UN Disability-Inclusive International Cooperation
Donor: International Disability Alliance • Partner: UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities •
Timeframe • Dec. 2019 – May 2020
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Comparative Study on Disability-Inclusive International Cooperation
The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities commissioned IDP to conduct a study of international multilateral, bilateral, and private donors’ and agencies’ commitments to disability-inclusive strategies and practices in international development. We surveyed 15 organizations and interviewed “global leads” in disability inclusion and/or the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network representatives of multilateral, bilateral, and private donors and agencies as well as representatives of disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs) and disability-focused civil society organizations (CSOs) to better understand their perspectives regarding the current status of disability-inclusive international cooperation and opportunities for improvement.
Project Highlights
- Synthesized data from 184 resources, a survey sent to 36 development organizations (completed by 15), and 26 semi-structured interviews with the “global lead” for disability inclusion and/or the GLAD Network representative of multilateral, bilateral, and private donors and agencies as well as representatives of DPOs and disability-focused CSOs.
- Identified tangible measures that can be taken to improve planning, programming, accountability, and partnerships in support of disability-inclusive international cooperation.
- Developed a comprehensive, internal report for the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability that was used to inform the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities transmitted by the UN Secretary-General to the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (A/75/186) that included:
- A review of current efforts for disability-inclusive cooperation as related to policy development and strategic planning, programming, resource allocation, research, accountability and evaluation, and capacity building,
- Specific recommended action items in each area of research (e.g., policy development and strategic planning, programming, resource allocation, research, accountability and evaluation, and capacity building) with guidance measures and suggested roles for the UN Special Rapporteur’s Office,
- Suggestions for additional research that would support the global understanding of disability-inclusive development progress and lessons learned.