Pacific Disability Forum
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News Title:
World Bank Report
Date Published:
30 June 2010
Disability
has gained currency as a policy issue in the development discourse over the past
decade. Recent legal and policy developments such as the Convention on the
Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) have resulted in an increased
recognition that disability is a development issue and that without accessible
and inclusive development programmes, overall goals to reduce global poverty
will not be achieved. The CRPD aside from having a specific article focusing on
development cooperation (Article 32), is also described as having an explicit social
dimension as the majority of its articles focus on barrier removal and positive
measures.
A
recently published report by the World Bank with support from the Italian
Ministry for Foreign Affairs reviews where disability fits within current
development policy. The report entitled ‘Disability
and International Cooperation and Development: A review of Policies and
Practices” examines recent policies of major multilateral and bilateral
agencies, which they have employed to include disability in development aid.
While
the review does not assess the merits or impacts of those policies, it provides
a good overview or mapping of activity which is currently taking place on
disability and development. The review however does indicate some emerging
trends with regard to disability in development and these include;
- Disability
has become a part of international cooperation and development
aid.
It was found that all reviewed agencies have included disability in either their
policies and/or programmes. In most cases, it was found that this inclusion of
disability was explicit and underpinned by relevant policy frameworks. In
instances where specific disability policy framework is absent, disability is an
integral part of the agencies implemented programmes.
- International
cooperation policies often link disability to Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).The
MDGs were referenced in the majority of policies reviewed. Particularly MDG 1
(Eradicate hunger and extreme poverty) and MDG 2 (Universal Primary Education),
there was a general recognition that these goals will not be achieved unless
issues specific to poverty and access to education among persons with
disabilities are adequately addressed.
- The
policies and practices reviewed often combine several approaches to frame the
inclusion of disability in development cooperation. Reviewing
policies demonstrated that a human rights-based approach is increasingly being
used in conjunction with other approaches such as poverty reduction for the
inclusion of disability into international cooperation policies and
programmes.
- With
respect to implementation and practice, the prevailing trend is to incorporate
disability-specific/ targeted and mainstreaming/ inclusion/ integration
programs. Most
of the surveyed agencies combine a number of approaches and instruments to
include disability in development cooperation and aid. These approaches range
from (a) disability specific programs targeting disabled people and their
specific needs (b) disability-specific components that are added onto mainstream
programs and (c) disabled people and their specific needs being addressed within
mainstream programmes.
- Policies
and programs are dynamic and have changed over time. The
review examined policies and programs aimed at including disability in
development aid over the last 15 years. It is still in its infancy the changes,
which have happened, have been quite rapid and reflect international
developments, which have culminated in the adoption of the Convention on the
Rights of People with Disabilities.
- Click
on this link to download the full
report.
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