Disability and international cooperation policies

Situation of disability into international cooperation

CRPD article 32 and its implications“1. States Parties recognize the importance of international cooperation and its promotion, in support of national efforts for the realization of the purpose and objectives of the present Convention, and will undertake appropriate and effective measures in this regard, between and among States and, as appropriate, in partnership with relevant international and regional organizations and civil society, in particular organizations of persons with disabilities. Such measures could include, inter alia:(a) Ensuring that international cooperation, including international development programmes, is inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities; (…) »

Article 32

Accessibility Inclusion of people with disabilities in

all phases of development

programs

South-North, South-South North-North and North-South

cooperationPartnerships

between states + with internat., organizations,

regional and civil society

Tech. and eco. assistance/

facilitating sharing of accessible and

assistive technologies

Supporting capacity-building

Research and access to scientific and

technical knowledge

Article 32 – key notions

Inclusive and accessible

development

Holistic understanding of cooperation

‘Multidirectional’ understanding of cooperation

Monitoring and evaluation

Article 32

Other provisions have a particular relevance in the framework of international cooperation:

• Article 11 – it covers situations of risk with an emphasis on humanitarian emergencies, a key area of international cooperation;

• Article 28 (2) (b) – it calls for ensuring access to social protection programmes and poverty reduction programmes for persons with disabilities, in particular women and girls with disabilities and older persons with disabilities in the context of the right to health.

Disability and the Millennium Devleopment Goals

• Millennium Declaration: «making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want »

• All of the 8 MDGs are concerned by disability, but disability is currently not included in indicators and targets set for the MDGs

What needs to happen?

• Disability must be recognized as a cross cutting issue within international development.

• Accurate and reliable disability data is collected to monitor the actual inclusion of people with disabilities in international aid efforts

• Ensure participation of people with disabilities in development

• Engage into the preparatory steps to influence for a more inclusive post-MDG framework

Disability in bilateral and multilateral cooperation policies

• Integrate a twin-track approach to inclusive development

• Integrate disability both vertically and horizontally

• Ensure that it is appropriately resourced• Develop the policy in a participatory manner• Ensure monitoring and evaluation of the

policy

Examples of disability policies in international cooperation

United Nations initiatives on disability

Groupe d’appui inter-agences sur la CDPH Partenariat des Nations Unies sur les Droits des Personnes Handicapées

•The intergovernmental process through which resolutions are adopted•Initiatives by individual UN agencies (UNICEF, UNDP, ILO, etc..) to include disability in their actions, in their respective areas of work; •The inter-agency coordination on disability issues, including the Inter-Agency Support Group on the Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons (IASG) and the recent Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PRPD);

Role of civil society

Task Group on Influencing the UN

Task Group on Influencing the EU

International Disability and Development

Consortium

International Disability Alliance

All UN system

Key messages• CRPD, article 32 : all actions within the framework of

international cooperation should be inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities

• no international cooperation action, including through development programmes, can discriminate on the ground of disability, nor can it contribute to the creation of new barriers for people with disabilities

• The Millennium Development Goals can only be achieved if people with disabilities are taken into account

• It is essential that donor states develop and enforce a disability policy within their department in charge of international cooperation