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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On 1 September 2022, the My Lens My Reality exhibition was shown for the first time in Italian-speaking Switzerland in the city of Locarno. Ms. Nancy Lunghi spoke on behalf of the city of Locarno, which sponsered the event. She officially opened the exhibition in the canton of Ticino. “The exhibition carries important messages that we as a city wanted to support and be able to convey.”, said Lunghi.
Ms. Marina Carobbio, Swiss Parliamentarian and Member of the Council of States, then took the floor to state that the exhibition deals with issues that are important to her: “development aid, gender and inclusion.”
“A strong society is a cohesive society that integrates all its members and recognizes and promotes everyone’s specific abilities. We hear this in the words of the ten Nepalese women […] Words that must give us the strength to act for the rights of people with disabilities, here as in the rest of the world.”, so Carobbio.
Ms. Maria Marelli from Humanity and Inclusion, spoke on behalf of SDDC to present the results of the accompanying Photovoice study carried out by the University of Bern. Ms. Mirjam Gasser from CBM Switzerland said a few words about the exhibition and welcomed everyone to the event.
The My Lens My Reality exhibition was displayed at the Palazzo SES in Locarno from 29 August to 2 September 2022.
The civil society report by the Swiss Platform Agenda 2030 on the implementation of the SDGs by Switzerland, was released on June 6, 2022. The Swiss Disability and Development Consortium (SDDC) provided input to the report, particularly around SDG 1 (poverty) and 10 (inequality). The report addresses progress and challenges in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and makes clear recommendations for Switzerland. Because one thing is clear: If Switzerland does not act decisively now, it will have serious consequences for everyone.
The Swiss country progress report on the SDGs does not address the extent to which Switzerland contributes to achieving the inclusion of persons with disabilities within its international cooperation. This is particularly unfortunate because the structure of the country report is promising. In addition to the national context, the international level is always taken into account. However, persons with disabilities globally, are not mentioned.
Read the civil society report here
Additional analysis by CBM Switzerland can be found here
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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.