On December 11th, the U.S. Department of State hosted a meeting of representatives of C5+1 countries dedicated to protecting the rights of people with disabilities and finding practical solutions to their problems.
The C5+1 diplomatic platform represents the U.S. Government’s holisitc approach to Central Asia, jointly engaging all five Central Asian nations.
The meeting was attended by Sara Minkara, Special Adviser to the President of the United States on the International Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State, Deputy Assistant Secretary John Mark Pommersheim, and representatives of government agencies of the USA. The Ambassadors of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to the United States also spoke during the meeting, which was moderated by Minkara, who shared her experience and recommendations on ensuring protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Donald Lu stressed the importance of increasing cooperation within the C5+1 format on the rights of persons with disabilities in a multilateral format. Following the meeting, the participants agreed on joint actions in this direction.
