Final post-2015 outcome document is disability inclusive

Anita (7 yrs) has had bilateral cataract probably from birth. At 6 years old she was hit by a motorcycle which prompted her parents to seek help for Anita's eyes. She underwent surgery at Joseph Eye Hospital, one of CBM's partners in India.

CBM welcomes the new post-2015 agenda which is disability inclusive and promises an equal, inclusive and sustainable society for all.

Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The final outcome document of the post-2015 agenda was announced at the UN headquarters in New York on 2 August 2015. The agenda is disability inclusive and strongly references persons with disabilities.

The post-2015 agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. Seeking to strengthen universal peace, it lays importance on eradication poverty in all its forms, including extreme poverty which is the greatest global challenge and a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable development.

17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets are contained within this outcome document, demonstrating the scale and ambition of the new universal agenda which seeks to build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and complete what they did not achieve. They seek to realise the human rights of all and achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. These 17 goals and 169 targets, already agreed upon by Member States of the UN, also balance the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

The agenda will be formally adopted by Member parties at a summit meeting in late September, just before their annual meeting at the U.N. General Assembly.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Read the new sustainable development agenda.


Click here

Rights of persons with disabilities

The post-2015 agenda is people centred and pledges to leave no one behind. The final document is very positive containing 11 explicit references to persons with disabilities and calls for their inclusion in all aspects of society. Paragraph 23 is particularly strong – it talks about people who are vulnerable and must be empowered, referencing ‘‘persons with disabilities (of whom more than 80% live in poverty)’’, hence putting persons with disabilities in the centre of poverty eradication throughout the agenda.

However despite the references, some gaps remain and CBM would like to see explicit references to persons with disabilities in the health (para 26) and the gender paragraphs (para 20). 


Explicit references to persons with disabilities

Declaration 
Human rights (para 19)
Vulnerable groups (para 23)
Education (para 25)

Sustainable Development Goals and targets
Goal 4: education = 2
Goal 8: employment = 1
Goal 10: reduce inequality = 1
Goal 11: inclusive cities = 2
Goal 17: Means of implementation, data = 1

Follow-up and review 
Data disaggregation (para 74, g)

17 Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere 

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 

Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
 
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
 
Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 

Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 

Goal  9.  Build  resilient  infrastructure,  promote  inclusive  and  sustainable  industrialization  and  foster innovation 

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries 

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 

Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 

Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage
forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss '

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 

Goal  17.  Strengthen  the  means  of  implementation  and  revitalize  the  global  partnership  for  sustainable development