Call to Action on Inclusive Development
Press Release: Call to Action on Inclusive Development for International Day of Persons with Disabilities
3rd December 2011
cbm calls for stronger inclusion and involvement of people with disabilities in foreign aid projects and programmes. Traditionally, people with disabilities either cannot access or are excluded from aid programmes, and this has to change.
cbm calls for development efforts around the world to include people with disabilities when determining policies and programmes, as well as allocating funds for developmental programmes and projects. Mainstreaming disability in development is a strategy for achieving equality for persons with disabilities.
There are an estimated one billion people with disability globally- the vast majority living in developing countries. Furthermore, a quarter of the global population is directly affected by disability, when we include all families and individuals impacted. Disability is a concern for everyone.
This call to action comes in time for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities held each year on 3rd December. For the first time, this international day of significance will be commemorated under the general theme “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development”.
The theme points to the importance of disability-inclusive development. It is also critical that all stakeholders involved in humanitarian or emergency relief efforts ensure that persons with disabilities and their families are included.
In our globalised world, where state boundaries no longer limit the development of business relationships, industry and IT research, we have so many potential channels to include persons with disabilities and make the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disability (CRPD), a reality around the world. The essential first step is to involve persons with disabilities themselves.
Keywords: disability, development, inclusive, mainstream, humanitarian, aid, convention
About cbm : cbm is the largest international disability and development organisation in the world working to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities, and those at risk of disability, living in the world’s poorest places. Our project work is focused on developing countries across Africa, Asia, South America and the Pacific. Yet our overall efforts to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities are truly global.
As such, cbm collaborates and provides support to governments, institutions and organisations working to promote an inclusive world. This includes New Zealand, Australia, the European Union, the USA and Canada, The World Bank, the World Health Organization, the United Nations, an array of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), and others.
ENDS