SARAJEVO, JANUARY 25 (ONASA) – The final conference on the occasion of the completion of the Empower and Societies 2 projects, which were realized in the past period by Caritas BiH in cooperation with partners and other organizations that fight and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, is being held in Sarajevo today.
The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy co-financed these projects, and the final conference was addressed by the relevant minister Adnan Delić, who reminded that the role of the institutions is to connect and direct all those organizations that, together with domestic and international partners, and in cooperation with the authorities can contribute to improving the rights and position of persons with disabilities, and to the creation of a quality living environment that will be able to respond to the needs of persons with disabilities by improving access in all segments of life, from physical access to facilities to access to information and services, both in large urban centers and in smaller, interior parts of the country.
He also emphasized that the Ministry is undertaking a series of activities in the area of competence for improving the legal framework, among which he singled out changes to the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment, the Strategy for Deinstitutionalization, the adoption of the Rulebook on Minimum Standards in Social Care Institutions with the aim of standardizing work and strengthening the quality of services in social protection institutions, then the Strategy for improving the rights and position of persons with disabilities for the new strategic period, and the Action Plan for deinstitutionalization.
Minister Delić also referred to last night’s adoption of the budget at the House of Representatives of the Parliament, stressing that the relevant Ministry has shown its commitment to improving the position of persons with disabilities through the 2024 budget.
“Late last night, the budget was adopted at the House of Representatives, which foresees the allocation of funds specifically for projects intended to improve the rights and position of people with disabilities and other sensitive categories of society. The transfer for the care of victims of domestic violence (in safe houses) was increased from 0.5 million to 1.5 million BAM, the transfer to social care institutions in the Federation from 1.5 to 2 million BAM, as well as the transfer for capital investments of these institutions from 2 to 3 million BAM, and we increased the transfer to non-profit organizations that gather civilian victims of war from 500,000 to 650,000 BAM.
For the co-financing of programs and projects in the field of social protection, an increase from 70,000 to 2 million BAM is planned, and the capital transfer, i.e. co-financing of the construction of day care centers and centers for healthy aging from 300,000 to 2.5 million BAM, said the minister.
He also stated that for the first time in the budget funds are planned for deinstitutionalization, i.e. co-financing of NGO projects and programs for the empowerment and training of PWDs for independent living in the community, for which BAM 1 million is planned.
“I always say that the budget is the best mirror of politics and that the budget shows a real, essential determination to actually do something. This year, we fought for slight changes, and I believe that we will move a step further every year,” reminded the minister.
Monsignor Tomo Knežević, during the opening of the conference, underlined that people with disabilities are not equal with others and that he believes that the guidelines resulting from the implementation of these two projects will contribute to increasing respect for the rights of people with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Despite the growing advocacy of all those who fight for the rights of people with disabilities, people with disabilities are not equal with others and are still discriminated against and very often a means of achieving political interests. We are advocating and fighting for that to change and for persons with disabilities to be enabled to a greater degree of realization of their human rights,” said the director of Caritas BiH, Monsignor Knežević.