In Which Way is Disability Related to the MDGs?
Mainstreaming Disability into Development
The consideration of the rights and needs of persons with disabilities together with the prevention of the causes of disability is essential, if the overall aims of the Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved by 2015.
Disability relates to each of the Millennium Development Goals in the following ways:
Disability relates to each of the Millennium Development Goals in the following ways:
Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
- Of the estimated more than 600 million disabled people worldwide, 70% live in developing countries. According to UN statistics, 82% live below the poverty line. The World Bank estimates that persons with disabilities comprise about 20% of the poorest of the poor.
- Disability not only affects the individuals, but also their families and communities. The lives of 25% of the population in the Asia-pacific region are believed to be impacted by disabilities.
Not including persons with disabilities means:
- Loss of income,
- Loss of education,
- Loss of land rights, and
- No access to credit schemes.
The loss of life chances for people with disabilities is due to stigma and social exclusion for the disabled person, caretakers, and other family members.
- According to the British Government Department for International Development, as many as 50% of disabilities are preventable and directly linked to poverty.
- Hunger and malnutrition, as well as disability and poverty, are intertwined; malnutrition causes about 20% of impairments.
Read more: Goal 2/8 - Achieve Universal Primary Education
Go back: Disability and Development
