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
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