His Royal Highness Prince Mired Raad Zeid Al-Hussein, Lord Chamberlain and President of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), received yesterday at HCD’ headquarters a European delegation, led by His Excellency Mr Christophe Chatzisavas, Ambassador of the European Union to Jordan, accompanied by the French and Belgian military attachés, as part of their official visit to the Kingdom.
During the meeting, His Royal Highness reviewed Jordan’s notable progress in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities, particularly since the Kingdom’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2008.
His Royal Highness highlighted key achievements and reaffirmed the prioritisation of disability rights within national institutions. He also acknowledged the persisting challenges in realizing these rights and emphasized HCD’s ongoing efforts to address them through multi-stakeholder collaboration.
His Excellency Ambassador Chatzisavas commended Jordan’s leadership in co-hosting the Global Disability Summit in partnership with the Federal Republic of Germany and the International Disability Alliance, and the efforts to protect persons with disabilities and include them into society.
Dr Muhannad Alazzeh, Secretary-General of the HCD, outlined the legislative advancements achieved in recent years, most notably the enactment of the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities No. 20 of 2017. This law stands as the first anti-discrimination legislation of its kind in the region and affirms the rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.
In discussing national implementation strategies, Alazzeh referred to the ten-year inclusive education strategy, the national plan to improve accessibility in existing buildings and public facilities, and the national strategy to replace institutional care with community-based support services. He noted that Jordan’s selection as a co-host of the Global Disability Summit reflects its sustained progress in both legislative and policy domains concerning disability inclusion. This recognition, he explained, will serve to strengthen Jordan’s international positioning and facilitate the establishment of global partnerships that support national priorities in the area of disability rights.
Alazzeh also underscored Jordan’s leading role in shaping the Summit’s final outcome document, the “Amman-Berlin Declaration,” which introduced the “15 for 15” principle—encouraging States Parties and international actors to allocate at least 15% of all development cooperation projects to be inclusive of persons with disabilities.
He noted with pride that Jordan led globally in the number of commitments made, with 133 commitments from 88 entities, spanning government institutions, national bodies, and the private sector. He stressed that the fulfilment of these commitments requires the mobilisation of resources and implementation within clear timeframes, in close consultation with persons with disabilities and their representative organisations.