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Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Kyrgyzstan (RATIFICATION: 1992)

The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous comments, which read as follows:

Repetition

The Committee notes the Government’s report received in June 2005, which is the second report received since the ratification of the Convention, for the period of 2004 through to the first quarter of 2005. The Government concedes that the situation of the labour market in Kyrgyzstan is exceptionally difficult. On 1 April 2005, there were on average 22 applicants for every job vacancy. Under these difficult conditions, persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable. The basic objective of the state employment service is first and foremost to get them into employment. Two hundred and thirty five persons with disabilities applied to the employment services – of which 89 were placed in work – during the period covered by the report.

The Committee also notes the difficulties to implement the system of quotas in workplaces for persons with disabilities. The Committee hopes that the Government will continue its efforts in order to enable people with disabilities to participate in the open labour market. The Committee asks the Government to regularly provide information on the manner in which difficulties have been overcome and the progress achieved by the National Employment Policy, in so far as it concerns vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities (Article 2 of the Convention).

Access to the open labour market for persons with disabilities. The Committee notes that a project on social support for persons with disabilities with visual and audio impairments was implemented in 2002, and that the results of the project were reviewed and evaluated in the Tripartite Committee on employment promotion issues. The Government mentions, however, that the experiment was halted due to lack of funds. The Government is requested to keep the Committee informed of any further measures taken with a view to promoting the employment of persons with disabilities on the free labour market (Article 3).

Effective equality of opportunities and treatment between workers with disabilities, whether men or women, and other workers. The Committee takes note of the measures set out in the decree of the President on the national plan of action to increase gender equality 2002–06. It asks the Government to provide further information on the impact of the measures aimed at effective equality of opportunity and treatment between workers with disabilities and other workers (Article 4).

Consultation of the representative organizations. In reply to previous comments, the Government states that consultations and exchanges of views with workers’ and employers’ representative organizations are held on a continuing basis through regular meetings of the tripartite committee on regulation of the labour market, including persons with disabilities. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the activities of the tripartite committee and on the outcome of any consultations held on the application of the national policy for the rehabilitation of workers with disabilities during the period covered by the next report. The Committee also asks the Government to indicate if any other organization was created by the Act on the Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities, besides the Society for Deaf and Blind referred to in the Government’s report, and to describe the manner in which these organizations are consulted on the implementation of that policy (Article 5).

Vocational rehabilitation and employment services in rural areas and remote communities. Please describe the measures taken to promote the establishment and development of vocational rehabilitation and employment services for persons with disabilities in rural areas and remote communities (Article 8).

Training of staff responsible for vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. Please indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure the availability of suitably qualified vocational rehabilitation staff, in accordance with this Article of the Convention and section 17 of the Act on the Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities concerning training of vocational rehabilitation staff (Article 9).

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.