SDDC is a Swiss based network advocating for the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Switzerland's international cooperation.
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The Swiss Disability and Development Consortium (SDDC) officially submitted an Alternative Report to the UN-CRPD Committee, in view of the upcoming Review of Switzerland on the 9th and 10th of March, 2022. The report provides an alternative view on the official response by the Swiss Government on the List of Issues submitted on 25 September 2020. It highlights some key gaps where CRPD implementation in Swiss international cooperation and humanitarian action is still lacking.
The report outlines five recommended Concluding Observations for consideration by the CRPD Committee. These recommendations relate to Articles 6 (women with disabilities), 11 (situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies), 31 (statistics and data collection) and 32 (international cooperation) of the Convention.
The Swiss Disability and Development Consortium (SDDC) has developed a Roadmap for the period 2021 – 2023. The roadmap provides recommendations for a comprehensive pathway to render the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s (SDC) efforts inclusive of persons with disabilities both at institutional and field level.
It includes 10 concrete and actionable recommendations for the SDC. The Roadmap was officially received by the SDC Director and recognized in a response to a recent parliamentary interpellation (August 2021), where the SDC confirms its committment to develop an action plan based on the roadmap.
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Key Messages
How can Switzerland ensure the rights of persons with disabilities in the Global South?
International Sign
No guidelines, no priority. Switzerland needs guidelines to inform its work on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in its international cooperation. Current efforts on disability inclusion are small scale, ad-hoc and mostly segregating.
Nothing about us, without us! Switzerland must ensure the full and active participation of persons with disabilities throughout all processes affecting them, including in its international cooperation. Arrangements must be made to enable their participation.
What isn’t counted, doesn’t count. Switzerland has committed itself to be a leader on data collection, but it is not systematically collecting and disaggregating data on disability in its international programmes.
Leave no one behind in humanitarian crises. Persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected in humanitarian crises. Switzerland committed itself to making its humanitarian action inclusive of persons with disabilities, but it is not clear how it is living up to its commitment.
What isn’t budgeted for, doesn’t get done. Switzerland must sufficiently budget for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in its international cooperation and must commit itself not to finance programs and services that segregate persons with disabilities from the community.