"I would particularly like to thank the special advisor for this visit to our country: we have been discussing the next G7 Inclusion and Disability Summit for some time now, and we want to trace this important path together, so that it can truly be a historic and impactful moment for all our countries." Thus, Alessandra Locatelli, Minister for Disabilities, met with Sara Minkara, Special Advisor on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the US State Department, yesterday in preparation for the first G7 Inclusion and Disability Summit, which will be held in Umbria from October 14 to 16. "The bilateral meetings will persist, and we are committed to advancing the issue of disability and inclusion for the upcoming G20 summit. This will ensure that the matter is genuinely more widely known and discussed among our nations," Locatelli emphasized. Further, "We are currently deliberating on the concerns, and our objectives for the coming G7 ministerial meeting will be crystal clear. Sara Minkara and I met at the UN last year, and she encouraged me much to continue on this path, with the request for a G7 Inclusion and Disability in Italy. But the other G7 countries are also really motivated," the minister adds. The first day, 14 October, will be open to citizens and third-party organizations in Assisi, followed by two days in the province of Perugia: on 15 October, the countries will compare their respective best practices, and on 16 October, a ministerial meeting will be held to develop a document outlining priorities and commitments. "But we want to do more," Locatelli goes on to say, "we want to accompany the transition to the next G7 that will be under the Canadian presidency over time, we are working so that this does not remain an isolated experience but so that it is a historic success that continues over time." "For us, the priority of priorities is to show the world the important place that the issue of disability must occupy in foreign policy, especially when peace and prosperity are to be achieved," Sara Minkara underlines. The Special Advisor continues by thanking "Minister Locatelli for her commitment and passion. We would also like to have a minister like you: Italy for the first time is organizing a ministerial meeting on this issue, and I believe that this is an event of a historic nature, which will leave its mark." "For us", says the Special Advisor to the U.S. government on disabilities, "it is important not to consider disability from a charitable point of view, which must be seen as a value for society and inclusion must be a priority issue: the G7 will be a space to address these issues, along with those of climate change, artificial intelligence, food security".
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