LocationsElimination of barriers in Sarajevo Canton
Securing freedom of movement for persons with disabilities
December 5, 2022
Barriers will be removed and the movement of people with disabilities facilitated in 28 public buildings in Sarajevo Canton, within the framework of partnership activities implemented by the Ministry of Labour, Social Policy, Displaced Persons and Refugees of Sarajevo Canton and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in BiH’s Infrastructure Development Initiative (CIDI) project.
On the occasion of December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Minister of Labour, Social Policy, Displaced Persons and Refugees of Sarajevo Canton, Ivana Prvulović and Steliana Nedera, Resident Representative of UNDP in BiH, as well as representatives of the Coordinating Committee of the Association of Persons with Disabilities of Sarajevo Canton – Director of the Association of Persons with Impaired Vision of Sarajevo Canton, Fikret Zuko, and Almir Šahmanija, President of the Association of Muscular Dystrophy of Sarajevo Canton – visited the "Porodica ef. Ramić" Elementary School in Semizovac, where an elevator and a platform were installed, and a sanitary facility renovated and adapted for the needs of persons with disabilities.
"The project to remove architectural barriers has been ongoing since 2019 and has been implemented by the Sarajevo Canton Government through the line ministry and in cooperation with UNDP as project implementer. The project covers 44 public institutions and companies, and around three million BAM has been allocated from the Sarajevo Canton budget for its implementation. Works on a total of 24 buildings have been completed, works on three buildings are in the implementation phase, while the preparation of documentation for the execution of works on the remaining buildings is in progress," said Minister Prvulović.
On behalf of the Coordinating Committee of the Association of Persons with Disabilities of Sarajevo Canton, which is involved in the implementation of the project, Šahmanija stated that the elimination of architectural barriers is one of the best and most valuable post-war initiatives in Sarajevo Canton.
“The right to movement and the right to freedom is one of the basic human rights. With this project, we are becoming a city of pleasant living as far as this population is concerned”Almir Šahmanija, President of the Association of Muscular Dystrophy of Sarajevo Canton
The principal of the "Porodica ef. Ramić" Elementary School, Šemso Pačariz, said that everyone at the school is looking forward to the implementation of this project, which will especially facilitate the movement of a student who moves in a wheelchair.
"We thank you from the bottom of our hearts on behalf of the students, parents and employees of the school," said Pačariz, who added that the school has 359 students and teachers, 20 of whom belong to vulnerable categories of the population, while two students and one employee of the school have mobility challenges.
Nedera stated that UNDP in BiH was very proud that it was able to support the Government and the Ministry of Labour, Social Policy, Displaced Persons and Refugees of Sarajevo Canton in this project.
"The project includes, among others, 14 elementary and secondary school buildings in Sarajevo Canton. We are glad to be here today, at the “Porodica ef. Ramić Elementary School” in Semizovac, to see the results of the project and how significant they are for people with disabilities," said Nedera.
