II. Findings of the CRM Legal and Policy Environment 457. Among the broad category of vulnerable groups in the country, the Constitution only specifically recognises the rights of the disabled and the elderly. The Constitution provides that disabled citizens shall enjoy the same rights as all other citizens, and all citizens have the right to assistance in the case of disability or old age. The Constitution also states that political refugee status may be granted by the state. 458. Mozambique has signed, but not yet ratified, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, although not the Optional Protocol. There is also a National Policy and National Plan of Action for the Elderly. An intersectoral group comprising the MMAS, and the Ministries of Health, Education and Culture, and Labour has been established to monitor the implementation of the National Plan of Action for Disability (PNAD). A National Council on Disability is in the offing. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities 459. The Constitution obliges the state to ensure special protection for those who were disabled during the armed conflict that ended with the signing of the GPA in 1992, as well as orphans and other direct dependants. This provision extends to those who have been disabled in the performance of public service or a humanitarian act. A national directory has been developed to document this target group. The government has put measures in place to meet their basic needs, which include access to housing and health, schooling for their children, and other means of compensation, such as wheelchairs and access to pension. 460. The MMAS is mandated to handle the concerns and welfare of elderly people and people with disabilities (PWDs), as well as to oversee the implementation of the Disability Policy of 1990 and the National Action Plan. The National Institute of Employment and Professional Training within the Ministry of Labour has also put in place programmes for the vocational training of PWDs. 461. PWDs face systemic discrimination at all levels of society, be it public, community or family. The enjoyment of their human rights is severely curtailed by structural barriers, including the physical environment in which they live. This happens despite the Constitution providing that the disabled shall have a right to special protection by the family, the society and the state, with the latter being obliged to promote the creation of conditions necessary for the economic and social integration of the disabled. PWDs are not included in several processes at the public and private sector levels. They lack basic facilitating 156 A P R M COU N T RY R EV IEW R EP ORT NO. 11