GLOBAL DISABILITY SUMMIT (GDS22)
Commitments by Disability Rights Watch (DRW) 2022 to 2025
The Global Disability Summit was held on 16th and 17th February, 2022 in Oslo, Norway. It was held virtually and DRW attended the whole session gathered with other partner Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) at the DRW Board Room in Lusaka. At the GDS, different OPDs and Governments made Commitments towards enhancing the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the principle of leaving no one behind, and on building back better and more inclusively post-pandemic. It should be noted that not only Governments and OPDs made Commitments but also other CSOs, INGOs, Business Entities and of course the UN family.
DRW also made some Commitments to this Global noble cause of contributing towards the creation of a Disability Inclusive World while narrowing down to a Disability Inclusive Zambia. The Global Disability Summit has published the Commitments made by different State and Non-State Actors. DRW Commitments have also been published as in the table below.
| SN | Type | Commitments | Theme | Region |
| 1. | Foundation | Commit to consistently create awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities, especially girls and women with disabilities, persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, persons with deaf-blindness, persons with albinism, persons with multiple disabilities, in all communities including rural areas to enhance full and effective participations of persons with disabilities in all matters that affect them across all domain of life. | Overarching commitments | Africa |
| 2. | Foundation | Commit to promote dissemination of accessible information and building the capacity of persons with disabilities, through training and mentoring, in public and political engagement skills to enhance their full and effective participation in the democratic and electoral processes for inclusive and diverse political representation. | Overarching commitments | Africa |
| 3. | Foundation | Commit to build the capacity, through training and awareness raising of OPDs, parents, and families to monitor and influence the implementation of inclusive education in ensuring their effective participation at the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation at all levels of the education system. | Inclusive Education | Africa |
| 4. | Foundation | Commit to raise awareness on the human rights model of disability to enhance implementation of comprehensive inclusive education using the universal design principle (and taking into consideration reasonable accommodation) with the active involvement of OPDs, families, communities, CSOs, children with disabilities and other children with emphasis on the participation of girls and women with disabilities. | Inclusive Education | Africa |
| 5. | Foundation | Commit to contribute to increasing the capacity of OPDs, through training, in strategic advocacy skills (including strategic litigation) in order to enhance their full and effective participation in government consultation and other processes in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national policies and systems, and in international cooperation. | Overarching commitments | Africa |
| 6. | Foundation | Commit to advocate for the recognition and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, specifically persons with psychosocial disabilities in relation to legal capacity, in accessing quality health on an equal basis with others through the review of the Mental Health Act of 2019 | Inclusive Health | Africa |
| 7. | Foundation | Commit to mobilize resources for accessibility audits, law/policy scoping and awareness raising to enhance inclusion by removing physical, institutional and attitudinal barriers. | Overarching commitments | Africa |
| 8. | Foundation | Commit to consistently create awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities, especially girls and women with disabilities, persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, persons with deaf-blindness, persons with albinism, persons with multiple disabilities, in all communities including rural areas to enhance full and effective participations of persons with disabilities in all matters that affect them across all domain of life. | Overarching commitments | Africa |
DRW by its foundation and operational mode commits to always use a very collaborative approach that aims to strengthen networking in achieving the respect, protection and fulfilling the rights of persons with disabilities. We pledge to closely work with all OPDs and CSOs, local and international to strengthen a more collaborative and collective strategic advocacy approach to achieving improved enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities despite their status in both urban and rural areas. Therefore, we call upon every organisation to stand by its Commitment towards disability inclusion while working together as one.
LET US TOGETHER MAKE ZAMBIA DISABILITY INCLUSIVE!
Wamundila Waliuya
Director.
3rd March, 2022.
