Reinforcing the disability perspective in international development agenda

By Clinton E. Rapley
Director of Planning Services
Associates for International Management Services

Text version of a PowerPoint presentation

Slide 1

UN ESCAP Regional Workshop on Comprehensive National Plan of Action on Disability - Towards the Mid-point Review of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action Bangkok, 19-21 October 2005

Reinforcing the disability perspective in international development agenda

Clinton E. Rapley / Director of Planning Services
Associates for International Management Services

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Presentation agenda

• Treatment of disability perspective on development in the twenty-first century
• Disability perspective in options to implement the development goals of the Millennium Declaration
• 
  Reinforcing the disability perspective in international development agenda

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Disability perspective on development in twenty-first century

• Disability perspective is key concept of World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons
• Disability perspective was not evident in either documents prepared by UN Millennium Project or report submitted by Secretary-General to 2005 World Summit
• Disability perspective was evident in preparatory studies for 2005 World Summit, in high-level intergovernmental dialogue prior to World Summit and in civil society consultations in connection with World Summit

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Disability perspective on development in twenty-first century - background

Disability perspective evident in outcomes of major UN conferences and summits

• Education - Salamanca (1994) and Dakar (2000)
• Population and development - Cairo (1994)
• Social development - Copenhagen (1995)
• Women - Beijing (1995)
• Habitat - Istanbul (1996)
• Sustainable Development - Johannesburg 2002
• Older persons - Madrid 2002
• Children - UN GA 27th Special Session (2002)

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Disability perspective on development in twenty-first century - options to strengthen

• Data and statistics on disability, with emphasis on defining disability for purposes of international comparisons
• Disability-sensitive priorities for international development agenda
• Disability-sensitive monitoring and evaluation

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Data and statistics on disability

• The issue: Disability is a condition and not an attribute
• WHO (2001). International Classification of Functioning (ICF): classification of health and health-related domains that describe human functioning but does not provide a definition of disability
• ICF and its critics (1): disability is not health issue but a socially-created mechanism; disability is a human rights issue and should be addressed by social model;
• ICF and its critics (2): presentation of environmental elements, failure to elaborate systematic measures of access and of attributes relating to human rights of persons with disability

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Disability-sensitive priorities

• UN General Assembly priorities for equalization of opportunities:
  1. Accessibility;
  2. Social services and social safety nets;
  3. Sustainable livelihoods and employment.
• Development goals of Millennium Declaration
  1. Promote accessibility in goals 1-7l
  2. Expanded access to accessible social services, goals 2 and 4 – 6;
  3. Expanded access to water, accessible shelter, transportation and related infrastructure, goal 7.

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Disability-sensitive monitoring and evaluation

• Participatory monitoring and evaluation is a BMF strategic priority (strategy 4)
• Beneficiary involvement strengthens monitoring and evaluation and facilitates action required to implement findings
• None of the eight development goals and associated targets of Millennium Declaration include disability-sensitive measures

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Disability-sensitive monitoring and evaluation of selected MDGs

• Development goal 1 - eradicate extreme poverty and hunger: include data on progress for persons with disability and non-disabled
• Development goal 2 - universal primary education: include data on inclusion of children and young adults with disability in mainstream education; enrolment in special education and movement to mainstream
• Development goal 3 - gender equality and empowerment of women: women with disability and non-disabled women; and women and men in rural and urban areas
• Development goal 5 - improve maternal health: include data on access to accessible health and nutrition services, including early detection
• Development goal 7 - environmental sustainability: include data on access to accessible water supplies and sanitation (target 10); and provision of accessible shelter and public infrastructure (target 11)
• Development goal 8 - global partnership: include data on employment promotion for youth with disability and non-disabled youth, urban - rural (target 16); and expanded access to ICT (target 18) that provides accessibility with reasonable adaptation

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Disability-inclusive development and the international convention process

• Value proposition of the convention: world cannot become more just if certain groups are excluded from global processes of growth and change; focus of convention is promotion and protection rights and dignity of persons with disability in context of development
• Elaboration of convention is at a crossroads: many draft articles deal with economic, social and cultural rights, which are subject to available resources and “doctrine of progressive realization” while others address civil and political rights, which are of immediate effect.
• A recurring question: whether the convention shall “recognize” or “ensure” a right.

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Concluding remarks

• Strategic actions identified to date to implement goals and targets of Millennium Declaration are disability exclusive and thus do not present sufficient conditions to realize the inclusive development and the extreme poverty and hunger eradication goals
• Premise of presentation: disability-inclusive development is both efficient and effective
• Recommended change: actions aimed at implementing the goals and commitments of Millennium Declaration shall provide accessibility and promote progressive removal of barriers to development participation by all

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Three key accessibility considerations to reinforce the disability perspective in international development agenda

• promote environmental accessibility with reasonable adaptation, in the general systems of society, in the physical environment and in the fields of information and communication technologies;
• provide appropriate – and accessible - social services and safety nets that ensure a “civil minimum” of well-being for all; and
• encourage and develop participatory, democratic and accountable institutions that promote individual freedom and enterprise for all.

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