Progress so far
Progress has been made on meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Globally the picture shows some promise, especially for reducing poverty and ending gender disparity. However much of this progress is driven by overachievers in east and south Asia.
It is very difficult to monitor progress for disability as recent reports on the MDGs fail to monitor inclusion of disabled adults and children in poverty reduction processes.
However, there have been steps forward in making sure disabled people benefit from plans to meet the MDGs.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
The CRPD is the very first human rights instrument specific to disabled people and promotes their full participation in economic, social, cultural and political life.
Application of the CRPD will help to ensure both donor and partner governments address fundamental elements in inclusive development, such as non discrimination, equality, participation and accountability.
In particular, articles 4.1 and 32 call for international cooperation in the design and delivery of development strategies and commit all governments to ensure development plans, strategies and processes are inclusive of disabled people.
The CRPD provides the framework for international agencies, donors and partner governments to build on their existing commitments in the area of disability and development.
Other achievements around MDGs and disability
Over the past few years, there has been growing recognition internationally of the importance of disability in reducing poverty, for example:
- The Department for International Development (DFID), UK and the EU Commission have both produced Guidance Notes on Disability, providing a practical guide for their country offices and delegations to address disability within development work. Both these notes explicitly recognise that the MDGs cannot be achieved without addressing disability.
- The African Union and European Union have developed action points on disability under the MDG areas of health and education in their Joint EU Africa Strategy and Action Plan, 2008 – 2009.
- The WHO Director-General recently stated that the CRPD will change the way the WHO operates and a Taskforce on Disability has been established to lead WHO efforts in this area.
- The UN have committed to developing a Common Strategy and Action Plan on Disability, which will be used as the basis for concerted and coordinated work on disability across all UN agencies.
Still a long way to go
Momentum clearly exists but considerable strides still need to be made to ensure disability is effectively integrated within international development processes. In order to make a sustained difference to alleviating poverty, donors should work within the framework of the CRPD and ensure disability is a core component of their development work.
