OpenLobby.EU
Explore

Light for the World International - Organisation for inclusive development/ Organisation für inklusive Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, abkürzung: Light for the World International

LFW

Light for the World’s mission is to spark lasting change on disability rights and eye health.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and

1 Dec 2022 · Speech at the 2nd GAP III Structured Dialogue with CSOs

Meeting with Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and World Vision Brussels & EU Representation ivzw/aisbl and

13 May 2022 · Education in the renewed AU-EU partnership

Response to EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024

5 Feb 2020

Light for the World is a global disability and development organisation advocating the full realization of human rights and empowerment of people with disabilities in some of the poorest regions of the world, and provides this input regarding the new EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, with a focus on the disability inclusion and the rights of persons with disabilities in the context of EU external action. In its previous iteration, the Action Plan was interesting given its mention of the promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities in EU external action and the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This paragraph was, however, extremely general and wide ranging. The simple mention of disability, without insisting on the cross-cutting nature of disability concerns, meant that disability was not intrinsically addressed in all the fields covered by the Action Plan – i.e. there was no mainstreaming of disability. The EU and its Member States are all now Parties to the CRPD, and in accordance with Article 4 of the CRPD they have an obligation “to adopt all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the CRPD”, including in relation t o Article 11 (Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies) and Article 32 (International cooperation). The EU has a responsibility to ensure that all its policies and programmes related to external action and international cooperation are disability-inclusive and in line with the CRPD. This includes the EU’s implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both within the EU and in its partner countries through its external cooperation. In the upcoming Action Plan, we would like to see specific measures, aiming to defend, protect, and promote rights of persons with disabilities as enshrined in the CRPD, along with disability-related measures under each of the topics covered by the action plan – a twin-track approach. In addition we would like to see the introduction of a comprehensive accountability and monitoring system which includes a disability perspective as well as quality disaggregated data regarding the implementation of the Action Plan. In this sense, the EU should use the Washington Group set of questions to disaggregate data by disability, and the OECD DAC marker on disability to ensure its Human Rights programming is inclusive. Alongside this, and to ensure delivery of the Action Plan, investment should be made in strengthening the technical capacity of EU staff – both at Headquarters and in the EU Delegations - on the UN CRPD and the obligations attached to it (this includes the concluding observations of the CRPD Committee). This should include the development of a network of disability focal points across EU institutions and throughout EUDs. Finally, given that the EU will also publish its new European Disability Strategy in 2020, it would be important that any Human Rights and Democracy instrument such as the Action Plan ensures coherence with the Disability Strategy, in its internal and external aspects.
Read full response

Meeting with Anna Gallo Alvarez (Cabinet of Vice-President Neven Mimica)

15 Feb 2018 · Disabilities in Development Policy