The Libya in Kilani’s Speech... Is Not the Libya We Live In!
On the sidelines of the Global Disability Summit: Kilani paints a rosy picture far from reality.
In a scene that evokes frustration rather than pride, Libya’s Minister of Social Affairs, Wafaa Abu Bakr Kilani, delivered a speech at the "High-Level Arab Event" during the Global Disability Summit in Berlin. Her speech was filled with commitments and grand statements, but unfortunately, what was said there has little to do with Libya’s reality.
"The Minister affirmed... Libya’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship for persons with disabilities and enhancing technology and innovation as key tools for their empowerment and independence." (Source: Libya’s Ministry of Social Affairs Facebook page, April 4, 2025 time 1 am)
Independence? Support? Where is this "entrepreneurship" in a country where persons with disabilities are still treated as a burden, denied jobs and services? Does the Minister know that most government buildings are inaccessible? That the technology she speaks of is barely available, even in its simplest forms?
Kilani portrayed Libya as ready to "cooperate and coordinate" to implement the "Amman-Berlin Declaration" and welcomed an award for creative individuals with disabilities, mentioning "specialized training programs" and "participatory mechanisms" for experience sharing.
"Libya welcomes contributing to an award for creative persons with disabilities, supporting their empowerment and encouraging their innovation." (Ministry’s Facebook page)
But such awards and "mechanisms" are meaningless when the most basic daily rights in Libya remain absent:
No accessible roads.
No real support in higher or primary education.
No specialized healthcare services.
No sufficient social security.
Not even a real voice for persons with disabilities in national policies.
Even more absurd was her statement:
"The importance of using technology to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities in the face of wars, epidemics, and crises." (Kilani, Berlin)
At a time when many Libyans with disabilities can’t even leave their homes due to inaccessible sidewalks, lack of functional power wheelchairs or spare parts, and unreliable electricity and internet access in rehabilitation centers.
Has the Minister visited any government-run rehabilitation or care centers lately? Has she witnessed firsthand the dire conditions at Janzour Rehabilitation Center? Has she spoken to those experiencing disability in the streets of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte, Ubari, and Derna, who face isolation, lack of support, and no future prospects?
It is shameful to exploit an international platform to distort harsh realities and turn the suffering of persons with disabilities in Libya into a tool for political embellishment. It is painful to see their daily struggles reduced to empty words spoken in their name, while they remain voiceless outside these halls.
In the end, the Libya Kilani spoke about in Berlin is not the Libya we live in. The Libya we know marginalizes persons with disabilities instead of embracing them. And reality cannot be erased with polished rhetoric on an international stage.