Representing in the 19th Session of

the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Hamed Al Amri - FFS

Representing Oman in the 19th

Session of the Number of countries Committee on participating: 18

the Rights of “My participation had major motivation to the

deaf as part of challenges Persons with their face “ Disabilities Disabilities with Persons Hamed Al Amri - FFS

I participated with the Omani Society for the Hearing Impaired in the United Nation Committee Session in Geneva,

17th – 20th Feb 2018. His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin of Rights the on Committee the of Session 19th the in Oman Representing Said bin Saif al Kalbani and the Omani ambassador to Switzerland were also present. The overall objective of the countries participating was to discuss all aspects of the rights of disabled and how Oman has developed in this area. 1 There has been a number of important and significant achievements in the Sultanate of Oman during the past four

years, since the State Party of Oman’s initial report came out in 2014. But even so, more work needs to be done to fully achieve the goals and aspirations of the Omani Deaf community. Realisation of a full, bilingual education for Deaf students, full accessibility to information and services and achieving Deaf persons’ independence, accreditation of a national programme to train, license, and evaluate interpreters, sign language works being done under the full leadership of the Omani Deaf community, and legal recognition of the Omani Sign Language are some of the most important goals that the Omani Deaf community is aiming to achieve in full

cooperation with the government of Oman.

The Omani Minister also discussed raising more awareness about the challenges for the Deaf in our society. There are around twenty sign language interpreters available in

Oman. They have all received certification from the Omani Society for the Hearing Impaired.

Persons with Disabilities with Persons

Representing Oman in the 19th Session of the Committee on the Rights of of Rights the on Committee the of Session 19th the in Oman Representing

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Feb 20th, Geneva, a moment with the Minister of Social Development together with some members of the Omani Deaf community and other colleagues.

Persons with Disabilities with Persons Also the committee discussed access for the Deaf in areas such as:  Human rights  Education  Respect for home and family

 Labour and employment Representing Oman in the 19th Session of the Committee on the Rights of of Rights the on Committee the of Session 19th the in Oman Representing  Freedom from torture, cruelty, and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment  Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information  Access to justice, (for example Deaf Omanis being able to have access to court services and trials with sign language interpreters)

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Persons with Disabilities with Persons

The Omani Deaf community expresses their sincere gratitude towards the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said al Said, for his ever generous support to persons with disabilities. It is the hope of the Omani Deaf community that the Omani Sign Language will be

Representing Oman in the 19th Session of the Committee on the Rights of of Rights the on Committee the of Session 19th the in Oman Representing recognised as an official language of the Omani Deaf community.Although the Omani Deaf community and the government of Oman face a number of challenges and obstacles, there is hope and confidence that both sides will work together tirelessly to overcome them and bring about a better future for all Deaf persons, both children and adults. Both the government of Oman and the Omani Deaf community expressed their 4 sincere thanks to the Committee for their invitation, communication, and support

and they are all prepared to work together to fully implement plans in accordance with the concluding observations. (End of report) General Agenda

17/2/2018 Saturday - Arrival to Geneva 18/2/2018 Sunday - Time: From 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm : Headquarters of the Secretariat of the International Disability Alliance (Address: Rue de Savoises 15)

Activity: Participants’ preparatory meeting with committee

19/2/2018 Monday - Time: 8:30 am Place: United Nations (Gate: Pregny Gate)

Activity: Security clearance to obtain the entry permit card (bring with you your accreditation form and your passport)

18/2/2018 Monday Persons with Disabilities with Persons Time: From 8:00 pm to 6:00 pm – discussion

18/2/2018 Tuesday

Time: From 8:00 pm to 6:00 pm- discussion

18/2/2018 Wednesday Representing Oman in the 19th Session of the Committee on the Rights of of Rights the on Committee the of Session 19th the in Oman Representing Time: From 8:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Closing of the session

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Persons with Disabilities with Persons “Together we can Make a Change” Representing Oman in the 19th Session of the Committee on the Rights of of Rights the on Committee the of Session 19th the in Oman Representing

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