I wanted to emphasise on the platform the issue of disability and development. Most of the articles I wrote here concerned this topic, especially people with disability in Tanzania as it is my most recent expreience from South where I was volunteering and doing research on. I visited many places in Tanzania from Mbeya to Mwanza. The list of the articles concerning disability you can find here.
Use sign language on your way to safari
Easy to rape - Amani Centre PART II
Disability and development - Amani centre. PART I
Empowering disabled women in Afghanistan
Going deeper - disability&development
First to train - interview from Tanzania
Even in the recent Millennium Development Goals Report 2010, launched on 23 June, it is said that “The report highlights big gains in getting children into primary schools in many poor countries, especially in Africa; strong interventions in addressing AIDS, malaria and child health; and a good chance to reach the target for access to clean drinking water. But disadvantages that hurt the poorest, those living in remote areas or with a disability, or due to ethnicity or gender, have sapped progress on many other fronts, it warns”. Mainstreaming disability into development has been the overarching theme and many effort has Bern made by organisations (for example here: http://www.disabilitykar.net/learningpublication/disabilitydevelopment.html).
Just to remind you: disability is not mentioned in any of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the 18 targets set out to achieve these goals, or the 48 indicators for monitoring their progress. Nonetheless, the former president of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, has said that 'Unless disabled people are brought into the development mainstream, it will be impossible to cut poverty in half by 2015 or to give every girl and boy the chance to achieve a primary education by the same date - goals agreed to by more than 180 world leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000.' This statement is often reproduced by disabled people's organisations (DPOs) and their allies when lobbying, but it seems to carry little real weight. Disability continues to be largely ignored as an MDG issue.
What’s more for UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December 2010), the key issue will be also "Keeping the promise: Mainstreaming disability in the Millennium Development Goals towards 2015 and beyond" It was just to remind you. But the aim for me to write this post is to share how ashamed am I to write about disability in Tanzania while my own country, the member of European Union has so much to do in the topic.
In may 2010 in Zarogoza Ministries of EU member states met to discuss the EU's implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and provide input for a new European Disability Strategy. European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding urged EU Member States to swiftly ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In the end of July The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, based in Warsaw said the official letter to Polish Prime Minister to join Viviane Reding and EU urging to ratify the UN Convention. The Convention provides guidelines for what goverments can do to ensure the fullest possible fullfillment of all rights in term of funcationing of people with disability. It promotes universal rules and construction of a public space, communications, media and all the facilities that are available to everyone.
Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied to the biggest Polish newspaper "Gazeta Wyborcza" to the question on the issue what should be done that Poland would join the Convention: "Polish law does not allow for the ratification of the agreement prior to its adaptation to the law and reality".
The journalists from Gazeta Wyborcza reviewed that what Goverment claims it's not true. The Law on International Agreements says that the competent minister shall request the Government to ratify "the agreement with the concerned ministers." Then it is just neccessery to indicate "the differences between existing and proposed legal status" and "legal measures that should be adopted to implement the agreement".
14 EU countries have already ratified the Convention. See the map above.
Once more, thanks for such brilliant post.
Loved your insights throughout this crusade we’ve joined.
Your main point this time is very important indeed: disability has to be faced as a very important factor to get the fulfillment of the goals.
And I’m shocked about this position from Poland regarding this topic. Ok, journalist reviewed the claim was bogus. And then? No other oficial authority said anything else or replied? I’d love to know his reaction.
Fingers crossed for change.
Thanks for insisting on this issue… as u said 14 EU countries ratified it, let’s hope that all the UN countries will share the same values of these 14 EU countries… thanks!
Poland and Ireland - isn’t it strange that so catholic and let’s say open for charity nations don’t show any interested in the topic of disability? Maybe goverment still thinks that it’s the issue connected with church, that church should support people with disability and their families? And when you look at map US and Norway havn’t ratified yet? Maybe it is also a key for Poland - we just follow States…