The capital of Azerbaijan is Baku. The UN positively assessed the education program for persons with disabilities adopted in Azerbaijan Human rights
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva has completed its consideration of the reports of Azerbaijan. Experts welcomed the approval of the state program for inclusive education, and also asked the country’s delegation questions about access to public transport and assistance to people with disabilities in emergency situations.
Committee representative Laverne Jacobs said that problems remain in Azerbaijan related to the public transport system, including the accessibility of buses to people with disabilities. She also asked the delegation about mechanisms to support persons with disabilities in emergency situations.
In turn, members of the Azerbaijani delegation reported that more than 2,300 ramps were installed in the country’s cities, 70 roads were repaired, and tactile panels for people with visual impairments. In addition, between 2020 and 2023, 524 modern buses equipped with ramps were launched in Baku.
The delegation noted that the Ministry of Emergency Situations gives priority to people with disabilities in all disaster response situations. Thus, the training of search and rescue teams was improved, taking into account the needs of residents with disabilities.
Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Anar Kerimov noted that Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to join the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008. He confirmed that the Government remains committed to its obligations under the Convention. According to Kerimov, new criteria for determining disability came into force in 2022, which increased the population’s access to support and various services.
Committee representative Mien Kim noted that the Committee highly appreciated the efforts of Azerbaijan to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities through the implementation of the Convention. She said that a positive development was the approval of the state program for the development of inclusive education for persons with disabilities for 2018–2024. However, according to Kim, women and children with disabilities in Azerbaijan still face discrimination, and problems with access to transportation remain in the country.
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