02/12/2010

‘Keeping the promise: Mainstreaming disability in the Millennium Development Goals towards 2015 and beyond’

December 3rd is the United Nations ‘Day of Persons with Disabilities’.

Keeping the promise to equality by mainstreaming disability in the Millennium Development Goals is the theme chosen by the UN to mark the Day this year. The UN notes that ‘Although many commitments have been made by the international development community to include persons with disability in all aspects of development, the gap between policy and practice continues.’ Disabled people and DPOs in this country will no doubt agree with this statement as the Day coincides with often warm, sometimes patronising, words about disabled people’s equality from politicians while, in reality, Government proceeds to slash spending and condemn disabled people to deeper inequality, exclusion, poverty and discrimination.

Inclusion London welcomes the UN Day and calls on the British government to respect it in practice both in its international policy and in its policies towards disabled people in Britain. You can read more about the themes of the UN Day at www.un.org