A VOICE OF OUR OWN
The SDGs within the CRPD
People with disabilities are valuable contributors for a sustainable world
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SDGS
VIDEO MESSAGE TO THE WORKSHOP, "SDGS IN OUR HAND": CLOSE RELATION BETWEEN DISABILITY AND SDGS,OF NATIONAL GATHERING ON DISABILITY POLICY DISCUSSION.ORGANIZEDBY DPI-JAPAN ON 2 DECEMBER 2018, AT TOKYO, JAPAN.
Within the objective to end poverty, to protect the planet and to ensure prosperity, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015 and defined an agenda for its implementation.
Disability issues and persons with disabilities are included in eleven (11) specific references throughout the 2030 Agenda, and these references are powerful platforms to support the monitoring and implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Disabled Peoples’ Organization’s (DPOs) need to be involved in developing and delivering these methodologies and engaging with a wide range of different stakeholders from civil society to the public and private sectors.
That also means that DPOs should work to ensure representation from the grassroots through to the international levels and across different sectors.
Given the generally low human and financial resource capacity of DPOs around the world, this will require a greater investment by donors in their development who need to understand that supporting the participation of DPOs and the contribution of people with disabilities is the golden way of an equitable and sustainable development.
With our experience of living with disabilities, and confronted by so many barriers, we have developed a unique experience that needs to be shared within all societies. We are equipped to impart our knowledge to a world that needs to understand the different areas, such as universal accessibility, the ergonomic design of the work environment tailored to each individual to perform a task, or in the field of education and the multiple ways to learn.
People with disabilities are the champions of resilience; they have learned how to rebound when reality sends them seemingly insurmountable barriers and then demonstrate that a lot of possibilities exist where most people think it's impossible. What needs to be understood moving forward to the future is that:
becauseit is usable for people with disabilities, therefore it is usable for all;
becausethe specific barriers faced by people with disabilities are conquered by uncovering new and innovative ways to go forward, to move and to create;
becausethe experience of living with disabilities develops new perspectives and reveals unknown human potentials;
becausewhat people with disabilities have learned from their lived experiences is what the entire world needs to learn, such as: making more with less; to economize, evaluate and regulate the energy; to find alternative ways to reach, listen, see, feel and communicate; and, to be creative and prepared for the unexpected.
We, people with disabilities, are positive that this new world, the inclusive world we are waiting for, can be build only with our contribution as equal partners. Not people to be cared for, or protected, but as contributing partners, and partners who can build a society based on the inclusion for all!
Who would know better than us how to do more with less? Each day this is our challenge and it’s now time for the entire world to understand and to learn from us. This is why the world needs our talents, needs our expertise and our contributions.
The six (6) targets of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2019 are the sustainable development goals 4, 8, 10, 13 16 and 17, and on each one our experience highlights valuable practices and more efficient ways to reach, to meet and communicate; as a result it becomes also less energy intensive and more sustainable.
On Goal 4- Quality Education, we know what inclusion means because we understand exclusion by experience, we also know how to learn from our peers; and throughout our lives, which is often cut short, we live under these complications.
On Goal 8- Decent Work and Economic Growth, we understand how to create a productive workstation by adaptating the environment, and because it’s how disability organizations work, we know also that social inclusion is not only determined by a paid job but also by a myriad of non paid contributions.
On goal 10- Reduced Inequalities, inequality is our life, we are born unequal, we live unequal and we fight the consequences of this inequality in our daily life.
On Goal 13- Climate Action, to combact the climate change implies to find other energies, and find alternative ways to move, with less energy and less means. This is exactly what each person with a disability faces each day and adapts quickly, and this goal - #13 is our golden goal!
On Goal 16- Peace, Justice and strong Institutions, we, people with disabilities, need peaceful and inclusive societies, and we have demonstrated on many occasions that our presence can silence weapons, and that our resilience and capabilities provide valued support to those suffering from war or disaster.
On Goal 17- Partnerships for the Goals, people with disabilities much be taken into account on everything, as valued as contributors and experts, and therefore partner on all levels, from the decision making tables to the workshop, and
DPI is a grassroots organization that proudly works with representatives of DPOs from more than 140 countries around the world to achieve these goals, by ensuring that people with disabilities are aware of their rights, capabilities, and their potential to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable world.
23 oct. 2018