UN Rapporteur on Rights of Persons with Disabilities visits HCDS

AMMAN — Director General of Hashemite Commission for Disabled Soldiers (HCDS) retired Brig. Gen. Moran Turk on Wednesday received the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Gerard Quinn, and an accompanying delegation. 

During the meeting, the guest delegation was acquainted with the HCDS's development. The HCDS, a charitable association, was established per Royal directives to serve military members with special needs. 

Turk said that the HCDS provides rehabilitation services for retired and active disabled military personnel who have sustained permanent or temporary disabilities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The visit is intended to gain a firsthand look at the status of persons with disabilities in Jordan. The delegation will also learn about the Kingdom's progress made in protecting disabled persons’ rights in the relevant legislation, policies, programmes and practices, and provide recommendations to enhance government efforts towards comprehensive solutions for persons with disabilities, Quinn said. 

The agenda of Quinn's visit, which will run until September 15, includes meetings with government and national institutions, as well as UN agencies operating in the Kingdom, in order to prepare a report which will serve as a UN document to be shared with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and other UN agencies.