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Tapping untapped potential: how the dutch development sector can become more disability inclusive

Development Policy,Inclusive Economy12 Nov 2019Anika Altaf

Inclusion of the world’s most marginalized and vulnerable groups is held at the heart of most development programmes, but people with disabilities are seldom considered.

Acknowledging this, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted in 2006, and has been ratified by 168 countries to date, including the Netherlands. This convention is an attempt to catalyse global efforts to address disability in the inclusion agenda. Commissioned by the Dutch Coalition on Disability and Development (DCDD), The Broker conducted a study to discover the current state of affairs in the Netherlands with regard to the implementation of the convention. The outcome of this study was presented in a report titled An untapped potential. How disability inclusive is the Dutch development sector? Steps taken since the ratification of UN CRPD, launched at Partos’ annual Innovation Festival on 11 October 2019.

The report, written by knowledge brokers Anika Altaf and Arthur Rempel, evaluates Dutch policy and practices with regard to disability inclusion in the Dutch development space. It concludes that while there is growing awareness within Dutch government about the importance of disability inclusion in development, explicit attempts to address the CRPD require further effort. The report presents examples of good practices and offers recommendations in order to move the CRPD forward.

Download the full publication here or contact Anika Altaf for a hard copy.