Behinderung und internationale Entwicklung Disability and ...

A RTIKEL/ARTICLEpation and inclusion of PWDs in society” as oneof its foundational principles (UNCRPD 2006).The Convention demands that State Partiesshould “closely consult and actively involvePWDs through their representative organisations”in designing and implementing the Conventionand in all other “decision-making processesconcerning issues relating to PWDs”(UNCRPD 2006: Art. 4(3)). One of the mainpieces of national policy that certainly is of concernto PWDs is the PRSP and decisions relatedthereto, including implementation of the MDGs,which are part and parcel of the tenets of povertyreduction. Thus, it follows, the full inclusionand effective participation of PWDs andDPOs in the preparation of these documents,from the very outset, is not only a fundamentalright of PWDs but the legal duty of the governmentexecuting these development strategies.In a rather striking development, the newestand third PRSP document of Ethiopia, called theGrowth and Transformation Plan (GTP), publicisedin 2010, has alluded to disability in a mannernever done before by its two predecessors ­a phenomena perceived by the disability movementas an encouraging move in the right direction,notwithstanding the delays seen in gettingto this stage.The GTP addresses disability and PWDs solelyas “welfare cases” conjoined with issues pertainingto the elderly (MoFED 2010). Admittedly,though, the points incorporated in thisdocument make clear attempts to adhere tocontemporary beliefs about disability as definedin the social and human-rights based models. Areview of the relevant paragraphs of the GTP isimportant to further elaborate where and howexactly disability is addressed therein.Section 8.3 (Social Welfare section) of theGTP sets the following as its “Strategic Direction”:“On the course of promoting the economicand social development of the country,the social welfare main emphasis liesin protecting rights and facilitating conditionswhich will enable persons with disabilityand older people to use their abilitiesas individuals or in association withothers to contribute to the development ofsociety as well as to be self-supporting inthe political, economic and social activitiesof the country […T]he programs thatare implemented for people with disabilities(PWDs) are programs that aim in preventingdisability by providing educationand training for PWDs and rehabilitatingthem to have equal access and opportunitiesas well as by providing informationabout disability and PWD, changing thesociety’s attitude towards disability andPWDs positively.” (MoFED 2010)It appears, therefore, that the GTP does envisagethe active participation and contributionof PWDs, and in stating its chief objectives, itsays: “the objective of the sector’s plan is […]making sure the involvement of all relevant stakeholdersin promoting social welfare servicesin an inclusive manner; identify social welfareproblems and take corrective measures, in viewof supporting the nation’s poverty eradicationendeavour to promote activities that will benefitpeople with disabilities and the elderly” (MoFED2010).As its mechanisms of implementation, theGTP outlines a list of strategies addressing afairly wide spectrum of matters, such as, the effectiveintegration and empowerment of PWDs,promotion of equal rights, accessibility andreasonable accommodation, as well as raisingpublic awareness about disability. The documentgoes on to state that it will endeavour toboost social welfare services and research regardingwelfare; although nothing has been explicitlysaid on the pressing need and promotionof disability-focused research.When seen in the light of what a sufficientlydisability-inclusive PRSP is supposed to contain,the following can be raised as shortcomings ofthe GTP:1. Lack of a cross-sectoral approach, which isbelieved to be the “most preferred mechanismof disability inclusion in PRSPs” (ILO2002: unpaged). We do not see disabilitymentioned in the sector-wide plans enumeratedand detailed by the document;2. Disability treated solely as a “welfare case”,as opposed to a multi-faceted socio-economiccondition;3. Specific differences between disability andissues of the elderly not satisfactorily delineated,should the two be placed together inthe first place.Government Bureaucracy and the Questfor Multi-Sectoral IntegrationIt was observed in this study that the Departmentof Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Labourand Social Affairs (MoLSA), which is the only officede jure in charge of disability affairs inEthiopia, has not been active enough in meetingthe increasing needs of PWDs. Participantsunderlined that a multi-sectoral integration ofdisability in the PRSP would provide sustainablesolutions to a range of matters. It ensures, firstand foremost, that PWDs would be able to meaningfullyavail themselves of each sector in ac-18Behinderung und internationale Entwicklung 3/2012Disability and International Development