The Republic Centre for Support of Persons with Intellectual Disability – PORAKA in 2024 will continue to implement its activities arising from the foreseen goals and principles.
The programme activities of the Republic Centre – PORAKA are based and are in line with the implementation process of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as an exceptionally imperative document that is legally binding for the states that have ratified it. The Reference document that the Republic Centre – PORAKA is going to use in its activities will be the Concluding observations on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities sent to the Republic of North Macedonia during the 2018 September session of the Committee. The Republic Centre – PORAKA had and will have a significant role in all processes that refer to the UN Convention.
In that direction, the Republic Centre – PORAKA is going to continue with the regular ac-tivities for representing the rights of persons with intellectual disability and advancing the legal framework in the areas of social protection, education, health care and health insurance, employment, imposing the adopted priorities of its membership as crucial changes for improving the rights of persons with intellectual disability. The Report of the Republic Centre – PORAKA on the advancements in the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the past decade, titled “10 Years After” will serve as a basic instrument for lobbying and advocacy.
One of the fundamental activities of the Republic Centre – PORAKA is maintaining, developing, and advancing the work in the community-based social services. The activities in this area are aimed in two directions: towards maintaining the continuity of work at the established social services (day centres and social clubs) for persons with intellectual disability and towards creating conditions for promotion of other types of services, especially small group homes and services for organised living with support aimed for persons with intellectual disability who will leave the residential institutions as a result of the deinstitutionalization process. During 2024, the Republic Centre – PORAKA will continue to initiate local authorities to actively participate in the process of sustainability and opening new social services in the community, according to the Law on Local Self-Government. Additionally, the Republic Centre – PORAKA will continue its initiatives for creating services for Early Childhood Intervention. The position of the Republic Centre – PORAKA is that it is necessary to establish a positive model of support for families that have children with intellectual disability. The existence of these services where parents and children will receive direct psycho-social support from the earliest age is the base for further work on developing the potential of children with intellectual disability and their inclusion in the mainstream systems from early age.
During 2024, the Republic Centre – PORAKA will continue with the initiative to improve the licensing conditions concerning organisations that provide daily services. The Republic Centre – PORAKA proposes revision of the rulebook, including the organisations that have experience in providing daily services, in order to enable:
- Minimum realistically achievable standards that will be necessary to fulfil by each association.
• Greater flexibility of the criteria and the possibility for differentiation according to target groups, especially when it comes to day centres for different groups of persons with disability, because it is not appropriate that the same standards apply to different groups.
- Greater focus on the quality of the service provision process, in accordance with the modern frameworks for the quality of social services, by introducing provisions that will regulate the individual approach and personal planning, the use of modern work methods and techniques, as well as including the users in the processes of planning and delivering the service.
Унапредувањето на законските можности за остварување на човековите права на лицата со интелектуална попреченост е редовна и континуирана активност на РЦПЛИП – ПОРАКА. Во 2024 година особено внимание ќе се посвети на процесот на имплементација на Конвенцијата на ОН за правата на лицата со попреченост, како исклучително значаен документ кој има правно-обврзувачки карактер за државите кои го ратификувале. Истовремено, РЦПЛИП – ПОРАКА ќе продолжи да го користи извештајот за напредокот во имплементација на Конвенцијата на ОН за правата на лицата со попреченост „10 години потоа“ како инструмент за лобирање пред институциите кои се одговорни за остварување и унапредување на човековите права на лицата со интелектуална попреченост. Во 2024 година, РЦПЛИП – ПОРАКА активно ќе придонесува за имплементација на новата Национална стратегија за права на лицата со попреченост 2023 – 2030. Во процесот на подготовка на стратегијата, РЦПЛИП – ПОРАКА се залагаше за сериозни решенија преку конкретни, остварливи мерки и активности, базирани на реални согледувања на потребите, кои ќе бидат дизајнирани во соработка со организациите на лицата со попреченост. РЦПЛИП – ПОРАКА како членка на ЕАСПД – Европска асоцијација на обезбедувачи на сервисни служби за лица со попреченост, е директно вклучена во донесувањето и спроведувањето на низа важни акти на ниво на Европа, како што е Европска стратегија за лица со попреченост 2021 – 2030, која води кон целосно учество на лицата со попреченост во општеството. РЦПЛИП – ПОРАКА ќе продолжи да ги пренесува европските трендови и иницијативи во нашата држава и ќе придонесува за актуелизирање на потребата од ефективно прифаќање и имплементација на европски документи и развојни програми.
During 2024, the Republic Centre – PORAKA will continue to implement activities related to raising public awareness regarding the needs and rights of persons with intellectual disa-bility and their families. These activities represent continuation of the Republic Centre – PO-RAKA’s previous campaigns and will be aimed at highlighting the need for effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and promoting the right to a dignified life for persons with intellectual disability through adequate support services.
Due to more effective realisation of the programme tasks of the local organisations, part of the regular activities of the Republic Centre – PORAKA are also coordination and profes-sional and methodological support to its local organisations aimed for realisation of important activities on local level. The Republic Centre - PORAKA in cooperation with the local organiza-tions will provide direct support in the realisation of public events on local level and meetings with local authorities. Strengthening the capacity will also be carried out through organising workshops for SWOT analysis and strategic planning for advancement of the work in the local organisation and the social services. Moreover, the Republic Centre – PORAKA will organise and provide targeted participation in trainings for representatives of the local organisation, de-pending on the needs on local level.
The recognition of the Republic Centre – PORAKA as a leader in the field of the rights of persons with disabilities continuously results in new partnerships and joint activities with organisations and institutions whose programme activities have similar interests with the Republic Centre – PORAKA. In 2024, the Republic Centre – PORAKA will continue the cooperation established on international level with EASPD and other associations, and will participate in joint initiatives, activities and projects that arise from the membership in these associations. The Republic Centre – PORAKA will also continue to implement activities within the partnership projects that are implemented on European level.
Also, the publishing and information activities, that are regular activities of the Republic Centre – PORAKA will continue to be implemented in 2024.
The working programme of the Republic Centre for Support of Persons with Intellectual Disability – PORAKA for 2024 is open and can be upgraded during its implementation.
