IDDC

WHO and World Bank launch the World Report on Disability
9 June 2011, New York

15% of the world’s population, i.e. 1 billion people, experience disabilities and the number is still rising. This was revealed at yesterday’s launch of the World Report on Disability in New York to which IDDC participated. In addition to extensive data on the situation of persons with disabilities, the Report also contains many good practice examples from IDDC members.

Prof. Ron McCallum, Chairman of the Committee on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, stated: “This is an important Report which will assist all of us in implementing the Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities. Too many persons with disabilities face the results of stigma, stereotypes, and other effects of discrimination.” The Report is the first comprehensive overview of the situation of persons with disabilities worldwide, based on scientific evidence and input from 380 experts globally.

“This report sets out the evidence in such detail and with such authority that it commands our attention and demands our action”, said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). “More than 100 countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. With this Report they now have the data, the knowledge, and the practical advice to deliver on their commitment.” This means that if policy makers and planners exclude persons with disabilities, they exclude a vast section of society.

What does this mean for International Cooperation?

The international community is committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as our overarching development targets. The Report reveals that each level of the MDG achievement is undermined by the exclusion of persons with disabilities.

The Report highlights the strong links between poverty and disability; if poverty reduction strategies do not take specific measures to include persons with disabilities and their families in poverty reduction programmes, then the poverty reduction programmes are discriminating and inefficient.

Ms. Tamar Manuelyan Atinc, Vice President for Human Development at the World Bank pointed out that “with more than one billion people worldwide living with some form of disability, it is vital that they have access to health, education and employment. As we know, the deadline for the MDGs is just around the corner. Governments must ensure that people with disabilities have access to all mainstream services; they should invest in specific services and adopt a national disability strategy.”

The Report repeatedly shows the increased barriers faced by women with disabilities in particular; global figures show employment rates are low for men with disabilities (53%) and even lower for women with disabilities (20%). Dr. Agnès Binagwaho, Minister of Health in Rwanda, shared the experience of her country and said that they have tried to include persons with disabilities from the beginning, also in the HIV/AIDS thematic. Young girls in many countries are extremely vulnerable to violence and rape. However, the people that can really make the difference are representatives of the persons living with disabilities.

Recommendations from the World Report on Disability

The final recommendations of the Report lead the way for implementation of inclusive international cooperation, which is in fact an obligation under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Johannes Trimmel, Chair of the IDDC, commented in the Experts Meeting on the World Report on Disability: “The World Report evidences the close link between poverty and disability and the gaps for persons with disabilities in developing countries to access their right to health, rehabilitation, education, employment and political participation. Development cooperation can and shall play an important role in reducing barriers persons with disabilities face, promoting the access to their rights and creating enabling environments. IDDC members are committed to invest in diverse strategies for an effective development cooperation leading to inclusive national disability strategies.”

When governments are planning their development and humanitarian assistance policies and programmes they shall:

• Enable access to all mainstream policies, systems and services. This includes removing barriers to all public services like health, education, employment and social services. It requires pro-active policy and legislative reform, universal design, in addition to specific support measures.

• Invest in specific programmes and services for persons with disabilities. Many persons with disabilities benefit from specific services, such as rehabilitation, support services, assistance, or training. Rehabilitation, including assistive technology such as wheelchairs or hearing aids, increase participation.

• Adopt a national disability strategy and plan of action. A strategy should set out a comprehensive and long term vision for improving the well-being of persons with disabilities. An action plan needs to specify what will be done in the short- and medium term, who is responsible, how the strategy coordination is organised, what the timelines are, etc. It needs to be multi-sectoral with a firm monitoring system in place. While this is targeted at the national level, for international development partners and donors, this is a recommendation they would support through their development assistance.

• Involve persons with disabilities in all matters pertaining to them and their communities. In formulating and implementing policies, laws, and services, persons with disabilities should be consulted and actively involved. Disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) may need capacity building and support to empower persons with disabilities and advocate for their needs. This is also a key role for International cooperation partners.

• Improve human resource capacity to support inclusion. This includes building capacity of all cadres of health, rehabilitation, education, vocational training, social service workers on disability. In addition, it involves taking action to bridge the significant gaps that exist for certain professionals like special educators, sign translators, rehabilitation workers.

• Provide adequate funding and improve affordability of public services. This includes funding to ensure adequate coverage and quality of services, and addressing access - ensuring that measures are developed to allow persons with disabilities to access services, either through safety net systems or by expanding social health insurance. Many international donors are actively involved in the development / improvement of social protection systems; this is an essential entry point to improve funding and affordability of services.

• Increase public awareness and understanding of disability. Mutual understanding contributes to an inclusive society. Therefore it is vital to improve public understanding of disability, confront negative perceptions, and represent disability fairly. This can also be applied internally within Aid Agencies themselves to improve their own inclusiveness.

• Improve disability data collection. Internationally, methodologies for collecting data on persons with disabilities need to be developed, tested cross-culturally, and applied consistently. In supporting national statistics or census processes, aid actors can build capacity for inclusion of persons with disabilities in these processes, giving a strong contribution to longer term planning.

• Strengthen and support research on disability. Research is essential for increasing public understanding about disability issues, informing disability policy and programmes, and efficiently allocating resources. This Report recommends areas for research on disability including the impact of environmental factors (policies, physical environment, attitudes) on disability and how to measure it; the quality of life and well-being of persons with disabilities; what works in overcoming barriers in different contexts; and the effectiveness and outcomes of services and programmes for persons with disabilities.

For more info, please visit the links below:

> Download the IDDC press release about the launch of the World Report on Disability

> Download link to the World Report on Disability

> Download link with accessible versions of the World Report on Disability

> Download link with info on how to order a hard copy of the World Report on Disability

> Download link with summaries of the World Report on Disability in various languages and archive articles available