Why disability rights are integral to the Sustainable Development Goals | Blogs
We have passed the midpoint of the deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and progress is off track for all goals.
We know that a key factor behind this is the fact that people with disabilities continue to be excluded from major development policies and programmes, meaning that 16% of the world’s population is not properly accounted for in efforts to address inequality and climate change. To fulfill the promise to ‘leave no one behind’ of the 2030 Agenda, urgent action must be taken.
Two sustainable development forums, held in early 2023, highlighted the challenges that lie ahead if we are to have any chance of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They were the 9th Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development and the 10th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development.
The forums provide a shared platform for governments, civil society and the private sector to comprehensively review progress towards the SDGs at the regional level. They support voluntary national reviews and voluntary local reviews, formal mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating progress and challenges in implementing the SDGs at the country level. They also help prepare for the annual High Level Political Forum, which brings countries together to review the SDGs globally.
The forums took place in the spring of 2023. The Africa forum, held in Niamey, Niger, focused on “Accelerating the inclusive and green recovery from multiple crises and the integrated and comprehensive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2063 Agenda.”
The Asia-Pacific forum, held in Bangkok, Thailand, focused on “Accelerating recovery from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels in Asia and the Pacific.”
Discussion in both forums highlighted that while some issues facing people with disabilities are unique to a specific region, the most important issues affect all regions equally, and two key issues in particular: data and participation. Although the forums cover very different areas of the world, these two things are common to both regions. Here’s what we learned about them and what needs to happen to address them.
