The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean hosted the first stakeholders’ meeting for developing an Arab report on disability on 26 December 2012. The meeting was a preliminary step building on the initiative of the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities to develop such a report in collaboration with WHO and key partners at the regional and global levels. In attendance were representatives of the League of Arab States (LAS), Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities (AOPD), Arab Union for the Blind and Inclusion International, Middle East and North Africa region, in addition to WHO staff.
The main objectives of the meeting were to:
- involve stakeholders, including United Nations agencies, LAS, ISESCO and disabled persons organizations in the initiative to develop an Arab report on disability, from its inception;
- share with partners all aspects of the initiative and discuss the different aspects of the process of developing the report and the proposed joint action plan.
