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Ghana�s Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, said the government is reviewing provisions of Persons with Disability Act 715 to realign it with the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. She said the realignment is to harmonise Ghana�s obligations under both local and International Law...�A Legislative Instrument to promote the effective implementation of the Act has subsequently been drafted�. Mrs Oye Lithur stated at the 68th UN General Assembly high level meeting on disability and development on realisation of the millennium development goals and other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities at New York. She said Ghana is one of the pioneering African countries to guarantee PWDs their fundamental human rights and participation in economic, educational and social life, through the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2006, (Act 715). She said Ghana�s commitment to the PWDs was strengthened through the signing and ratification of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities in 2007 and 2012 respectively. She said Government has issued a directive to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies not to grant building permit to developers whose building plans are in default Act 715 which mandates that all public structures must be disability friendly by 2016. Additionally, the Ministry has initiated a programme to accelerate compliance with the Act as the period for its enforcement draws to a close. She said the National Council of Persons with Disability (NCPD) was inaugurated in 2008 to propose and evolve policies and strategies to ensure the welfare and inclusion of all PWDs at all levels of national development. Ghana has also passed the Mental Health Act 2012 which adopts a humane approach to accessing health care by persons with mental disabilities and makes provisions to protect them from discrimination and stigmatisation, she noted. Mrs Oye Lithur explained that to ensure the effective implementation of the provisions of the Act, the Act establishes a Mental Health Authority to promote the welfare of persons with mental disabilities by proposing policies and ensuring the implementation of same. �I must add that just as Civil Society has been influential in the passage of this Act, the establishment of the Authority will soon be realised considering the extent of advocacy that Civil Society has been engaged in since its enactment,� Mrs Oye Lithur stated. On employment of PWDs, she said Part V of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) provides for PWDs in the employment sector including provision of incentives for employers of PWDs. Additionally, Ghana is implementing an integrated Social Protection System � social intervention programmes known as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme. She said a common Targeting System has been developed and being used to identify beneficiaries for social protection interventions. She said about 7,860 PWD households currently benefit under this bi-monthly cash grant transfer programme and this number is estimated to increase by end of 2013. Mrs Oye Lithur said Government also allocates 2 percent of the national revenue allocated for district and community based development at the decentralised level of government to PWDs. �The grant is aimed at supporting capacity building for PWDs at the district and community levels for their economic empowerment. In accordance with its mandate, the National Council of Persons with Disability together with other key stakeholders has provided Guidelines (2010) to ensure the proper disbursement and management of the funds. �Activities have been initiated at the local level of government to equip PWDs with skills. In 2012, approximately 5000 PWDs benefited from skills training in Information Communication Technology systems under this initiative,� stated. She said the Gender Ministry has also initiated a programme to enrol persons with disabilities on the National Health Insurance Scheme at no cost to the beneficiaries. To ensure efficient service delivery and policy initiatives, the Ministry is designing an e-data system which will have significant impact for data collection and analysis. She affirmed that government is committed to mainstream issues relating to disability at all levels of its development planning process, including universal access to education for PWDs, under its medium term development agenda, the Shared Growth Development Agenda (2010 to 2013). The Ghana Education Strategic Plan, 2003-2015 mainstreams educational needs of PWDs to promote their �equitable educational opportunities�. Presently, there are 24 public institutions nationwide for special education. There are six additional institutions offering secondary and post- secondary level education. Mrs Oye Lithur stressed that government�s commitment is further exhibited by President John Dramani Mahama�s historical appointment of a visually impaired as Minister for Chieftaincy. She commended Civil Society groups particularly the Ghana Federation of the Disabled for collaborating with government to evolve policies and legislations tailor made for the country. �We also seek to collaborate and partner with other countries and development partners as we advance with our programmes for PWDs to promote an inclusive government and sustainable national development,� she noted.