SESRIC held the second Technical Review Meeting on 11 April 2023 at its Headquarters in Ankara, Türkiye. The Meeting presented and discussed the outcomes of the latest SESRIC research report on “People with Disabilities and Special Needs in OIC Member Countries”. The Meeting was attended by H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, along with the directors and experts from Research, Statistics, Training, and Publication departments.

During the Meeting, Mr. Muzamil, Researcher from the Economic and Social Research Department, made a detailed presentation and shared the main findings of the report on “People with Disabilities and Special Needs in OIC Member Countries” with the participants. In his presentation, Mr. Muzamil informed the audience that currently over one billion people around the world experience some form of disability, and about 80% of them live in developing countries, including OIC countries. He further mentioned that disability is becoming more prevalent due to the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases, rising life expectancy, and declining fertility rates. Acknowledging the challenges faced by people with disabilities and special needs, the Draft OIC Plan of Action on People with Disabilities provides a clear roadmap for the OIC countries to improve the welfare and well-being of people with disabilities and special needs by focusing at education, health, economic integration, cultural acceptance and supportive environment, he added.

At the same time, the participants made interventions to provide their comments about the findings of the report during an interactive discussion. Among others, the participants made specific suggestions to improve the research report, particularly by revisiting the research methodology, data interpretation and clarity and coherence of the arguments. This report will be submitted to and presented at the 2^nd OIC Ministerial Conference on Social Development to be held on 05-06 June, 2023 in Cairo, Egypt. The Technical Review Meetings, provide a platform for the SESRIC staff to evaluate the quality and relevance of SESRIC's research work. These meetings offer participants the opportunity to delve into the methodology, structure, scope, and outcomes of the Centre's research reports, while also encouraging them to share their comments and feedback.

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