July 24, 2018, was a day full of promises. We witnessed government representatives, civil society, charities and development organizations from around the world making lasting commitments to people living with disabilities. Co-hosted by UK AID, International Disability Alliance and the Kenyan government, the Global Disability Summit in London was the first ever forum raising calls to all international partners for promoting inclusion, equality and upholding the rights of people with disabilities.
The importance of ‘inclusive education’ for all children is widely recognized and voiced (United Nations 2006). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 have further reaffirmed attention to this necessity in SDGs 4.5 and 8.5, committed to the core principles of equity and inclusion for ALL. We also see considerable determination from political end in support of fulfillment of SDGs but still a lot needs to be done.
This year, many representatives from the Global South made contributions to the summit and we at PAL Network hope that real and transformative actions will result from the Summit that not only transforms the lives of the most vulnerable but also ends discrimination and stigma against the disabled.
The proceedings of the summit focused on four key themes: inclusive education, economic empowerment, technology and innovation, dignity and respect. Of all the themes discussed, dignity and respect was critical in particular, as it demanded tangible and concrete outcomes. Billions of people with disabilities face discrimination daily and this increasingly prevents them from participating in their societies. Unless all organizations, leaders and civil society pledge to eliminate discrimination and its stigma, efforts to increase economic empowerment by making services more available, to improve inclusive education by making buildings more accessible, by even harnessing assistive technology, will not lead to desired results. Inclusion of people with disabilities (80% of whom reside in the poorest countries) must be at the heart of all the aids and efforts if we are to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
The Charter for Change principal legacy document of the Global Disability Summit, sets out the general direction to ensure global consensus on achieving real and substantive change. All civil society organizations, including PAL Network were charged to come up with their commitments to promote freedom, respect and inclusion at all levels for people with disabilities. All PAL Network member countries would like to see and participate in increased collaboration amongst all partners and NGOs in making these commitments a reality.
We really appreciate DFID’s commitment towards disability and inclusion, and the efforts made towards making the Summit a huge success. It is now imperative for all of us as active members to build upon this opportunity and work towards an inclusive society where people with disabilities are not only heard, but also are at the forefront of decision-making.
PAL Network and its member countries are working hard in their regions with multiple partners and disability-specific organizations to generate reliable data for better and informed decision-making. Lack of reliable data was also raised as one of the key concerns during the Summit in making people with disabilities go uncounted. We at PAL Network are working towards bridging this gap and looking forward to the global change succeeding the Summit. We further hope that the voices of persons with disabilities will increase through civil society forums through full and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities.