Social Inclusion of Youth with Disabilities Towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies for All
- By Michael Miiro with insights from DSPD/ Youth Team
The United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 47/3 proclaimed the 3rd of December to be the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. As Youth with Disabilities (YWDs), we use this day to reflect on how far we have moved since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and other international development frameworks, to the advocacy for inclusion of persons with disabilities at the local, national and international spheres of development. On the other hand, the commemoration of the day brings together various stakeholders including youth to share new ideas and innovative strategies in the quest to ensure that no one is left behind, which is a central impetus of the 2030 Agenda.
The theme for International Disability Day 2017, “Transformation towards Sustainable and Resilient Society for all,” is another reminder of the strides and recognition of the importance of People with Disability (PWDs) in all efforts of inclusive sustainable development. For many young people with disabilities, forms of exclusion, isolation and abuse as well as lack of educational and economic opportunities are a daily status quo. However, with adequate support, as YWDs, we have great potential in roles as both beneficiaries and agents of change in spearheading the process towards inclusive and sustainable development.
The Situation of Youth with Disabilities in Uganda
UNICEF estimates the number of children with disabilities between 0 and 18 years ranges between 93 million and 150 million (UNICEF, 2013). However, there is a general insufficiency of data or empirical research on YWDs, especially in the developing world. As a YWD and a national of a developing country (Uganda), I am compelled to reflect on the situation of my country where YWDs from age 2 and above stand at 12.4 percent of the national population. The majority of YWDs in Uganda reside in the rural areas and unlike other youth, their conditions are further perpetrated by societal prejudices, barriers, and ignorance which can complicate and intensify their situations. To date, most societies especially in the developing world have not fully integrated youth with disabilities, leading to the exclusion and isolation of a large segment of the population. There is need to integrate youth with disabilities in all development efforts to be able to create an integrated and equitable world for all. As a prerequisite to the achievement of development aspirations, addressing the needs of youth in rural areas is a must, especially in regions like Masaka (Uganda) where YWDs have little or no knowledge of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ensuring that YWDs Are Not Left Behind
Using my experience from a human rights centered approach at The Masaka Association of Disabled Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (MADIPHA), I have learnt that to ensure that YWDs were not left behind, there is a need to meaningfully engage them in SDGs education and participation through various ways that promote their representation in decision-making at all levels at the local, national, regional and international institutions. It is equally important to protect YWDs, especially girls and young women, from all forms of sexual and gender-based violence. In addition, there is a need to facilitate an enabling environment by improving investments in the socio-economic development and providing quality education to YWDs. Through these processes, governments can create mechanisms to promote a culture of ownership, accountability, peace, tolerance, intercultural and interreligious dialogue that involves the direct involvement and participation of YWDs. There is a need to continue to advocate and build schools, and promote disability and community environments that are free from violence and all forms of discrimination. This can be achieved through the involvement and partnership with all community members including teachers, parents, youth workers, citizens and all young people in rural and urban areas. The promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development provides access to justice for all and contributes to building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
How YWDs Can Play an Active Role in Spearheading the SDGs
All youth, whether they live with disability or not, are able to contribute towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. People living with disabilities are mentioned in Goals 4, 8, 10, 11 and 17. To ensure a fair implementation of the agenda, it is important to treat YWDs as a diverse population and remove barriers that prohibit their full inclusion. Youth can demand to be consulted in decision-making processes and ensure that their needs are reflected in specific languages of policies and national laws. YWDs can also fully participate in the implementation and monitoring efforts, including data collection, reviews and follow up mechanisms of policies and programmes. I believe that youth need the assurance that their voices are heard by policymakers. This can be achieved through deliberate efforts by governments aimed at building capacities and strong partnerships with youth. Through the process, youth can demand accountability and transparency in all activities that are meant to benefit them or their communities. One way to achieve this is through civic education and enacting effective feedback mechanisms to ensure a sustainable and inclusive process where the rights of PWDs, including youth, are enshrined in national policies, plans, and programmes towards an inclusive 2030 Agenda.
About Michael Miiro:
Michael is a dynamic and innovative human rights activist who is very passionate about working with marginalized groups with interest in gender issues, persons with disabilities, youth, children and older persons for inclusive development. As a native of Uganda, Michael is currently the Technical Advisor for disability, HIV/AIDS, sexual and gender based violence for the Masaka Association of Persons with Disabilities Living with HIV&AIDS (MADIPHA). MADIPHA's mission is to promote access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS services by all Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) through advocacy, mobilization, sensitization and training. MADIPHA aims to fully incorporate PWDs living with HIV/AIDS into society through advocacy measures that center PWDs while targeting key government agencies, line ministries and civil society organizations. Michael continues to work with other stakeholders to lobby for changing policies that maintain exclusion and segregation of PWDs from society. Michael holds a postgraduate diploma in community-based rehabilitation from Kyambogo University-Kampala and a Bachelor of Adult and Community Education from Makerere University. You can follow Michael on Twitter here.
ILO: Symposium on Job-Rich Growth for Sustainable Development
On 27 to 28 November 2017, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Employment Policy Department brought together researchers, policy-makers, practitioners and other stakeholders to review and discuss on-going research on the demand for jobs and bottlenecks in developed and developing countries. The themes that were discussed covered a range of issues from the impact of automation and digital technologies, pro-employment macro-economic and sectoral policies, trends in employment and labour market programmes, the future of work for youth and women, transition to formality, and the design and implementation of comprehensive employment policy frameworks. The main objective was to share knowledge and policy lessons learnt on fostering full employment and inclusive and sustainable economic growth. More.
ILO: Launch of the Engagement Platform of the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth
On 29 November 2017, the ILO organized the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs and brought together governments, social partners, youth and civil society, UN partner entities, private sector and other key youth employment stakeholders to celebrate the launch of the online engagement platform (www.decentjobsforyouth.org). Decent Jobs for Youth is a global initiative that aims to scale up action and impact on youth employment. The engagement platform provided an open space for partners to join and engage with others, creating real change for young people across the globe. More.
UNDP: Caribbean and Japanese Youth Propose Climate-Smart Actions at Youth Climate Change Conference
Youth from the Caribbean region and Japan proposed recommendations for climate-smart actions at a youth climate change conference. The conference was part of a 2-day intense dialogue during the third staging of the Youth Climate Change Conference held from the 10 to 11 October 2017 at the Jamaica conference center in Kingston. The event, themed “Our Climate, Our Voice, Our Change - Advancing Partnerships for Global Impact” attracted more than 600 participants from over 60 high schools and youth organizations from Jamaica, including other 8 countries from the Caribbean region and Japan. The event was held for youth to propose solutions to combat climate change and develop a youth statement addressing needs in research, capacity building, youth activism, policy and legal/regulatory frameworks. More.
UNDP: Youth Co:Lab: Promoting Youth Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Asia-Pacific
To address the issue of youth unemployment, and many other social and environmental challenges faced by people in the Asia-Pacific region, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the Youth Co:Lab , a regional programme designed to promote youth leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship. Since October 2017, Youth Co:Lab has hosted events in several countries in the Asia Pacific region. By facilitating dialogues on the entrepreneurial ecosystem and strengthening young people’s capacities to build their own social enterprises, the programme aspires to empower youth and also accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More.
UNDP and Dominican Republic Ministry of Youth to Promote Youth Leadership and Socio-Political Participation
UNDP and the Ministry of Youth in the Dominican Republic will hold a series of workshops for young adults between the ages of 18 and 29. The workshop will help support the development of young people’s leadership skills and promote their socio-political participation in spaces for public advocacy. The workshops will also empower youth through exercises covering topics on public leadership and stimulate their active participation in other areas of their preference and promote the inclusion of youth in public advocacy matters. More.
Techstars Startup Weekend is an inclusive event that usually brings together people from diverse backgrounds. The 54-hour event held from the 27 to 29 October 2017 helped participants learn essential approaches that helped them take ideas from concept to reality through entrepreneurship skills. Organized by the Techstars community leaders in the Maldives, the event was held in partnership with UNDP Youth Co:Lab. A total of 55 participants took part in the event resulting in 41 startup ideas that were pitched and where the top 3 were chosen through a voting process. More.
UNDP in partnership with Ooredoo held a Social Innovation Camp (Miyaheli) from 28 to 30 September 2017. The event brought together Maldivian youth aged 18 to 30 to come up with innovative solutions to address pressing social issues. Over 50 applications were received and 5 innovators that were selected were teamed up with 17 volunteers and mentors from across the country. This was to help the innovators further develop their ideas during the camp. Following the final pitch at the event, 3 innovators were awarded grants which were meant to help prototype their ideas within the next 12 months. The overall goal was to help develop ideas into reality. More.
UNFPA: “I am Against Child Marriage”
UNFPA Egypt in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports launched a campaign to denounce child marriages in governorates across Egypt. The campaign included awareness, sports and arts activities at Population Awareness Clubs (PAC) in youth centers. The campaign was launched mid-October and will last until December 2017. It was designed to coincide with the 16 days of activism against Gender Based Violence. Sohag and Assuit Youth Centers witnessed the kick off of the events that brought together close to 1,000 young people. The campaign is broadcasted from youth centers and its activism and key messages are echoed on social media pages of UNFPA and its partners. More.
UNFPA: Youth Participatory Action Research for Youth Centers Standards
UNFPA Egypt in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports will be conducting a participatory action research led by young researchers. The aim of the research is to help develop youth center standards. The research will focus on both the structural aspects of the youth centers and identify ideal interventions to help attract young people, especially young girls to participate in the youth centers. The research is being carried out in 10 governorates by teams of 5 youths in each governorate. In addition, the exercise will include developing a spatial model envisioned by young people that would be presented to the Ministry of Youth as a suggestion and proposal on how youth-friendly spaces and centers should look like. More.
UNESCO: MERCK Africa Research Summit
The third UNESCO-MERCK Africa Research Summit (UNESCO-MARS) was held in Port-Louis, Mauritius, on the 28 to 29 November. Prior summits were held in Geneva (2015) and Addis-Ababa (2016). The event attracted up to 200 young researchers and 30 ministers from Africa. In addition, experts from top universities, civil society, multilateral organizations and governments participated in the event.
The aim of the summit was to empower gender and youth research and supporting youth to take up careers in STEM. The theme of the Summit was “Cancer and Vaccine Development” and was organized by the African Union (AU), World Health Organization (WHO), the University of Cambridge and the government of Mauritius. More.
UNESCO: Pan-African Youth Forum for a Culture of Peace Event
A Pan-African Youth Forum for a Culture of Peace was organized in Libreville from 30 November to 2 December 2017. The event was a synergy among the UNESCO Libreville and Yaoundé Regional Office, United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), the Economic Community of Central African State (ECCAS), the African Union (AU) and youth from the continent and the diaspora. During the Forum, the issue of youth ideological and religious radicalization was discussed, as well as the initiation of actions towards the creation of an early warning system in Central Africa.The Forum was in line with the sub-regional youth strategy. Side events were organized to allow the Pan-African Youth Network for a Culture of Peace (PAYNCoP) and Youth National Councils from the sub-region to hold their general assemblies. More.
Publications
ILO: Global Employment Trends for Youth 2017: Paths to a Better Working Future
The ILO report“Global Employment Trends for Youth 2017: Paths to a Better Working Future”sets out the youth labour market situation around the world. The report shows where progress has or has not been made and provides updates on world and regional youth labour market indicators giving detailed analyses of medium-term trends in youth population, labour force, employment, unemployment, working poverty and informality. The 2017 edition discusses the implications of technological change for youth labour market prospects with a focus on both quantity and quality trends in sectoral employment and on the forms of work available to young people.
ILO: The European Youth Guarantee: A Systematic Review of its Implementation Across Countries
The European Youth Guarantee (YG) is one of the most innovative labour market policies of recent years. The ILO report “ The European Youth Guarantee: A Systematic Review of its Implementation Across Countries” examines empirical evidence on the effectiveness of past youth guarantee experiences, as well as the few existing evaluations of the Youth Guarantee, to identify the factors that are key to their success. The report then assesses whether the key success factors are embedded into the implementation plans published by the European countries and the extent to which these objectives have been met in practice.
ILO: Empowering Young Women through Business and Vocational Training
The ILOImpact Reportand Impact Briefpresented findings from an impact evaluation of a large-scale training and empowerment intervention in rural upper Egypt. The region has some of the lowest rates of female labour force participation and high gender disparities in the Arab World. The intervention offered business, vocational and life skills trainings combined with business development services and civic education. The event targeted 4,500 young women in 30 villages in rural upper Egypt. Results of the study concentrated on outcomes related to their labour market status and career aspirations.
