Disabled and Elderly Persons Day in Tajikistan Date in the current year: July 8, 2024

According to the head of the Department of Social Protection of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population of Tajikistan, as of 2017, there were about 150,000 people of disabilities in Tajikistan, of whom about 25,000 were children.

The rights and interests of people with disabilities in Tajikistan are protected by the Law on Social Protection of Disabled Persons, adopted in 2010. It covers, in particular, sociomedical assessment, rehabilitation of disabled people, ensuring that disabled people are cared for, and public associations of disabled people.

The Law on Social Protection of Disabled Persons and other regulatory legal acts establish social rights of persons with disabilities, for example, the right to social security, various benefits (full or partial exemption from certain taxes and utility payments, reduced fare in public transport, etc.), compensations, free medical care and medications, etc. The amount of benefits provided to a disabled person depends on their disability group.

In 2017, the government of Tajikistan began to implement the National Program for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities for 2017–2020. The main task of the program, drawn up in accordance with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is to improve the social protection of persons with disabilities, which includes their social and medical rehabilitation.

Finally, in 2018, Tajikistan joined the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006 and came into force in 2008. As of 2020, the Convention had 182 parties, 181 states and the European Union.

The biggest public organization of people with disabilities in Tajikistan is the National Union of People with Disabilities of Tajikistan (NUPDT). It was founded by people with disabilities in 1990 and has about 50,000 beneficiaries all over Tajikistan. The main goal of the organization is to achieve equal opportunities for people with disabilities and to enable their active participation in all spheres of public life.

It was the NUPDT that suggested that July 8 be observed as Disabled and Elderly Persons Day. The government of Tajikistan supported the initiative and officially established the observance in 2004. On the occasion of Disabled and Elderly Persons Day, the government of Tajikistan, local authorities, and public organization host various events and activities, such as forums, conferences, exhibitions, fairs, concerts, etc.

In addition to its national Disabled and Elderly Persons Day, Tajikistan, like the rest of the world, observes International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3. It was established by the UN General Assembly in 1992 to raise awareness of the issues that people with disabilities face every day.