Opening Remarks at Session of Presidential Council for Disabled.Part 1
April 7, 2009
The Kremlin, Moscow
Вступительное слово на заседании Совета по делам инвалидов.
7 апреля 2009 года
Москва, Кремль
PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Colleagues!
Today is the first meeting of the [Presidential] Council for the Disabled. There are, of course, many problems. I would like to say right away that I count on your involvement in the discussion of this issue, which is very serious, important, and complicated for all of us.
Based on the data used by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Development, there are over 13 million people with disabilities living in Russia. Our council was established at the end of last year, in accordance with the Executive Order that I signed. In fact, many of you asked me yourselves to revive this council; it existed for five years, between 1996 and 2001, and a proposal was made to restore it. I supported the proposal, and thus, we are gathering here today.
It is, perhaps, of particular importance that we are not meeting at a simple, favourable period of time, although there have been almost no such periods in our history; instead, we are meeting during a very problematic period in the development of our country and our society. It is clear that at this very period, the period of crisis, the least protected group of population is struggling. Crises always affect those people who are least prepared for them, the most unprotected ones. Naturally, this also fully applies to the disabled.
I will not say any banalities, although overall, I will once again say that the way we treat disabled people is an indicator of how mature our society is. And clearly, we must make this indicator as high as possible in current times. It is also clear that our country (according to the Constitution, we are a social state, a state that supports the citizens in need ) must compensate for the special needs or at least, part of those special needs of the disabled through paying greater attention to their needs, creating the necessary infrastructure and an effective regulatory environment.
We have a great deal of problems in this area, as you well know, in some cases, unfortunately, through your personal experience. And when a disabled person cannot enter a store, get into an airplane or a train, visit a museum, a gym or a cinema, or get a normal education, this should not simply be described as indifference or carelessness; from a legal standpoint, this is a direct violation of our Constitution.
I remind you that we are nevertheless taking some action: in recent years, pensions for people with disabilities have nearly doubled in real terms. For those considered disabled for the first time, or who have undergone a re-certification, there are individual programs that include medical, professional, and social rehabilitation. We have 221 rehabilitation centres for disabled people in our country, and 305 centres for children with disabilities.
Last September, after some lengthy negotiations and difficult deliberations, Russia joined the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which aims to create an adequate, barrier-free environment for the disabled, secure their right to work, and their right to medical services, education, and full-fledged participation in society. And in accordance with the Convention, the government must give greater attention to educating the public on treating the disabled with respect.
This is a fundamental change, because the Convention is a very complicated document for our country, one which imposes some very serious obligations on us. And Russia, as a responsible member of the international community, will need to take all measures to comply with it. Accordingly, we will need to make changes to our legislation and regulations, which, of course, is not simple in current situation. But nonetheless, we are ready to do it. In this regard, I am asking the Ministry of Public Health and Social Development to prepare comprehensive proposals on ratifying the Convention and to present their finalized versions by the end of the year.
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9:03Duga & Zizou 07.04.2009by magician10vids5,284 views
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