Launch of Global Partnership for disability & development

A meeting in Rome in December 2003 launched the Global Partnership for Disability and Development (GPDD) initiative, which the World Bank has been promoting as an idea for two years. The GPDD is led by Judy Heumann, Advisor on Disability and

Development and is strongly supported by James Wolfensohn, the World Bank's president. The objective of the partnership is to provide a forum for governments and civil society to take forward the agenda on disability and development.

At the meeting, which was well attended by donors and civil society, it was agreed that a Trust Fund would be established with the funds already committed by Italy and with pledges from Norway and Finland. Initial funding would be used for information exchange, data collection and workshops. DFID at this time made no commitment other than to remain as part of the partnership.

The meeting also reported on the achievements to date of the World Bank Trust Fund for Disability, set up in 2001 with US$500,000. This had been focusing on providing advocacy within World Bank operations and resulted in Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) toolkits, conferences and workshops.

The Washington Group on Disability Statistics also outlined how it is working to develop small set(s) of general disability measures to provide information on disability worldwide, recommending extended sets of items to measure disability as components of population surveys/supplements, and addressing methodological issues associated with disability measurement. This could be quite useful, especially in the context of the negotiations for the Disability Convention.

In working group discussions it emerged that disability is largely seen as an issue of social protection, rather than empowerment, in PRSPs. Agreeing on a common approach to disability poses a challenge for participants in the partnership. Another challenge lies in effecting change in the Bank and other partners' development procedures and practices.

Article by Philippa Thomas, Disability KaR Policy Officer

For more information please visit the World Bank website (social protection, disability section) at www1.worldbank.org/sp/