CEPO calls for annual campaign on disability rights

JUBA – The Community Empowerment, Progress Organization (CEPO) is calling for an annual national campaign to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities in South Sudan.

The campaign, titled “I am for UNCRPD South Sudan,” aims to mark the successful ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its Optional Protocol, according to CEPO Executive Director Edmond Yakani.

“President Salva Kiir signed the UNCRPD on February 24, 2023, and the United Nations Secretary-General formally requested its enforcement by the South Sudanese government,” Yakani said.

CEPO plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare, the South Sudan Union of Persons with Disabilities, and development partners like Light for the World on an annual basis.

“The ‘I am for UNCRPD South Sudan’ campaign will serve as a platform for annually awarding individuals and institutions that have made outstanding contributions to promoting and protecting disability rights in South Sudan,” Yakani emphasized.

CEPO urges the general public, government officials, the private sector, media outlets, civil society organizations, and others to actively participate in the campaign.

“Our vision is for the ‘I am for UNCRPD South Sudan’ campaign to become a regional and even global force for promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities,” Yakani concluded.