UK launch of UN disability guidelines sets out bold recommendations for development community
On 16 May 2011 UNA-UK and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) held the UK launch event for the UN's newly published Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) guidelines for making development inclusive for disabled people.
As part of the event, 25 leading experts on disability and development participated in a round table discussion chaired by international development expert Sir Richard Jolly. Consensus was reached on key recommendations, including a plan of action for mainstreaming disability across the MDGs. The current MDG framework is often criticised for under-representing people with disabilities, and for prioritising a quantitative rather than a qualitative approach to development.
Packed audience of development experts converge for launch
More than 120 people attended the launch at the Royal Commonwealth Society representing NGOs, donors, media agencies and government bodies active in international development. Speakers included Chapnal Khasnabis (World Health Organization), Gertrude Feofame (Sightsavers Ghana), Tanya Barron (Leonard Chesire Disability) and Dr Mary Wickenden (University College London).
The event is part of the EC project 'Making Development Inclusive' - click here for more details.
Ministerial representation
Ministerial representation at the event included comments from Andrew Mitchell MP, Secretary of State for International Development, and from Stephen O'Brien MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development:
“It is clear that disabled people are among the poorest and most marginalised and that lifting them out of poverty is essential if we are to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.”
Andrew Mitchell MP
“The Coalition Government is committed to the inclusion of disabled people in development.”
Stephen O’Brien MP
More about the event
The first presenter, Tanya Barron, Leonard Cheshire Disability, explained the role that international NGOs must play in supporting inclusive development. Chief editor of the guidelines, Chapal Khasnabis, World Health Organisation, then discussed how UN agencies can help disseminate them. Professor Mary Wickenden, University College London, followed by detailing the important contributions that academic and research institutions can make in supporting the progress of CBR and inclusive development. Finally, Gertrude Feofame of Sightsavers presented a case study from Ghana on why it is crucial that CBR be incorporated into international development procedures.
The fantastic buzz created by the launch event was evident at the post-launch networking reception, where members of the development community exchanged ideas and discussed the guidelines informally.
Resources
- Click here for the WHO website where a full copy of the CBR guidelines can be downloaded
- Click here to visit the IDDC website
Have your say
Following the launch of the CBR guidelines, the UK Government's Office for Disability Issues (ODI) requested feedback on the guidelines. To find out more, please click here. The deadline for submitting comments to ODI was 5pm, 20 June 2011.
