At the event, Emmanuel D. Joof, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, explained that the roundtable underscores a shared national commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities are fully included in governance and development processes.
He noted that while The Gambia has domesticated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through the 2021 Act, studies show that disability-related expenditure in the national budget remains below one percent.
That, he said, is not necessarily due to a lack of goodwill or political will, rather a systemic gap in how the country plans and allocates public resources.
"The CRPD-Compliant Budgeting Guidelines aim to close that gap by offering a practical framework to integrate disability perspectives throughout budget planning execution and monitoring."
Joof maintained that a budget excluding the needs of Persons With Disabilities discriminates and that failing to allocate resources for inclusion denies equal opportunity and participation.
Thus, he called on participants to work toward concrete recommendations and a clear roadmap for institutionalising inclusive budgeting practices that support the effective implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act
In his keynote address, Mustapha Samateh, Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, described the national budget as a moral document that reflects a government’s true priorities
Samateh reminded that for too long budgetary systems have treated persons with disabilities as an afterthought subject of welfare, rather than rights.
The CRPD, he emphasised, represents a shift from charity and medical models toward a human rights model where persons with disabilities are recognised as equal members of society
Mr Samateh said CRPD-Compliant Budgeting goes beyond welfare allocations and calls for mainstreaming inclusion across all ministries and departments.
"It is about ensuring transport systems are accessible, teachers are trained in inclusive education and public infrastructure accommodates everyone."
To that end, he outlined three key pillars for inclusive budgeting; mainstreaming inclusion, ensuring participation and strengthening accountability, noting that every ministry must assess how its work impacts persons with disabilities.
Representing UNFPA Country Representative, Lamin Camara Assistant Country Representative, said the CRPD-Compliant Budgeting Guideline provides a clear methodology to translate principles of accessibility and participation into measurable financial allocations
He urged government institutions to adopt and internalise the guideline, stressing that inclusion is not only a moral responsibility, but also an economic investment that unlocks human potential.
Magistrate Muhammed Krubally, Chairperson of the Gambia Federation of the Disabled described the budget as one of the most important national documents essential for realising policies and programs.
He reminded institutions and ministries that excluding Persons With Disabilities from budgeting processes undermines national development and contravenes both the CRPD and the Sustainable Development Goals principle of leaving no one behind.
Thus, he added, that disability inclusion must be reflected in all sectors including education, health, transport, rehabilitation and vocational training and called for all hands-on deck to ensure the CRPD-Compliant Budgeting Guidelines are effectively implemented across all institutions in The Gambia.
