ACP-EU JPA report on the inclusion of persons with disabilities

Parliamentarians given insight into disability in Africa

: © CBM/Hayduk
Members of the Togolese theatrical group 'Tibi' rehearse a short sketch prior to the side-event for the ACP-EU (African, Caribbean and Pacific) Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) in Lomé, Togo

On 20th November 2011 CBM, together with partners, organised events coinciding with the 22nd session of the ACP-EU (African, Caribbean and Pacific - European Union) Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) in Togo, West Africa.

Report on the inclusion of persons with disabilities

Representatives of the ACP-EU JPA have been working on a report on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in developing countries since December 2010. This report will be adopted by the JPA at the 22nd session of the JPA in Lomé, Togo, on 23rd November 2010.

CBM, together with partners FETAPH (Togo Federation of Associations of Persons with Disabilities) and Handicap International, organised various activities around this event. These gave the parliamentarians an insight into the situation of persons with disabilities in Togo and the chance to meet face-to-face with people impacted by the the report. As a result, this knowledge will contribute directly to the report.

The link between disability and development

©CBM/Hayduk: The side-event was simultaneously interpreted into sign-language

During these activities, Lars Bosselmann, CBM's EU Advocacy Manager, said that thanks to the report, disability has been quite high on the agenda this year.

"The report is of course adopted at some point and needs to be implemented but it's equally important to accompany this report with a general interest and the recognition that disability is an important development issue."

Bosselmann said many politicians still do not see the link between disability and development. "In fact," he stated, "many are surprised when they hear that more than one billion people live with a disability".

Coupled with poverty, disability creates a vicious circle, he continued. "On the one hand, living in conditions of poverty can lead to disability because the body doesn't get what it should get. And in developing countries, where economic opportunities to participate in society are scarce for everyone, competition is higher. There is quite a vicious circle of being disabled, being poor and remaining poor in society and having no opportunity to get out of that."

Bosselmann blogging from Togo

Read Lars Bosselmann's blogs from Lomé as CBM's EU Advocacy Manager attends the ACE-EU JPA in November 2011

Realising the reality of living with a disability

"Keep in mind that everyone has the heart of humanity on his shoulders. We organised this meeting to show you what has been going on in the field of disability in Togo," the President of the Board of FETAPH told the crowd gathered in the garden of the Mercure Sarakawa Hotel in Lomé.

Handicap International project manager Hortence Santos added "Parliamentarians constantly talk about the policies and the theory of policies. Today is about making them realize the reality of what is happening in the lives of people with disabilities. How can we include persons with disabilities in the policies that are discussed to make them more inclusive? There's still a long way to go before the policy is put into practice. Beautiful speeches are all well and good but they need concrete activities and support in the field."

A unique report

©CBM/Hayduk: Co-rapporteurs of the ACP-EU JPA report on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in developing countries, (l-r) Musikari Kombo and Catherine Bearder, addressing the group

Co-rapporteurs of the report, Catherine Bearder MEP and Kenyan politician Musikari Kombo, stated that while many reports are passed by the ACP-EU, this one is unique.

"I know all parliamentarians pass so many reports, but we were very keen that this is not just another one that is passed and put on the shelf," said Bearder, a member of the EU parliament. "In the report, we made sure that there is a clause that every two years we will come back and look at the progress made."

Bearder said the event - which featured music by blind musicians and interpretation for deaf people - was an example of inclusion. “You just need a very small adjustment to make life so much easier for people who would otherwise be excluded from society."

"A lot of things [in the report] have been highlighted today. There is a lot that people with disabilities can actually do. Any country that excludes its disabled people, loses out dramatically. They put much more into production than a person who is not physically disabled. They are a very important group of society that can help in development," said Kombo, a Kenyan Member of Parliament.

"There are people who care"

©CBM/Hayduk: Guests present at the side-event, which was held in the garden of the Mercure Sarakawa Hotel in Lomé, Togo

Zimbabwean parliamentarian Sithembile Mlotshwa closed by saying she has been encouraged to do more for her own country.

As the sun set on Sunday's event, Mlotshwa spoke to those with disabilities in the audience and those back home in her own country, saying "You must know that there are people who care."