, social inclusion, employment, health, education, culture, accessibility to the natural and built environment, accessibility to transport, accessibility to the natural and built environment, accessibility to the public transport system, accessibility to the public transport system and accessibility to the public transport system. The Pancyprian Organization of the Blind, through the sponsorship of the Department of Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities, employs Social Escorts to serve the blind in all cities. Through these programmes, more than 750 members of your Organisation benefit, who, through the services of the escort, are facilitated and encouraged not only to access services, but also to move around, be active, socialise, participate and integrate in general.
Under the Minor State Aid Scheme, a sponsorship of €10 is also provided to your Organisation.000 per year, which covers part of the costs of running the programmes "Information and Information Services for the Blind" and "Digital Libraries and Braille Libraries".
For inclusion in employment, the Act on Recruitment of Persons with Disabilities in the Wider Public Sector has enabled dozens of qualified people with visual impairments to be appointed in the public sector. Opportunities for employment in the private sector have been provided through the Incentive Schemes for Enterprises for Employment of Persons with Disabilities, as well as through the Small Units Grant Scheme for Self-employment in any viable occupational sector.
However, bearing in mind the high unemployment rate of blind people, we recognize that additional positive actions for integration into the open labour market should be promoted and we expect that with the implementation of the Law on the Establishment of Social Enterprises, there will be an opportunity not only to create new jobs, but also to empower blind people and other persons with disabilities through training and business counselling to join, either as employees or as entrepreneurs, in new social enterprises.
In the area of support to independent living, one of the eleven supported living houses created in 2020 and 2021 has been awarded through a public tender to your organisation and serves four people with visual disabilities in Nicosia, providing supportive care services, entertainment, companionship, psychological support, socialization, aiming at the continuous development and progress of the residents, enhancing their social and other skills, further education and development based on their talents and preferences, improving and maintaining a high level of quality of life.
There is still much that we need to work together to achieve. The consultation that has begun with the disability movement to formulate new legislation and expand services will lead to new services such as Personal Assistant and Counsellor. Also, the pilot project already awarded to the Cyprus Confederation of Disabled People's Organisations for the provision of Decision-Making Counsellor services will reinforce the work underway for new legislation on access to decision support services for people with disabilities.
We look forward to constructive cooperation between government departments and organisations, which we consider valuable advisors. The opinion of the citizens directly concerned is the first to be taken into account for any state action, always within the framework of the capabilities of the state.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate once again the Pancyprian Organization of the Blind for its role in promoting and asserting the rights of its members. Your experiences and expertise are a valuable advisor for the assertion of appropriate measures, programmes and actions to support and empower those who need such support.
I wish every success to your assembly and your projects.
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Note.Mr. Andreas Zachariadis, Director General of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, read the welcome address.
(EC)
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