Written evidence submitted by Sightsavers'
INTRODUCTION
1. Sightsavers is an international organisation
working to promote health and ensure equality of opportunity for
disabled people. Sightsavers work contributes to each of the MDGs
and we have been actively working on MDG policy and advocacy for
the last two years. This work includes:
— Unofficial attendance at the summit itself,
including representation at several key side meetings, one of
which was with the Secretary of State.
— Input on disability and social inclusion
into the Global Campaign Against Poverty's positions and papers.
— Support to high-level lobbying activities
on both the mainstreaming of disability throughout the goals and
the inclusion of the Neglected Tropical Diseases within the health-related
goals.
— The production of a policy brief entitled
"The Millennium Development Goals Summit 2010" presenting
our position on the changes we feel are necessary for the achievement
of the MDGs.
— Ensuring BOND's joint statement on the
MDGs for the UK Government, entitled "A last chance to keep
our promises", included specific mention of disabled people.
— Contributed to and attended a parliamentary
reception on the MDGs, attended by over 40 members of the House
of Commons and the House of Lords.
— Contributed to a public event on the
MDGs for over 400 people, involving the Deputy Prime Minister
and the Secretary of State for International Development, at which
three blind Kenyan students who's education had been supported
by Sightsavers, were given the chance to ask a question of Andrew
Mitchell and to present our policy brief to him.
KEY OUTCOMES
FROM THE
SUMMIT
2. The most tangible outcome from the Summit
is the Outcome Document, which was formally adopted by the Heads
of State and Government at the summit itself:
THE OUTCOME
DOCUMENT
3. The Outcome Document begins by welcoming
progress made since the last review and notes specific success
in some countries in "combating extreme poverty, improving
school enrolment and child health, reducing child deaths, expanding
access to clean water… and controlling malaria, tuberculosis
and neglected tropical diseases". The outcome document makes
pledges for decisive progress on the most off-track MDG targets,
and echoes calls to avoid a fragmented approach to the MDGs. However,
the language is weak on the level of commitment to a renewed pledge
to achieving the MDGs compared to that used previously in the
Millennium Declaration, now expressing only the "deep concern"
of world leaders.
4. The Outcome Document is weak on commitments
on human rights and accountability despite the UN Secretary-General's
insistence that the summit should focus heavily on setting up
much stronger participatory mechanisms to hold governments to
account on their commitments to the MDGs. Many groups feel that
one of the missing elements in the implementation of the MDGs
is the need to situate the MDGs in a human rights framework, for
this to happen there needs to be more disaggregated reporting
to ensure averages do not mask disparities between groups.
5. The Outcome Document makes several references
to the right to development, and we welcome such language as "removing
barriers to access and use of health-care services", "universal
access", "inclusive education", and "inclusive
and equitable economic growth". This language is not consistent
through the document however, and more explicit measures and clearer
actions are needed for implementation in order for inclusive
development to be realised. Disability affects all eight MDGs
and the World Bank estimates disabled people form 20% of the world's
poorest populations. The exclusion of disabled people, or a lack
of their specific inclusion, will seriously undermine efforts
to achieve the MDGs.
6. The Outcome Document makes explicit reference
to people with disabilities three times, the most notable of which:
"We also recognise that policies and actions must focus on
the poor and those living in the most vulnerable situations, including
persons with disabilities, so that they benefit from progress
towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals". We welcome
this, but it does not go far enough. The UN Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) highlights the need
for "international development programmes" to be "inclusive
of and accessible to persons with disabilities". We would
recommend that all actions taken as a result of the summit include
specific plans on monitoring the inclusion or participation of
people with disabilities.
7. The Outcome Document is strong in its
commitments towards achieving MDG 2. We welcome explicit commitments
to "inclusive education" and to "addressing the
root causes … of exclusion and discrimination affecting children,
particularly out of school children", bearing in mind that
a third of those out of school are disabled.
8. The Outcome Document is strong in its
commitment to fast-track progress on MDGs 4 and 5 (child and maternal
health) as these goals are off-track and will currently not be
met by 2015. However, specific attention to women and children
with disabilities is missing. Women with disabilities face particular
challenges in accessing reproductive health education because
they are not considered sexually active people, nor do they receive
timely antenatal care should they chose to have children. In some
developing countries, mortality rates for disabled children under
five can be as high as 80%, even in countries where overall under-five
mortality is below 20%.
9. The Outcome Document renews commitments
to accelerate progress towards achieving MDG 6. In particular
we welcome the specific mention of "efforts to prevent and
treat neglected tropical diseases…". Public-private
partnerships have increased country and international agency commitment
to NTDs and effective intervention strategies can lead to dramatic
declines in infection from these debilitating diseases. Programmes
to treat, control or eliminate NTDs are recognised as some of
the most cost-effective in public health. We would welcome agreement
on specific additional resources towards these programmes, particularly
the non-pharmaceutical aspects of sustainable control programmes.
10. The Outcome Document is not ambitious
enough in its actions towards implementation, there are few of
the clear financial or political commitments needed to ensure
that the MDGs are met by 2015.
DFID'S ROLE
IN DELIVERING
AGREED STRATEGIES
11. The Outcome Document highlights a renewed
commitment to the target of 0.7% of GNI for ODA, this renewed
commitment was partly due to the tough position of DFID on this
issue. We welcome the UK government's ongoing commitment to the
0.7% target. The UK also needs to continue pushing other developed
countries, especially in the EU, to honour their 0.7% commitments.
12. We welcome DFID's commitment on accountability
and transparency, specifically their push for an annual review
of the MDGs. DFID need to keep pushing for a clearer list of financial
and political commitments taken at the Summit, and should lead
on making global structures and decisions making processes more
democratic, inclusive and transparent.
13. At the national level, DFID should work
with governments in the South to ensure that evidence informs
national policies and plans are supported, and that these react
to a nation's needs rather than prevailing political priorities.
14. DFID should be a global leader on pushing
for inclusive development in order to ensure that progress towards
the inclusion of disabled people and other marginalised groups
in development programming can be tracked. A starting point would
be the disaggregation of data not only by gender, but where relevant
by group.
THE ROLE
OF THE
UN
15. The UN is compiling a list of commitments
made at the Summit: http://www.un.org/en/mdg/summit2010/pdf/HLPM_Side%20events_CRP.pdf.
This list is currently far from exhaustive and
this needs addressing with an open communication and dissemination
process once complete.
16. Given the role that the UN played in
ensuring that Civil Society were represented at roundtables, the
UN has an important ongoing function in ensuring the voice of
civil society is heard by world leaders in future Summits, specifically
the next MDG Summit in 2013.
17. We welcome the creation of the MDG Task
Force and the MDG Ambassador Group. Both groups must continue
their work towards ensuring the MDGs are achieved.
18. The UN should play a leading role in
developing a mechanism to hold governments to account for their
commitments made on the MDGs.
19. The UN must ensure the ratification,
domestication and implementation of the CRPD.
20. We welcome the suggestion of an annual
report from the Secretary General, as well as another Summit in
2013 and recommendations for a post 2015 framework.
THE ROLE
OF NGOS
21. The Outcome Document includes many references
to civil society participation at all levels in the next phase
of implementation of the MDGs: "We call on civil society,
including non-governmental organisations… to enhance their
role in national development efforts as well as their contribution
to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015".
22. NGOs have an important role to play
in holding Governments to account for the commitments they have
made on the MDGs, particularly in those countries which currently
lag behind on their commitments.
LOOKING AHEAD
TO AFTER
THE MDG DEADLINE
OF 2015
23. Specific recommendations for looking
ahead to the post 2015 agenda include:
— The construction of a post 2015 framework
for global development which is sensitive to country specific
contexts and which addresses the root causes as well as the effects
of poverty. These would include global financial and economic
structures.
— A post 2015 framework for global development
must be developed with specific input from people in developing
countries, particularly those usually excluded from the development
agenda, such as people with disabilities.
— Any future framework should include clear
and potentially legally binding accountability mechanisms to ensure
that countries honour commitments made.
— A future framework needs to specifically
address disability and inclusive development.
— From a health perspective, any future
framework needs to focus on a systems strengthening as opposed
to disease-specific approach. Targets should be set on this basis
and not on progress made on three or four specific diseases, given
the pace of change in global health patterns.
| 
