European Conference on Millennium Development Goals Inclusion of People With Disabilities.

European Conference on European Conference on Millennium Development Millennium Development

GoalsGoals

Inclusion of People With Inclusion of People With DisabilitiesDisabilities

BACKGROUND

• Generally, persons with disabilities remain at the periphery of development and poverty reduction strategies.

• No systematic mainstreaming of disability in programmes to achieve millennium development goals

• No capacity among DPOs and government departments to effectively plan and implement mainstreamed programmes.

BACKGROUND

• Attempts made to address inclusion in poverty reduction, education and creation of a global partnership.

• However, progress is generally slow.

BACKGROUND

• No (user-led) research or evidence gathered to determine extent of inclusion or mainstreaming of disability in a number of the millennium development goals.

We are able!

SITUATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN AFRICA

• There is a large and growing number of persons with disabilities in Africa today.

• Major causes of disabling impairments:

• War, violence and accidents

• Malnutrition, including iodine and Vitamin A deficiency

SITUATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN AFRICA

• Infectious diseases such as polio, HIV & Aids and TB

• Infectious diseases

• Congenital conditions

Goa1 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger-responses

• Need for programmes that prevent poverty, and hunger among persons with disabilities and promote mainstreaming in PRSP programmes should be encouraged, supported and funded.

• The Secretariat’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers Programmes

• Other programmes at country levels

Goal 1-Examples of Disability NGO Initiatives

• NUDIPU’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers process in Uganda

• Mainstreaming disability in five-year plan in Zambia

• Policy and Legislation Approaches (Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, and other countries)

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education-responses

• Urgent need to appropriate educational programmes and compulsory education of children with disabilities

• Piloting of inclusive education and revisiting special education in some countries

• Free education

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women-responses

• Urgent need for programmes that address gender equality and the empowerment of women with disabilities.

• African network of women with disabilities

• Gender policies in progressive DPOs

• Policy and legislation to guarantee gender equality and empowerment of women

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

• For every child killed by armed conflict, three are injured or permanently disabled. Over 10 million children are psychologically traumatised by armed conflict[3].

• [3] UNICEF, op. cit.

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality-responses

• Empower and mobilise parents

• Children’s programmes

• Ratification and implementation of the Children’s Rights Convention

• Developing policies and legislation

Goal 5: Improve maternal health-responses

• Programmes to improve maternal and reproductive health

• Advocacy targeted at Departments of Health in the different countries

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

• HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis are the 1st, 6th and 9th leading causes of losses in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in high mortality countries respectively[1]. DALYs are the number of healthy years of life lost due to premature death and disability.

•[1] WHO 2002a, World Health Report 2002: Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life, Geneva.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

• About 1 in 10 children suffer from neurological impairment after cerebral malaria, including epilepsy, learning disabilities and loss of coordination[1].

•[1] Wellcome Trust, Malaria and people. Available: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/malaria/MalariaAndPeople/mp_neurd1.html. Accessed 28 July 2003.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

• Subgroups within the disabled population are at especially increased risk compared with others: e. g.

• women• disabled members of ethnic and minority

communities• disabled adolescents• those living in institutions• Intellectually disabled persons

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

• Issues:

• Poor access to HIV/AIDS information and services

• Social vulnerability

• Victim of sexual violence (rape among intellectually disabled boys and girls, “virgin rape”, etc)

DISABILITY NGOS IN AFRICA• Inadequate Capacity and

resources.• However, some initiatives around

HIV/ AIDS, PRSPs and Education at different levels of development and implementation:

• Working to reduce this vulnerability among members (Asindua, 2006).

• (SAFOD) has done outstanding work in 6 countries in the region

SECRETARIAT’S RESPONSE

• AFRICAN COALITION ON DISABILITY AND HIV/AIDS

• There is still an urgent need for action, for collaboration and support of innovative efforts for the inclusion of disabled populations in HIV/AIDS outreach and service efforts.

Purpose of the coalition• The purpose of the Coalition is to reduce the

number of new HIV infections among the disabled population through:– Greater HIV/AIDS awareness among the most

vulnerable disabled persons– Greater global awareness of the particular

vulnerability of certain members of the disabled population

– Providing guidance for mainstreaming Disability into HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and care programmes

– Strengthening DPOs to enable them to play a monitoring role

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

• Poor environmental quality is directly responsible for about 25% of all preventable ill-health in the world, with diarrhoeal diseases as a leading cause[1]. For example, deforestation leaves areas more susceptible to flooding and land slides, increasing the possible transmission of water-borne diseases which can cause diarrhoea.

•[1] WHO 1997, Health and Environment in Sustainable Development: Five Years after the Earth Summit, Geneva.

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

• Urgent need to promote programmes that address environmental issues, and/or promote the active participation of persons with disabilities in environmental programmes as users, beneficiaries or entrepreneurs.

WHAT AU and GOVERNMENTS ARE DOING?

• Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers Campaigns that largely exclude persons with disabilities.

• Health Policies that do not take into account the needs of persons with disabilities.

• Generally below par performance on all millennium development goals.

Global Campaigns & Commission for Africa Report

• Key challenges:• A lot of potential for more development• Uncertain, if commitment to 0,7 % GNP for ODA

can be realized• Scope of programmes for and level of involvement

of people with disability in PRSP open• The Quality of diagnosis of poverty situations• Inconsistent budget allocations• Lack of commitment by authorities• Lack of accountability of the authorities

Global Campaigns & Commission for Africa Report

• Recommendations:

• Jointly seize the present window of opportunity for inclusion of disability

• Lobby in Developed Countries for keeping commitment to 0,7 % GNP

• Get involved with PRSP to include disability

Global Campaigns & Commission for Africa Report

• Objectives and measures:-          coordinate efforts in the South

(African Union/ African Decade) and in the North to impact present global developments for inclusion of disability

-          engage jointly DPO´s & NGO´s in awareness raising campaigns in developed countries - for example VISION 2020 - for achieving 0,7 % GNP for ODA

Global Campaigns & Commission for Africa Report

-          inclusion of disability as a mainstreaming task in European Development Programmes as proposed in joint European NGO & DPO proposal

-          Governments in Developing Countries state requests for funding of programmes to include disability in development programmes

The establishment of a national DSC

Summary

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