音声ブラウザご使用の方向け: ナビメニューを飛ばして本文へ ナビメニューへ

  

Disability inclusive development goals for post-2015
After participating in the eighth Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP) in United Nations

Kamal Lamichhane, PhD
Associate professor
Center for research on international cooperation in educational development (CRICED) the University of Tsukuba

At the invitation of UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), I participated in the eighth Conference of State Parties at United Nations head quarter in New York which was held from 9th to 12th of June. Since 2008, United Nations organizes each year conference of state parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD approved unanimously by the UN Security Council came into effect in 2008 when 20 countries ratified it.The theme of this year's conference was "mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities in the post-2015 development frameworks". Prior to the COSP, several events were also organized by civil society groups. Beside the main events of the COSP, nearly 50 side events were also held simultaneously which were sponsored by DPOs and permanent missions of different nations.

Participating in the first roundtable panel discussion on "Mainstreaming disability in reduction of poverty and inequality", I emphasized the need for the post-2015 development agenda to be disability-inclusive and urged the Governments and other stakeholders to consider disability as a subject of investment rather than charity. Presenting several empirical evidences from different countries including Nepal and the Philippines on the role of education, I stated that it will not only increase the labor market participation but also help reduce poverty as well as inequality. Additionally, showing some of the findings of higher disability prevalence rate and lower level of schooling as well as higher level of poverty, I drew the attention of the Governments on this issue and urged them to increase the investment in education and effectively implement disability inclusive poverty reduction strategies to reduce poverty and inequality as well as to develop enabling environment for the labor market participation of people with disabilities. At the same time, I also emphasized the need of participation by people with disabilities on the monitoring and implementation process of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for post-2015. Chaired by the permanent representative of Brazil, beside myself, the panel also included Ms. Rocío Soledad Florentín Gómez (National Secretariat for the Social Integration of People with Disabilities), Ms. Tiina Nummi-Södergren (My Right, Civil Society Organisation) and Ms. Catalina Devandas Aguilar (Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Human Rights Council). They also highlighted the need of developing targets and indicators for disability toward achieving SDGs. Over 150 participants join this event.

Additionally, participating in a forum on disability and development organized by DESA and the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) on June 12th, different experts discussed the SDGs with the main focus on disability and disasters. Presenting the cases of recent devastating earthquakes in Nepal which killed nearly 9 thousand people, made more than 200 thousands injured, thousands displaced and thousands of children being orphans, I highlighted the need of developing disability inclusive disaster risk reduction strategies. Beside urging UN and other agencies to provide support for Nepal's recovery efforts, I asked all relevant stakeholders including researchers and institutions to collaboratively work for research identifying the needs of disaster affected people with disabilities and addressing the possible psychosocial problems which might be different than that of those who are disabled by birth and diseases.

The conference was formally opened by the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. Delegates of the Governments presented their country report expressing their commitments to effectively implement the CRPD. How to mainstream disability in the upcoming SDGs and how to make full participation of people with disabilities in the process of monitoring as well as implementation of such goals was in the center of this year's COSP.