NHRC, Brac join hands to build sustainable futures for persons with disabilities

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Brac have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to ensure the welfare and protection of all, as well as accessibility for everyone – especially persons with disabilities.
 
Narayan Chandra Sarkar, secretary of NHRC, and Asif Saleh, executive director of Brac, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations at NHRC's conference room in Dhaka on Sunday.
 
The organisations joined hands to further strengthen partnerships, infrastructure development and exchanges of information as well as work together to ensure easy access for persons with disabilities to public transportation.
 
Under this agreement, they will also jointly work for the welfare of persons with disabilities in both physical and digital ways.
 
This partnership will focus on building nationwide awareness to create an inclusive society by collecting and presenting data, identifying best practices from different parts of the world and formulating policies for accessibility.
 
Brac executive director Asif Saleh said Brac is working towards inclusive development at the institutional and national levels for the development of persons with disabilities.
 
Brac is committed to playing a role, in the future, as a partner of the government, in formulating and implementing disability-friendly policies, he added.
 
Joining online, NHRC chairperson Nasima Begum said the lack of accessibility is the key problem of people with disabilities. To solve this problem, sensible behavior and humanitarian efforts are needed rather than huge amounts of money or manpower.
 
The NHRC has taken the initiative to make Dhaka city accessible for persons with disabilities, she added.
 
She further said the signing of the MoU has created an opportunity for both organisations to work together. 
 
"Hopefully, we will liaise with all government departments related to persons with disabilities and play a role at the policy-making level," she continued. 
 
Aiming to ensure the welfare, protection and accessibility of persons with disabilities, the government is working on ensuring equal rights for them, and their inclusion, by enacting the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act (2013) and the National Development Strategy for Skills Development (2013). 
 
NHRC secretary Narayan Chandra Sarkar said, "The Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act states that all public and private buildings or buildings, parks, stations, ports, terminals, and roads should be accessible for the persons with disabilities." 
 
"We have to implement this law. Hopefully, with Brac, we can create awareness about this," he said.
 
Noman Khan spoke on behalf of the Center for Disability Development.