By IDA

 - November 27, 2020

The International Disability Alliance presents its Global Survey on Participation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in Development Programmes and Policies - Edition 2020.

This new report presents the findings of the first-ever global survey led by OPDs on their participation in decision making processes of governments, the UN system and funding agencies.

The IDA Global Survey is part of a strategy to hold decision-makers accountable for their commitments under Articles 4.3 and 32 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Based on testimonies collected from OPDs in 165 counties, the report assesses the quality, depth, scope and relevance of the OPDs participation in programmes and policies, and offers recommendations for governments, the UN system and funding agencies.

Expanding from the initial pre-report of 2019, this full report sets a baseline for regular monitoring of the Nothing about Us without Us committment. Its findings indicate that:

  • OPDs are increasingly invited at the table, but not yet to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes. Many barriers remain, such as inaccessible venues and information, inadequate funding for reasonable accommodation, and limited knowledge about how to engage with persons with disabilities.
  • Some groups are rarely invited: persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities, persons with deafblindness and women with disabilities are among the groups largely left out of consultation and decision-making processes.
  • When OPDs are involved, it is often on disability-specific issues, but rarely on broader development issues that also concern persons with disabilities. Involvement is more often in project activities than in the planning, governance or budget decisions. Many also indicate that their views are not considered and that they face huge opportunity costs as their capacities and resources are stretched to the maximum.

This report is a unique tool to support the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities through their representative organisations. Check the recommendations to governments, the UN and funding agencies here.

  • Download the full report here.
  • You can also download an executive summary here.

We want this report to be accessible for everyone, the executive summary is also available in International Sign, Spanish and French.