Joining forces to push back civil society shrinking space – As COSP gets underway, IDDC and IDA announce a MoU on joint collaboration
The International Disability Alliance and the International Disability and Development Consortium have signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a framework for the collaboration on efforts to optimise both networks joint impact in promoting and monitoring the effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The MoU also looks to future similar frameworks for all persons with disabilities, with a focus on low and middle-income countries and fragile contexts.
Setting out several shared strategic objectives, the MoU focuses on how a deeper collaboration between both networks can influence relevant international human rights, development and humanitarian action stakeholders, including: the UN system/UN agencies, international finance institutions, regional intergovernmental bodies. It also includes commitments to advance joint capacity development initiatives for persons with disabilities and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to promote understanding of human rights and sustainable development frameworks and methods for advocating for their implementation. This includes sharing of information and material regarding the initiatives.
The foundation of this agreement is the common commitment of the IDDC network and IDA to the rights of people with disabilities and their families and the central role of representative OPDs in promoting the human rights of persons with disabilities. IDDC members work in over 150 countries and the IDA network in 182.
“We need to move from political commitments to changing realities. We do have nice frameworks, but they should be tools for OPDs to transform the life of persons with disabilities, otherwise they are useless. We all believed that after almost 20 years of CRPD and only 5 years to 2030, disability inclusion was going to be a reality but still a lot work to be done. This MOU is a tool to transform realities and also a reminder of We should work collaborative and coordinated behind one common goal that is promoting inclusion through OPD leadership.” Jose Viera, Executive Director of IDA
“The Civil Society Forum took place yesterday in advance of the kick-off of COSP. Speaker after speaker from the international disability community highlighted the chilling and cruel impacts of the backward slide on human rights, the drastic reductions in international development assistance, the anti-diversity narrative and the shrinking civil society space and how OPDs are overtasked and underfunded. No one network, or organisation should fight this alone. We are delighted to sign this MoU with IDA building on our partnership, strengthening for the future ahead”. Mary Keogh, Chair of IDDC