Closing the Accountability Loop: Stakeholders' Understanding and Monitoring of the Implementation of CRPD Article 32
Date: 19 June, 2018
Contact: Isabel Hodge, Executive Director
Telephone: (202) 495-7712
Email: ihodge@usicd.org
http://usicd.org
Billions of dollars are invested every year in projects meant to fight poverty, provide quality education services for students, improve access to healthcare services, and more. Unfortunately, too many of these projects leave behind people with disabilities. Both governments and civil society, including disabled persons organizations (DPOs), can play a role in holding bilateral and multilateral international development agencies accountable for disability inclusion in their projects. A White Paper released by the United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD), Stakeholders' Understanding and Monitoring of the Implementation of CRPD Article 32, makes recommendations on how.
Article 32 of Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)-the international human rights treaty on persons with disabilities-- requires that international cooperation activities be disability inclusive. This includes projects coordinated or funded by bilateral and multilateral development agencies. USICD's study, however, has found that the vast majority government and civil society reports on CRPD implementation do not adequately address disability inclusion at bilateral and multilateral development agencies. Although most government CRPD reports had some discussion of Article 32, only 14 percent provided comprehensive information demonstrating a clear understanding that all mainstream international development projects should be inclusive of persons with disabilities. Meanwhile, only 23 percent of alternate reports from civil society organizations include any discussion of Article 32. USICD recommends that both governments and civil society organizations, particularly DPOs, receive more training on Article 32 of the CRPD.
This newly launched White Paper joins other resources and tools that USICD has provided to the global disability rights and international development communities. Visit the Resource section of USICD's website to find other White Papers from USICD, a collection of disability-focused and disability-inclusive policies across bilateral and multilateral international development agencies, and consolidated disability finding in the U.S. Department of State annual country-by-country human rights reports.
USICD will soon release a companion White Paper that reviews disability inclusion in policies, strategic plans and frameworks, guidance notes, and other key documents of selected bilateral and multilateral international development agencies. This paper will provide recommendations on improving agency policies and their implementation. Please monitor USICD's website, or subscribe to its email newsletter, for further detail: http://www.usicd.org