Apasen International participated yesterday in the Civil Society Forum for the two day Global Disability Summit at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London (23-24 July 2018).
Mahmud Hasan, Chief Executive, joined more than 800 representatives of civil society organisations – many of them led by people with disabilities – to discuss and influence the agenda of the summit and call for greater action for inclusive development in all countries.
Apasen International raised awareness at the event about the desperate need for access to health and social services for the poorest children and adults with learning disabilities, autism, and other special needs in Bangladesh and other countries.
Mahmud Hasan said:
“Regular access to basic therapies such as speech and language can make all the difference to a child with Down’s syndrome or autism and need not be expensive to deliver – we have demonstrated this through our innovative local day care centres operated by trained specialist teachers and therapists with our partner BRAC in Bangladesh.”
The summit is the first Global Disability Summit, hosted by the British and Kenyan Governments and the International Disability Alliances, with the goal of accelerating the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). DFID and the UN agencies attending are expected to announce new funds to support this chronically under funded sector.
International is a sister organisation to Apasen, one of the largest diaspora led health and social care providers in the UK. Apasen International is taking best practice from its work in the UK and adapting and applying this to the low resource settings of the poorest communities.
Mahmud Hasan, Apasen International’s Chief Executive signed the Global Disability Summit’s Charter for Change on Monday 23 July 2018
