Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak, who received the President and members of the Barrier-Free Components Federation, drew attention to the problems of disabled citizens and announced that they will establish a Department for the Disabilities.

President of the Federation of Barrier-Free Components, Abdülmecit Yılmaz, together with executives and members, organised a march from Dağkapı to Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality within the scope of the 10–16 May Disability and Awareness Week events. Co-Mayors of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, Serra Bucak and Doğan Hatun, welcomed the federation president and members in front of the municipal service building. The Co-Mayors and federation members then moved on to the garden of the municipal building.

Speaking at the meeting in the municipal garden, Co-Mayor Bucak stated that the problems of people with disabilities and proposed solutions should be on the agenda of the country, especially local governments, and said that they have a local government approach that has been fighting for many years in this area with disabled branch directorates and units, implementing practices and developing proposed solutions.

A six-month strategic plan will be prepared

Bucak stated that they will prepare a six-month strategic plan while rebuilding the next 5 years together, noting that they will keep the promises they made before the election. Bucak continued her speech as follows: “In the six-month strategic plan, the establishment of directorates for persons with disabilities in our district municipalities and the establishment of the Department for Persons with Disabilities in the Metropolitan Municipality will be included. We would like to announce to all of you that we will establish the Department for Persons with Disabilities and its units with its own dedicated budget. We wish everyone the best of luck.”

‘We will carry it out with a participatory approach’

Co-Mayor Bucak stated that the process of establishing the Department for Persons with Disabilities will be carried out with a participatory approach, and said: "For the past two weeks, we have met with all of our friends with hearing, visual, physical and mental disabilities, as well as their associations, organisations and structures. Even if there are some we have not yet met with, we want to discuss with them in the coming period, as we establish the Directorate for Persons with Disabilities, ‘what roadmap we will follow, our priorities, and our objectives.”

'There is a need for comprehensive local politics'

Bucak pointed out that Diyarbakır needs a comprehensive local policy that will eliminate obstacles such as sidewalks, public transportation, and many others, saying, ‘We also want to work with you here to make this local policy, this local politics, more accessible, more comfortable, more equitable, equal, and fair.’

Bucak: We will monitor the employment quota for persons with disabilities

Stating that they will work to increase employment opportunities in Diyarbakır and will closely monitor the implementation of the disability quota across all municipalities, Bucak said: “We will monitor and implement awareness activities, trainings, policies, and changes in public mentality, and we will fully defend the right to life, the right to sustain life, and the right to employment of persons with disabilities. For us, your presence here today is highly meaningful. We have full confidence that the content of the statement you made today will be fully realised. If we join hands and build solidarity together, change and transformation will be achieved with us.”

Yılmaz: We will undertake many initiatives

President of the Federation of Barrier-Free Components, Abdülmecit Yılmaz, thanked the Co-Mayors and stated that they will undertake many initiatives within the Department for Persons with Disabilities to be established. Noting that they had submitted a report to the Co-Mayors regarding their demands, Yılmaz said: “We believe that, beyond the posts already allocated to persons with disabilities, by increasing the proportion of posts we can demonstrate exemplary municipal governance in Turkey.”

Following the speeches, representatives of the Bismil Association of the Physically Disabled presented plaques to the Co-Mayors.