Making Inclusion Part of Every Area of Development

Aliya Turdieva, a specialist on hearing impairment at the Kyrgyz Society of the Blind and Deaf, reflected on how cooperation with the UN system can become more accessible, inclusive and responsive to the lived experiences of persons with disabilities.

As a person with hearing loss herself, Aliya brings both professional expertise and personal experience to her work on information accessibility, sign-language development and the rights of people with hearing impairments.

From consultation to meaningful participation

The Society regularly participates in UN events and discussions concerning disability inclusion. Turdieva values these opportunities to represent the perspectives of persons with disabilities but emphasized that their participation should not be limited to disability-specific issues.

Persons with disabilities are affected by - and have expertise to contribute to - employment, economic development, climate action, education and other national priorities. Their perspectives should therefore be integrated across the full scope of UN–Kyrgyzstan cooperation.

Turdieva also called for greater representation of persons with disabilities within UN teams and projects. Their direct involvement would bring lived experience into programme design and implementation, helping ensure that initiatives reflect the realities, barriers and priorities of the communities they are intended to serve.

This would mark an important shift from consulting persons with disabilities as beneficiaries towards recognizing them as professionals, experts and equal partners in development.

Making accessibility a consistent standard

Looking ahead, Turdieva identified accessibility as a fundamental condition for meaningful participation. UN events should systematically provide Russian Sign Language interpretation so that people with hearing impairments can access information, contribute to discussions and participate on an equal basis.

Accessibility should be planned from the outset rather than added only when specifically requested. Applying this principle across events, communications and programmes would help establish a consistent and inclusive institutional standard.

Turdieva also emphasized that persons with disabilities should be involved throughout the full project cycle—from identifying priorities and designing interventions to implementation and evaluation. This would ensure that their views are not only heard but reflected in decisions and results.

Her reflections will contribute to the UN Country Analysis by helping identify persistent barriers, groups at risk of being left behind and opportunities for more inclusive development. They will also help inform the future direction of cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the United Nations, with accessibility, representation and meaningful participation embedded across all areas of work.