Gérard could not move hus legs or his right hand. Thanks to the support of his rehabilitation worker, the seven-year-old boy from Burkina Faso almost walks on his own now.

The project 'Inclusive Tanzania' promotes the rights of persons with disabilities and encourages them to take action themselves.

Promoting the rights of persons with disabilities...

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights articulates the right to equality and non-discrimination for all.

Nevertheless, persons with disabilities experience discrimination, stigmatisation, social exclusion and violation of their rights daily. Particularly in developing countries, persons with disabilities are part of the most marginalised groups. According to World Bank estimates, one in five of the world’s poorest persons is disabled. It is estimated that one third of the children without access to basic school education are children with disabilities.

Due to their economic and social status in developing countries, persons with disabilities frequently remain invisible and voiceless. Children with disabilities are frequently not registered with a birth certificate, thus depriving them of all state privileges from birth.

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD supports representative groups and disabled peoples organisations in partner countries to develop the capacities and knowhow to make their voices heard. LIGHT FOR THE WORLD complements this support by European and International level advocacy and lobby work aimed at the active inclusion of persons with disabilities in international development cooperation policies and programmes.

The UN Convention and the Millennium Development Goals

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force in May 2008. For the first time, a UN human rights instrument links human rights and social development. In Art. 32 it demands the consideration of the rights of persons with disabilities in International Cooperation. Initiated by LIGHT FOR THE WORLD a number of initiatives and resolutions within the UN system have taken up this issue. UN agencies are at present exploring ways to include persons with disabilities in their programme work more effectively.

Today it is widely recognised, that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot be achieved without inclusion of persons with disabilities. Still, neither the goals, nor the targets or indicators make reference to persons with disabilities. In partnership with the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), with active involvement of LIGHT FOR THE WORLD as a member, the UN Millennium Campaign has started to raise awareness on this issue, e.g. by setting up the webpage www.includeeverybody.org.

...and advocating for inclusive development

Towards an inclusive Development Cooperation

Up to the present day persons with disabilities are excluded from the vast majority of development cooperation programmes. But to make economic and social change effective and long-lasting, persons with disabilities must have access to development cooperation.

Therefore inclusion of persons with disabilities in EU development co-operation is extremely important. In the EU-Africa Strategy developed over the past years, specific reference is made to persons with disabilities in the areas of education and health of the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) partnership.

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD is engaged in the respective work of the Joint Expert Group set up. Over the last two years LIGHT FOR THE WORLD led a consortium of twelve partners in ten European countries on a project to promote Disability Mainstreaming in EU Development Cooperation.

As an output of this project, inclusive programming tools such as an Inclusive Project Cycle Management manual, sector strategies, and training manuals on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in development co-operation policies were produced. These documents and best practice are now available to all actors in the process, to help end the notorious exclusion of persons with disabilities in development co-operation programmes.

Advocacy work in partner countries

All advocacy work on EU and international level for an increasingly inclusive international political framework needs mirroring efforts at partner country level. LIGHT FOR THE WORLD is actively engaged in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in partner countries. We also encourage and support local initiatives of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations to engage in a dialogue with the government offices at local, regional and national level. In matching these initiatives with the work on international level it is envisaged to achieve a coherent approach for sustainable inclusion of persons with disabilities in national development strategies.

Northeast India: Access to the job market

In 2008, Indian Railways in Assam, the biggest of the seven states in Northeast India, advertised 907 jobs. Although India’s Disabilities Act stipulates that three percent of jobs have to be filled by persons with disabilities, not one person with disability was employed for these vacancies. As a consequence, the LIGHT FOR THE WORLD supported Disability Law Unit filed a case in the Guwahati High Court to sue the Railway Company for discrimination. The High Court decided in favor of this case! More than 100 persons with disabilities will have to be employed by Indian Railways.

Successes like this being covered in the local media contribute to a wider knowledge on the legal advice and support provided by the Disability Law Unit to fight discrimination against persons with disabilities. This enhances the power of the Disability Law Unit to successfully address discriminatory issues and contributes to a wider awareness in the region.