(c) CBM
(c) CBM
CALL TO ACTION
Continuing Global Leadership:
Strengthening the effectiveness of Australia’s aid program
through disability-inclusive development
Australian Disability and Development Consortium •
CBM Australia
56 Rutland Road, Box Hill VIC 3128 • www.addc.org.au • FREE Call: 1800 678 069
1
Australia has positioned itself as a global leader in including people with disability
within its aid program.
We have received international acclaim for AusAID’s Development for All: Towards a disabilityinclusive Australian aid program 2009-2014 strategy. The 2012 Mid-Term Review1 of this strategy
made strong recommendations for Australia to continue its global leadership in disability-inclusive
development.
While we have made progress in improving the quality of life of many people with disabilities in
developing countries; there is still much to do. People with disabilities continue to be routinely
excluded from economic, education, health and social opportunities, and make up over one in five
of the world’s poorest people.2
Given this high prevalence of
disability
in
developing
countries, failure to actively
include people with disability
jeopardises the effectiveness of
development work.
This woman with vision impairment received vocational training through
an AusAID funded project. Photo: Showkat Akber, BPKS/Caritas/AUSAid
Prioritising and adequately
resourcing
disability-inclusive
practices is therefore essential
to ensuring Australia’s aid
program is effective in reaching
the poorest of the poor.
We are calling upon our
politicians to ensure that
Australia continues its global leadership in strengthening the effectiveness of
Australia’s aid program through disability-inclusive development.
This call to action outlines key opportunities to do so on both national and individual levels.
Summary: Opportunities for Australia to continue its global leadership
1. Keep the promise: increase Australia’s aid budget in the 2013-14 budget
2. Appoint an Ambassador for Disability-Inclusive Development
3. Champion disability in the post-Millennium Development Goal framework
4. Include people with psychosocial disabilities within Australia’s aid program
1
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/aidissues/did/Documents/dfa-mtr.pdf
2
http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/en/index.html
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Opportunities for Australia to continue its global leadership
We call upon Australian politicians to help end the cycle of poverty and disability by ensuring you:
1. Keep the promise: increase Australia’s aid budget in the 2013-14 budget
The 2013-14 federal budget presents an
opportunity to confirm Australia’s commitment to
its aid program and deliver on its promise and 0.5%
GNI by 2016.
(c) CBM
Along with thousands upon thousands of
Australians, we were deeply disappointed by the
decisions in 2012 to delay the timeframe for
reaching 0.5 percent of GNI to the aid budget and
to use at least $375 million of Australia’s foreign
aid budget to pay for domestic asylum seeker
costs.
Increasing the aid budget to allocate 0.37% GNI in
this year’s budget is essential; not only to ensure
that Australia plays its fair share in fighting global
poverty, but also to provide the funding
predictability required to administer an effective
aid program.
2. Appoint an Ambassador for Disability-Inclusive Development
As a world leader in disability-inclusive development, Australia has a role to play in
providing direction and support to other donor and partner countries regarding disability
inclusion. ‘Effective leadership’ is the third core outcome under AusAID’s Development for
All strategy. Recommendations of the 2012 Mid-Term Review focused on the need for
AusAID to continue its leadership in this regard.3
In order to meet these recommendations and bring a targeted approach to strengthening
Australia’s leadership in this area, we recommend the creation of an Australian
‘Ambassador for Disability-Inclusive Development’ within AusAID. The Ambassador would
provide a focal point for promoting effective strategies to mainstream disability as a crosscutting issue across Australia’s aid program and partnerships. The Ambassador would also
promote leadership and accountability for disability-inclusive development both within and
external to AusAID.
Following the successful model of AusAID’s ‘Ambassador for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria’, the Ambassador for Disability-Inclusive Development should be created at First
Assistant Director General level.
3
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/aidissues/did/Documents/dfa-mtr.pdf
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3. Champion disability in the post-Millennium Development Goal framework
There is already much debate internationally regarding what framework should replace the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) when they end in 2015. The strong links between
poverty and disability mean that in order to overcome poverty with effectiveness and equality,
all major development frameworks including the post-2015 agenda must explicitly address
disability.
As world leaders in disability-inclusive development, Australia must spearhead debate on this
issue and champion the inclusion of disability throughout the post-2015 framework. This was
another key recommendation of the Mid-Term Review of the Development for All strategy,
and presents a critical opportunity for Australia to influence the global development agenda.
CBM Australia and the Australian Disability and Development Consortium (ADDC) have
developed detailed submissions regarding the inclusion of disability throughout the post-2015
framework. We would be pleased to provide a further briefing on this issue, outlining practical
recommendations and next steps for Australian involvement, upon request.
A critical upcoming opportunity for international leadership is the World Health Assembly in
May 2013, where member states will debate a draft resolution calling for better health care for
people with disabilities.4 We urge you to write to the Health Minister requesting that
Australia take a lead in this debate to ensure strong outcomes for people with disabilities
worldwide. We would be pleased to provide further briefing information on this.
This picture tells a story of integration – of children with a disability and children without a disability playing
together. Playground equipment and school buildings are often not designed for children with physical
impairments, yet simple adaptations can make them accessible for all.
Photo: India, Adele Perry
4
See draft resolution: http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB132/B132_R5-en.pdf
4
4. Include people with psychosocial disabilities within Australia’s aid program
While people with disabilities are already routinely excluded from society and development
programs, those with psychosocial disabilities such as poor mental health are often the most
marginalised, and last to be included in broader disability and health initiatives.
The international community is increasingly recognising how crucial mental health care and
promotion is, with the World Health Organisation recently adopting the principle ‘There is no
health without mental health’.5
Australia has led the way internationally in including people with disabilities in our aid
programs: the next challenge is to prioritise strategies to include people with psychosocial
disabilities in our development efforts.
A key opportunity in this regard is the Draft Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013 –
2020 recently released by the World Health Organisation.6 This Plan provides a strong
framework for addressing psychosocial disabilities internationally, including targets for
national action plans, resource planning, and multi-sectoral collaboration.
Australia has a central role to play in supporting the development and implementation of this
Action Plan: we urge you to write to the Health Minister to recommend that Australia take a
lead in this over the coming months. We also recommend that Australia draw upon the
framework of this Action Plan to develop its own strategy to address and include people with
psychosocial disabilities within the Australian aid program.
“The fits came during the night. Some people say this sickness is the devil. People won’t come to my house because
they think the devil will get them.” In many countries, fear and lack of knowledge means impairments like Stephan’s
epilepsy become disabling, isolating them from local community life. Challenging disabling attitudes, policies and
environments is as important as addressing the physical or mental impairment at hand (CBM; 2006).
Photo: Cote d’Ivoire, Marie Hatzoudis, CBM
5http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB132/B132_8-en.pdf
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Key facts – the cycle of poverty and disability7
One billion people live with disability worldwide, and
80 per cent of people with a disability live in
developing countries.
Over 20 per cent of the world’s poorest people in
developing countries live with disability.
Children with a disability are much less likely to
attend school than children without a disability.
Globally, 151 million people live with depression, 26
million people live with schizophrenia and 24 million
people live with dementias.
80% of people with poor mental health live in low and
middle income countries, where 75 to 85% of people
with severe mental health conditions do not have
access to any appropriate treatment.8
When Keth lost his leg he had to leave the army and his
source of income. Since being fitted with an artificial
limb, and receiving a small-business loan from an AusAID
funded program, he’s set up his own business as a barber
and is earns enough income for himself and his family.
People with disabilities in developing countries are at
much higher risk of poverty. This is due to being
frequently excluded from education, health care,
employment, community support and development
programs.
Those living in poverty are at higher risk of acquiring
a disability. This is because circumstances related to
poverty such as poor nutrition, lack of health care
and unsafe environments often lead to disability.
The cycle of poverty and disability can be broken
when development efforts include specific
programs to support people with disabilities, and
where all initiatives are designed to include people
with disabilities.
Through AusAID supported programs, these
volleyball players they have access to the artificial
limbs and training facilitates, and are now part of
the Cambodian National Volleyball League.
Photos: Cambodia, Kevin Evans, AusAID
7
See http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/en/index.html
8
http://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/mhtargeting/en/index.html
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Australia’s aid program
Everyday Australians care about ending poverty through our aid program.
 A 2012 study found that 84% of Australians supported an increasing or maintaining Australia’s
current spending on international aid. Only 8% of Australians said that there should be a
decrease in aid spending.9
 Each year, over 2 million households in Australia donate to the charities that are members of
the Australian Council for International Development
Our aid is making a difference
 Global primary school enrolment rates have increased from 64% in 2005 to 85% in 2010, with
the help of Australian aid.10
 In Samoa, an inclusive education program funded by AusAID has seen increases to overall
enrolment and access to early intervention programs by 59% from 2009-2011.11
 Since 1990, the proportion of the world’s people living on less than $1.25 per day fell from
47% to 24% in 2008.12
Australia can and should do more
 Australia has one of the strongest economies in the world, yet our current aid budget to GNI


ratio is well below the average country effort and ranks at only 13th in the world.13
The Labor Government committed to increasing the aid budget to 0.5% by 2016, and 0.37% in
the 2013 budget. These commitments must be kept in order to ensure predictability and
effectiveness within the aid program, and to do our fair share in fighting poverty in our
neighbouring region.
A commitment to resourcing disability-inclusive initiatives within our aid budget is necessary
to strengthen the effectiveness of our aid program.
Photo: India, Damian Bennett
9
http://www.childfund.org.au/static/G/c/4e8e469d047fc8c137b7cc51f0eacdb8.pdf
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/anrep/rep11/program1_2eastasia.html
11
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/aidissues/did/Documents/dfa-mtr.pdf (p16).
12
http://www.www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/MDG/english/The_MDG_Report_2012/pdf (p 4)
13
http://www.acfid.asn.au/resources/docs_resources/docs_submissions/acfid-budget-analysis-2012-13-final.pdf,
http://webnet.oecd.org/oda2011/
10
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Opportunities for individual action
We encourage you to take action to support Australia continuing its leadership in
ending the cycle of poverty and disability through our aid program:

Deliver a speech in Parliament regarding the need for disability-inclusive
development and the opportunities above. We would be pleased to provide
speech notes upon request.

Write to the Foreign Minister, Health Minister and/or Treasurer expressing
support for Australia taking a lead on the above opportunities.

Ensure that your party’s policy platform this year confirms your party’s
commitment to Australia’s aid program, and to enhancing the lives of people with
disabilities through our aid program.

Visit a disability-focused development project on your next trip overseas. Please
contact CBM Australia to make arrangements if you have any travel plans.
Contact for further information:
For more information about disability-inclusive development, please contact:
Lucy Daniel
Christine Walton
Policy Officer
CBM Australia
+61 3 8443 4447
ldaniel@cbm.org.au
Executive Officer
Australian Disability and Development Consortium (ADDC)
+61 3 8843 4587
cwalton@cbm.org.au • www.addc.org.au
ADDC is an Australian based, international network focusing attention, expertise and action on
disability issues in developing countries. ADDC aims to promote the rights and inclusion of
persons with disabilities in development activities.
CBM is an international development agency, committed improving the quality of life of people
with disabilities in low income regions of the world. CBM Australia has an Australian NGO
Cooperation Program (ANCP) partnership with AusAID.
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