Olena Zelenska: State and Society Should Implement Accessibility Together

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First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in a meeting of the Council on Human Rights, Gender Equality and Diversity at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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The meeting was also attended by Tetiana Lomakina, Advisor - Presidential Commissioner for a Barrier-Free Environment, Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative to Ukraine, Government officials, representatives of the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, embassies, civil society organizations, local and regional authorities.

"83% of Ukrainians call barrier-free accessibility a new value for our country. This is something completely new in people's minds. And not 10%, as it was before the invasion, but a quarter of the population says they are already creating a barrier-free environment around them to the best of their ability. This is evidenced by a survey conducted with the support of UNICEF. But we should create accessibility together - as a conscious society and a conscious state. No one can do it alone," the President's wife said.

During the meeting, participants discussed the accessibility challenges posed by war and the prospects for overcoming them.

"Ukraine consistently uses all opportunities for our accessibility experts to travel and train. They have already learned about the experience of rehabilitation in Norway, the United States, and the United Kingdom. We hope that cooperation will continue through the development of international medical partnerships," the First Lady said.

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As a result of the meeting, the Council on Human Rights, Gender Equality and Diversity adopted a Statement of Support for the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine by 2030. A barrier-free society is defined as one of the priorities for a democratic Ukrainian state.

The Council urged international partners to prioritize support for projects to create barrier-free spaces in workplaces, initiatives on infrastructure, transportation and information accessibility, as well as barrier-free education, healthcare, social services and housing.