European Disability and Development Week. Together for inclusion

CBM has been working with other partner organisations of the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) to organise the European Disability and Development Week (#EDDW16) dedicated to disability and international cooperation.

Disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their full and effective participation in society. Persons with disabilities until very recently remained on the margins of mainstream global development strategies and humanitarian frameworks. Discriminatory policies and barriers have created a higher risk of poverty for girls, boys, women and men with disabilities and cause harm to national economies and society.

European Disability and Development Week

As the first regional body to ratify the UN Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD[GS1] ), the European Union (EU) plays a powerful role in breaking the cycle of poverty and disability. The 10th anniversary of the UNCRPD and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a unique opportunity to raise awareness among the European decision-makers and other stakeholders on the advantages of disability-inclusion in development cooperation and to create the possibility for interaction between them and representatives of organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in low and middle-income countries. In the spirit of achieving these goals, members of IDDC have joined forces to organise the European Disability and Development Week (#EDDW16), starting on the December 3, 2016, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, until the celebration of the Human Rights Day, on December10, 2016.

CBM’s event during EDDW16

As part of the EDDW, CBM is organising an event on the December 7, 2016, at the European Parliament to launch the second book in its series on disability-inclusive development (DID): “Inclusion Counts: The Economic Case for Disability-Inclusive Development”. The publication highlights the economic implications of disability-inclusive policies and challenges the perception that disability-inclusive development interventions lead to financial loss and, in fact, shows how inclusion can create economic gains at all levels, particularly in low-income countries.

The event will be co-hosted by MEPs Heidi Hautala and Enrique Guerrero Salom and will include the participation of David Bainbridge, CBM International Director; Jemimah Kutata, representative of the Association of the Physically Disable of Kenya; Morgon Banks co-author of the book and researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and Mary Keogh, CBM Senior Advisor on Disability and Gender and co-author of Inclusion Counts who will moderate the panel discussion.

CBM’s Series on Disability-Inclusive Development

CBM’s DID series is designed and written to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in development work by utilizing its experience, expertise and professionalism coupled with best available evidence and good practices in disability-inclusive development. The series serves as a resource for development practitioners, policy makers, current and potential partners, and non-professionals interested in CBM’s work and disability-inclusive development.

To learn more about the series or to download accessible versions of the entire series go to www.cbm.org/Series-on-Disability-Inclusive-Development.

Contact: ariane.lignier@cbm.org