The Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche  and representatives of several UN agencies at Parliament with a view to strengthening cooperation in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and advancing disability-inclusive legislation and policies. The meeting was held under the Chairpersonship of the Caucus, Sugath Wasantha de Silva recently. Addressing the meeting, Franche emphasised the importance of treating disability inclusion as a national priority across all sectors. The UN Children’s Fund Representative, Begoña Arellano highlighted the need to safeguard the rights of children with disabilities, particularly in relation to health, nutrition and education, while emphasising the important oversight role of Parliament in ensuring the effective implementation of disability-inclusive policies.

The Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Minister Dr Upali Pannilage informed that the proposed Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill and the Sign Language Bill are currently with the Attorney General's (AG) Department and are expected to be presented to Parliament in September. He further stated that measures are underway to improve accessibility in public institutions, expand employment opportunities, introduce educational grants for university students with disabilities and establish 10 day-care centres for children with disabilities within this year (2026).

The Caucus also discussed future initiatives, including the preparation of disability-inclusive budget proposals by Ministries, the finalisation of a national disability database and the conduct of a sensitisation programme for journalists to promote a rights-based approach to disability-related reporting.