Cyprus is “significantly exposed” for failing to allocate adequate resources to social policy for persons with disabilities, according to a statement issued by the Cyprus Paraplegic Organisation (OPAK). The organisation notes that while the EU average stands at 2.1% of GDP directed toward social policy for people with disabilities, Cyprus allocates only 0.6%.

Marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed today, 3 December, OPAK states that although the country’s economy is “fortunately prospering,” “people with disabilities are not prospering, as they face a high cost of living directly linked to their disability.”

OPAK also calls for full access to healthcare services, “something we still do not enjoy, which constitutes a violation of the human rights of persons with disabilities and, in particular, of our members who live with the most severe forms of motor disability.”

“The lack of accessibility within GHS healthcare services is a wound in a health system that is otherwise rich in resources,” it notes.

“Targeted social benefits are not an expense but an investment in a fairer, more cohesive society—one that leaves no citizen behind. We work for a society that is more accessible, more just, offering equal opportunities for participation and greater social inclusion. In this effort, the state should stand supportively by our side, not opposite us behind closed doors,” the statement concludes.