The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic, and cultural life.

More than one billion people in the world live with some form of disability, and they all face physical, socio-economic, and behavioral barriers that exclude them from full, effective, and equal participation in society. According to the UN, they make up a disproportionate share of the world’s poorest people and lack equal access to basic resources such as education, employment, health care and social and legal support systems. In every region in the world, in every country in the world, persons with disabilities often live on the margins of society, deprived of some of life’s fundamental experiences.

Azerbaijan, which acceded to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006, is taking measures to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, restore their health, improve their social well-being, provide them with housing, acquire a profession and, in short, integrate them into society as full members. Nowadays, necessary steps are being taken in each of these areas.

Since 2003, President Ilham Aliyev has successfully continued the policy of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in this sphere. In accordance with the general process of development of the society, laws are adopted that further increase social protection of persons in this category, as well as create opportunities for solving certain social issues, new pensions and allowances are established to strengthen their financial security, and the amounts of pensions and other social payments are regularly increased.

Due to the instructions of the Head of State, much work has been done and is being done to provide housing for citizens with disabilities. On average, more than 700 flats are built for these people every year. A programme to provide disabled persons with a passenger car is also being implemented. The number of persons with disabilities who have received cars increases annually.

Pensions and allowances paid to disabled persons are annually increased in accordance with the relevant decrees and orders signed by President Ilham Aliyev.

According to the statistics of the International Association of Pension and Social Funds, Azerbaijan currently ranks among the CIS countries in terms of the size of the basic part of labour pensions. All this contributes to solving the problems of the country’s population, in particular those in need of special care.

Today, our state is taking steps to restore the health of soldiers who lost their health in the 44-day Patriotic War and return them to normal life.

After the end of the war, soldiers who lost their health on the battlefield were provided with modern 4th generation prostheses for the complete restoration of health.

The YAŞAT Foundation was established by presidential decree on December 8, 2020 to create an appropriate platform for the implementation of civil society initiatives aimed at providing additional support for the measures implemented by the State in the area of social protection of the families of the wounded and martyrs in connection with the defence of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and persons who are disabled as a result of military operations, as well as to ensure transparency, accountability and public control in this area. Currently, the state takes consecutive measures for providing families of the martyrs and disabled veterans with flats, private houses, and cars. 12 centres for the social and psychological rehabilitation have been overhauled, reconstructed, and provided with the most modern equipment in 2019-2021 on the order of President Ilham Aliyev. These institutions contribute to the provision of rehabilitation and socio-psychological services to the participants of the Patriotic War.

Disabled Karabakh veterans, who lost their health in defence of their homeland are being provided with better living conditions. Rehabilitation centres are being opened to cure them and, if necessary, they are sent to foreign countries for treatment.

The involvement of people with disabilities in employment programmes is also widespread. People with disabilities are involved in self-employment programmes, small businesses and farms.

The State’s care for this group of the population is always in the centre of attention.

Recommended literature:

1. Həsənzadə, Səidə Bəhram qızı. Əlillərin sosial müdafiəsi sahəsində hüquq islahatlarının əsas istiqamətləri : monoqrafiya / S. B. Həsənzadə ; elmi red. M. N. Əliyev ; AMEA Fəlsəfə, Sosiologiya və Hüquq İnstitutu. - Bakı : Təknur MMC, 2009. - 120 s.
2. Əliyeva, Səbinə Yaşar qızı. Əlillərin hüquqlarının müdafiəsi sahəsində beynəlxalq hüquq normalarının Azərbaycan Respublikasının qanunvericiliyinə implementasiyası : monoqrafiya / S. Y. Əliyeva ; elmi red. Ə. İ. Əliyev. - Bakı : Red N Line, 2019. - 256 s.
3. Mustafazadə, Aytən İnqlab qızı. Əlilliyi olan şəxslərin məşğulluğu problemləri : monoqrafiya / A. İ. Mustafazadə ; red. L. Əhmədova ; AMEA Hüquq və İnsan Haqları İnstitutu. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2018. - 152 s.