MEPs and African MPs join hands in support of disabled people in Africa:

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD organizes meeting with EU and African Parliamentarians, 21 June 2006 – Vienna

President Fischer of Austria launched the 11th Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly for the Austrian Presidency 19-22 June 2006 in Vienna. Discussions gave attention to the EU financial package to Africa (the 10th European Development Fund) with an agreed funding package of over 24 billion Euro for the next 6 year period (2007-2013).
On 21 June 2006, as part of the APC-EU JPA, John Bowis MEP Chaired a meeting organized by LIGHT FOR THE WORLD which brought together Parliamentarians and Government representatives from across Africa, European Parliamentarians, including Karin Scheele MEP of Austria, and NGOs on the barriers to inclusion of disabled persons in Africa to the 10th EDF consultation process.

James Mwhanda, former Parliamentarian in Uganda, John Bowis, MEP, Johannes Trimmel, LIGHT FOR THE WORLD

James Mwandha, a disability leader and activist of the disability movement in Uganda and former Parliamentarian and JPA Member drew an alarming picture of the situation experienced by disabled people in African countries: "40% of all African people live on less than one dollar a day and one in five poor people is a disabled person in Africa."
James Mwandha highlighted the work underway across countries in Africa, as part of the African Decade of Disabled People, in order to improve the situation of disabled persons in Africa and to empower disabled people to fight for their rights. However, James stress the obstacles and difficulties in implementing the African Decade goals.
He emphasized the crucial importance and role of both African and European Parliamentarians in supporting and empowering organizations of disabled persons involvement in the civil society consultation to influence the funding priorities of the 10th EDF in the respective African countries. He expressed regret that many African governments as well as EU delegations in Africa do not properly consult with civil society. Parliamentarians had a duty to ensure civil dialogue and consultation by Governments with organizations of disabled persons was undertaken systematically.

Johannes Trimmel from LIGHT FOR THE WORLD reinforced the points made by James Mwandha, stressing the vital role of both African and European Parliamentarians have to make in ensuring visibility of disability in the EDF policies of each African country.
Johannes Trimmel formally thanked John Bowis MEP for his work in drafting the European Parliament Resolution on “Disability and Development” unanimously adopted by the European Parliament in Strasbourg in January 2006. Johannes said that this Resolution had already had an important positive influence on shaping political decisions both by the EU and also at the level of the UN, notably in respect of the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons.
This demonstrated how Parliamentarians had a strong role in supporting the activities of disability organisations and in monitoring how well disability was represented in civil society dialogue with Government.
Johannes referred to the European Council Resolution 2006 on a framework for the drafting of the CSPs which has given explicit support for disability issues to be included.

Education is a vital step to improve the situation of persons with disabilities.

Parliamentarians needed to work with disability organizations in African countries to promote the concerns and priorities of disabled persons in order that they are included in the country strategy papers of the different countries in Africa.
"The improvement of the lives of poor disabled people in Africa is a measure of the success for the poverty reduction strategies of the EU-Africa strategy. If the situation of poor disabled people in Africa has not improved then the poverty reduction strategy has failed completely!" he said.

In the discussion the Democratic Republic of Congo reported the strength of the disability movement in his country and that the DRC had appointed a high level disability representative to Government. The Ambassador of Mauritius stress the constraints African countries faced in terms of defining inclusion of disabled persons in setting of priorities. Johannes Trimmel replied that it was possible to include disability concerns in the mainstream of the sectors prioritized by Governments of Africa.

European Parliamentarians declared their firm commitment to support the issue within the EP and asked the disability NGOs to work with them and advise them on how they could best scrutinize and bring to this to the attention to the European decision makers the existing problems facing disabled people in African countries.
John Bowis MEP concluded that there is an important responsibility for African governments. "If they don’t explicitly recognize disability in the Country Strategy Papers it is difficult for the EU to respond!" "Achievers like James Mwandha clearly demonstrate that disability does not mean inability." John Bowis MEP called on all Parliamentarians to vigorously act in support of disability in the CSP process in the weeks ahead.

Further information on the advocacy-work of LIGHT FOR THE WORLD