KEYNOTE SPEECH HON. DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, AFIOGA TUALA IOSEFO PONIFASIO AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE 5TH FORUM FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES

MILLENNIA HOTEL, FALE SAMOA THURSDAY, 18/07/2024 AT 9:30AM

Rev. Ma'auga Motu, Secretary of the Union of Churches in Samoa,

His Excellency the Australian High Commissioner to Samoa,

Representatives of Government Ministries, the Private Sectors

and Civil Society Organizations,

Representatives of Organizations of persons with disabilities,

President of the Nuanua o le Alofa Youth Committee,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

I am honored to deliver the keynote address on behalf of the Honorable Head of State and Masiofo of Samoa, the Hon. Prime Minister of Samoa, Cabinet Ministers and everyone else of the Independent State of Samoa, to officially open the "5th Youth Forum" for youth with disabilities on the theme, "Shaping Young Leaders Through Technologies".

Samoa ratified the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2016. Articles 4, 9, 19, 20 and 26 of the present Convention call on all State Parties to:

 Take the necessary measures to guarantee persons with disabilities the rights to access appropriate technologies in all forms.

 Invest in/ ensure the availability of universally designed technologies for all including persons with disabilities.

 Adopt legislative measures to ensure technologies are available, accessible and most of all affordable to all persons with disabilities in order to support them to live independently on an equal bases with others.

 Assistive devises/technologies can range from physical products such as wheelchairs, glasses, prosthetic limbs, white canes, and hearing aids to digital solutions such as speech recognition or time management software and captioning.

Most people who use assistive technology use more than one product, making integrated services important.

Today's gathering is a living testimony of how the Government with its partners and through its many efforts promote, make available and recognize the critical role of technologies as an enabler to:

 Ensure individuals with disabilities are included in education, employment, fitness, leisure and other everyday activities such as self-care, cooking and reading.

 Ensuring early detection and provision of hearing aids for young children to support their development of language and communication skills, limiting negative impacts on their education, future employment and community participation.

 Providing appropriate wheelchairs through the Mobility Device Services Unit of the Ministry of Health, to facilitate mobility, improving individuals' access to education and employment while reducing healthcare costs due to a reduction in secondary complications such as pressure sores and contractures.

 Availability of therapeutic footwear for diabetes at MDS to reduce the incidence of foot ulcers, preventing amputations and the associated impact on individuals and burden on health-care systems

 Improve the participation of persons with disabilities through Nuanua o le Alofa and affiliates in the development of National related policies and legislations.

However, we can not ignore the multiple barriers experienced by our youth such as the inadequate technologies that are accessible, and affordable to meet the diverse needs of individuals.

The lack of assessment to inform appropriate technology.

The limited knowledge of youth with disabilities on what is available and how to access them.

Therefore, I trust that the deliberations of the next 2 days will provide a platform to converse, learn, build networks on how to enhance access and availability of technologies for persons with disabilities in Samoa and beyond, noting that their full and effective participation and inclusion at all levels of developments is of paramount.

Soifua ma ia manuia !!

SAUNOAGA AUTU AFIOGA SUI PALEMIA HON. TUALA TEVAGA IOSEFO PONIFASIO FONOTAGA A TUPULAGA TALAVOU NOLA

ASO TOFI, 18 IULAI 2024

MILLENIA HOTEL, FALE SAMOA

9:30 I LE TAEAO

Susu lau Susuga i le Faafeagaiga, lau susuga Ma'auga Motu,

poo lau susuga foi i le Failautusi o Ekalesia So'ofa'atasi a Samoa,

Afio lau Afioga i le Hai Komesina o le Malo Ausetalia

Afifio Fa'auluuluga o Matagaluega ale Malo,

ma Fa'alapotopotoga Tuma'oti ma Pisinisi

Susu le Peresitene o le Komiti a Tupulaga o le Nuanua o le Alofa;

Ae tainane le mamalu o le auvala'aulia, fa'apea tupulaga talavou e i ai a'afiaga tumau o le soifua, o 'auga o aute o lenei fa'amoemoe.

Fa'afetai i lau susuga i le ta'ita'i o le sauniga, lau susuga Rev. Ma'auga Motu. O lea ua mae'a ona mua mea i Matautu Sa, ma toto le niu i lo tatou va tapuia ma le Atua Silisili Ese, e pei ona saunoa i ai le susuga i le ta'ita'i o le sauniga. O le a to'a pea ia la i tumu o mauga puao o fa'asuaga, ae 'oa'oa i Faleseu ma sa'o i ma'a o malie, le paia maualuga ua aofaga potopoto i lenei taeao. Tau ia ina ou faatulou atu i le paia o Samoa ua afifio ma tala mai 'aao i lenei taeao, tatou te molimauina fa'atasi le fa'amoemoe o nai alo ma fanau poo tupulaga talavou e i ai a'afiaga tumau o lo latou soifuaga, e tusa ai ma lenei taeao.

Nu'unu'u atu ia faatini o tausala outou paia ma faiga Samoa, o le a lē gafataulimaina i se faamatalaga, aua o paia o Samoa ua taoto a'o se alao'o.

Fa'amalo le fa'atoatoa, malo le lava papale, faafetai le faauta.

Ae avea ia o a'u e fai ma sui o le afioga i le Tamaitai Palemia, le mamalu o le Kapeneta ma Samoa atoa, ou te faia ai sina fa'amatalaga pu'upu'u, e tatala aloaia ai le Fonotaga mo Tupulaga Talavou e i ai a'afiaga tumau o le soifua, i le autū e faapea, "Fa'aa'upegaina Tupulaga Talavou i Auala Fa'atekonolosi".

Na avea Samoa ma totino o le feagaiga fa'ava-o-malo mo tagata e iai a'afiaga tumau o le lalolagi i le 2016.

Ma o Vaega 4, 9, 19, 20 ma le 26 o le maliega lenei, ua fa'amalosia ai atunu'u uma o le lalolagi o lo'o avea ma pa'aga a le feagaiga ina ia:

 Fa'atino auala talafeagai uma e mautinoa ai le mafai e tagata e i ai a'afiaga tumau o le soifua, ona maua feso'otaiga fa'atekonolosi

talafeagai uma i le tulaga tutusa ma isi;

 Fa'amautinoa le agava'a tutusa o tagata e i ai a'afiaga tumau i le

mauaina, uia ma le fa'aaogaina o auaunaga fa'a-tekonolosi o lo'o

avanoa mo tagata lautele;

 Faia suiga talafeagai i Tulafono ma faiga fa'avae e pei o le

fa'amaualaloina o tau e fa'atauina ai mea faigaluega fa'a-tekonolosi

ina ia tu'uitiitia ai pavaeloto o lo'o taomia ai le mauaina e tagata e i aia'afiaga tumau o le soifua o soo se auaunaga

O auaunaga mea faigaluega fa'a-tekonolosi mo i latou e iai a'afiaga tumau, e aofia ai nofoa fa'ata'avalevale, mata-tioata, vae ma lima fa'apipii, to'oto'o, mea fa'alogo e o'o lava i polokalame fa'atekonolosi fa'apitoa e fai leo, ma mafai ona fa'amatalaina i le gagana faigofie ata ma tusitusiga.

O le tele o tagata e i ai a'afiaga tumau o le soifua, e silia ma le tasi le meafaigaluega fesoasoani latou te fa'aaogaina, ma e taua tele ai se auaunaga so'ofaatasi.

O le tatou mafutaga la i le aso lenei, o se molimau ola lea i le tele o le sao o le Malo ma ana pa'aga e fa'ailoa ma fa'amautu ai le taua o faiga fa'atekonolosi i le soifuaga o i latou e iai a'afiaga tumau o le soifua. O se faitoto'a e mafai ai ona ofi atu i a'oa'oga, galuega, ta'aloga, tafaoaga ma vaega uma o aso fai so'o e pei o le mafai ona tausia o ia lava, gaosia o taumafa ma faitau tusi.

O isi matati'a ua ausia e le malo ma ana pa'aga e aofia ai le fa'amautinoa o le vave ona iloa a'afiaga o fanau logonoa. Fa'atino polokalame fa'alauiloa ma tu'uina atu I auaunaga talafeagai pei o mea fa'alogo ma le gagana fa'ataga e fesoasoani ai le atina'e o a latou feso'otaiga.

 Fa'atuina o le vaega mo le mauaina o nofoa fa'ata'avalevale, (MDS) i lalo o le fa'amalumaluga a le Matagaluega o Soifua Maloloina, ina ia fa'aitiitia ni tupe fa'aalu ona o ni a'afiaga po'o ni fa'aletonu e ono tula'i mai i le f'aaaogaina o meafaigaluega fesoasoani, latou te mana'omia ae le talafeagai ma i latou.

 Mauaina o se'evae fa'apitoa mo i latou e a'afia vae / aao, ina ia

puipuia ai le o'o atu i a'afiaga ogaoga pei o le tipi o se vae / aao (tulou) ma isi a'afiaga aemaise lava i latou ua i ai a'afiaga tumau ona o gasegase le pipisi e pei o le suka.

 Fa'atupulaia le auai o sui auai o le Nuanua o le Alofa ma ana pa'aga i le atina'e o Tulafono ma ta'iala e feso'otai ma vaega uma e pei ona taua.

Ae peita'i, e le mafai ona tatou 'alo mai le tele o pa puipui ma lu'itau o lo o faava'atu'ia ai le mauaina e tupulaga talavou o agava'a e uia ai ma fa'aaogaina tekonolosi faa-neionapo. Pei o le lē gafatia o tau, le lava le malamalama i auaunaga ma auala e agava'a ai. Utiuti avanoa mo iloiloga (assessments) ina ia mautinoa ai le mea faigaluega talafeagai mo tagata ta'ito'atasi aemaise lava i lona si'omaga.

O tulaga uma ia, ou te talitonu ai, o talanoaga ma folasaga o le a faia i lenei lua aso, o se auala lea e mafai ai ona fa'asoa, a'oa'oina, ma fausia ai so'otaga i tulaga e mafai ai ona fa'aleleia le maua e tagata e i ai a'afiaga tumau o le soifua i Samoa, ma so'o se tafa o le lalolagi o feso'otaiga fa'atekonolosi, ina ia iloga le maualuga o lo latou fa'aaofiaina atoatoa i so'o se atinae.

O le mea sili ona taua, ia aloa'ia, amana'ia ma mautinoa le ogatotonugalemu o i latou e i ai a'afiaga tumau ma a latou fa'alapotopotoga i le fuafuaina, fa'atinoga ma le iloiloga o taunu'uga mo'omia o atina'e uma.

Fa'ata'i ai lea o se fa'amatalaga, a tatala le fili-ali'i ma tatou ta'ape i lenei taeao, le mamalu ma le paia ua aofaga potopoto, ia agalelei le Atua, foa'i pea le soifua manuia i le susuga i le Ta'ita'i o le sauniga, aua le fa'afale lemalu ai i totonu o ekalesia o lo'o tauasuina ai le ipuvai o le ola, aua se manuia mo a taeao o tagatanuu Samoa, aemaise ona tupulaga lalovaoa. Ia malu puipuia fo'i ma lavea'i le soifua ma le ola o nai alo ma fanau, ua mafai ona fa'atasi mai i lenei fonotaga taua. Ia manuia foi le mamalu o le auvala'aulia, le susuga i le Tama'ita'i Pule o le Nuanua o le Alofa ma le mamalu o le aufaigaluega, manuia Samoa atoa, ae ola lo'u nei tagata.

Soifua ma ia manuia !!

July 26, 2024

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