THE CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS FACING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH
HOW CAN PARLIAMENTS BE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES? A VIEW FROM FIJI The month of November marks the Fijian Parliament’s first year of membership with the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network. As the CPwD Pacific Regional Champion, I extend my sincere gratitude to the CPwD Capital Investment Fund for the funding provided to host the first ever ‘Fijian Parliament Open Day for Persons with Disabilities’ on 3 December this year to coincide with the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. Parliaments can contribute enormously to raising public awareness on the human rights, issues and concerns of marginalised groups such as persons with disabilities. That is why this year, we are hosting the first open day for persons with disabilities with the aim of achieving greater awareness and engagement on the subject. This event is also being organised in partnership with two key national actors, namely, the Fiji Association of the Deaf (FAD) and the Fiji Disabled People’s Federation (FDPF), recognising that partnerships with civil society organisations (CSOs) and relevant stakeholders provide the impetus for greater awareness and success. This event aims to achieve the following key outcomes: 1. To provide an opportunity for MPs, advocates and key actors to connect and discuss key issues related to persons with disabilities; 2. To provide our participants and stakeholders with information on the role of Parliament and encourage persons with disabilities to actively participate in the legislative policy making process; and 3. To create an ideal opportunity for Parliament to become more inclusive, accessible and representative of all Fijians, including marginalised groups such as persons with disabilities. Apart from creating a space for discussion and knowledge sharing, a key highlight of this event is the handing over ceremony of newly purchased high-end headphones to the Fiji Association of the Deaf by His Excellency Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, the Speaker of the Fijian Parliament. This newly purchased equipment will be used by the sign language interpreters for the Parliament and Standing Committee sittings. This assistance has come about following the request from the FAD for support in the work of interpreters engaged in Parliament.
The new equipment will replace the audio speaker that transmits the audio from the Chambers and the Standing Committee conference rooms to the interpreter’s booth and allows the interpreters to have their dedicated headphones, improving their concentration and focus by taking away outside sound and interference. The low power consumption design also allows for extended working hours of over ten hours, so the interpreters can be connected for longer periods of time. The theme of the open day is based on the CPwD mission statement – ‘To encourage Commonwealth Parliaments to enable effective and full participation of persons with disabilities at all levels’. Not only does this theme resonate with SDG Targets 16.6 and 16.7, but it also encompasses the vision of the Fijian Parliament of being a resilient and responsive Parliament. The Fijian Parliament has demonstrated its commitment to this vision through its ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2017 followed by the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in 2018. In October this year, Fiji became the first country globally to pass a Climate Change Act with a clear commitment to the Paris Agreement. The Climate Change Act 2021 explicitly recognises the economic, social and cultural rights and links between gender equality, social inclusion and the Sustainable Development Goals and highlights women’s rights, rights of people living with disabilities and of older persons, and children’s inalienable right to a healthy environment. The ratification of the CRPD and passing of comprehensive legislation helps to promote and protect the basic rights of persons with disabilities in Fiji and helps those individuals live fulfilling and independent lives as students, workers, family members and citizens. They are able to do so because the physical and cultural barriers that had previously hindered their full participation have been removed. In addition to legislation, Parliament, through its oversight function, plays a key role in ensuring respect for the human rights of persons with disabilities. Oversight of the Executive on social issues such as persons with disabilities is undertaken by the Standing Committee on Social Affairs – of which I am the Chairperson. We track the
Hon. Viam Pillay, MP is the Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and
Environment. He has been a Member of the Fijian Parliament since October 2014 and is the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs. In 2020, he was elected as the Pacific Regional Champion of the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD).
348 | The Parliamentarian | 2021: Issue Four | 100 years of publishing
