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Why is IDDC involved in the EU?

IDDC and its members believe that working for EU development policies that are inclusive of persons with disabilities is a vital part of our advocacy work. The EU is a significant worldwide donor which has important agreements with various regions of the world, such as the EU-Africa Strategic Partnership, which have the potential to improve the lives of persons with disabilities 

In addition to its Member States, the EU has also signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The EU should fulfill this commitment by making sure that not one Euro of EU taxpayers' money will go to creating further barriers for persons with disabilities in developing countries. For the EU's assistance towards the social development of some of the poorest regions in the world to be successful and just, persons with disabilities have to be included in development cooperation and practice.

--> Find links to learn more about the EU Institutions here

Our focus 

The IDDC EU Task Group is an advocacy working group that works for the systematic inclusion of disability in the European Union’s development cooperation policies.

The members of the Task Group:

• Work with officials and public representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, and with ministries at national level to ensure that the EU’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are also respected in its external policies.

• Raise awareness with other European civil society actors, such as development NGOs and European Disabled People’s Organisations and advocate for these other actors to consider where persons with disabilities in developing countries fit into their work and to find ways to include them.