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Ecuador’s Vice-President Reaffirms at OAS his Country’s Commitment to People with Disabilities

The Vice-President of the Republic of Ecuador, Lenín Moreno, today presented to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) the measures adopted by his Government and his nation has developed for people with disabilities, one of the acquired commitments by his President, Rafael Correa, before assuming his position.

At the special session of the Council, celebrated at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, Vice-President Moreno presented “Manuela Espejo”, a Comprehensive Care Program which the Vice-Presidency developed in 2010 and has been replicated in seven countries of Latin America.

The program carried out a “bio-physical, social, clinical, and genetic” study of all people with disabilities and identified that 294,000 people in Ecuador suffer from some type of disability. “Up until now, we have cared for 220,000 people, provided 481,000 citizens with technical assistance, created seven regional sub-secretariats and 24 centers of immediate ‘Manuela Espejo’ care,” Moreno explained. He also added that volunteers have been trained to regularly visit disabled people at home, where they can also be monitored by satellite.

In his presentation Vice President Moreno stressed the Ecuadorian Government’s promises that by the end of the year “no disabled people willing and able to work will be jobless”. He added that the Ecuadorian norm indicates that at least “four per cent of enterprises’ payroll have to be composed of people with disabilities, and we will have 38,000 jobs ready for them.”

The Ecuadorian official stressed that all measures adopted by the Government of President Rafael Correa to benefit people with disabilities are rooted in the values of social solidarity. He said that his Government has promoted said values as a necessary attitude from society towards those in need. “Solidarity is the noblest value of human kind”, he noted.

OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said that the Ecuadorian vice-presidency “has become a fundamental locomotive of all the programs that the Government does to promote economic inclusion and full participation of all Ecuadorians in their nation’s daily life.” He also highlighted the work being carried out on the “integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of life and society. You have not only been an institutional and political builder, but also a motivator through your theories on behavioral modes of excellence.”

The Secretary General said that the OAS has “an important responsibility on matters of disability” as it is both the depositary and the Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (CIADDIS), a tool adopted by the Member States of the Organization to fight for the “prevention and elimination of all forms of discrimination against people with disabilities and support their full integration in society.” He added that this work has been made possible by the Government of Panama, who has been “the fundamental motor of action” of the Convention, and with the support of other nations “such as El Salvador, the current chair, and others that have contributed with their efforts, such as Canada.”

Along the same lines as Vice-President Moreno, the head representative of the Hemispheric Organization welcomed that change has been recently achieved in the concept of disability. “It used to be a matter of social welfare preoccupation, but it now constitutes a matter of Human Rights, recognizing that the barriers and prejudices of society are in themselves a disability.” The goal now, he added, “is to provide people with greater opportunities, expand the notion of citizenship and create an effective area for the full development of the people.”

Finally, Secretary General Insulza emphasized the candidacy of Vice-President Lenin Moreno for the Nobel Piece Prize, a nomination promoted by Ecuadorian citizens “spontaneously and pout of the great enthusiasm they feel for the tremendous amount of work you have carried out for your people."

Before the special meeting of the Permanent Council, both officials held a private meeting in the office of the Secretary General where they discussed issues related to disability programs that exist in the Hemisphere.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-083/12