KATHMANDU, Sept 25: As countries around the world mark the third anniversary of the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Tuesday, there are concerns if the pledges related to people with disabilities, mainly those living in developing countries, could be met in view of multiple challenges to implement the rights of such persons.
Various organizations working to realize this goal, which seeks to leave no one behind, have pointed out to the need to make more systematic efforts to realize the commitments that world leaders made three years ago.
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They have stressed on the need to pay attention to the collection of data on disability since this is a precondition for designing good policies, programs and implementation plans.
According to CBM, an international non-governmental organization working to promote this goal, many efforts have been carried out to kick-start and realize the ambitions, including agreeing on a global indicator framework to measure progress, developing national implementation plans and following up on the Financing for Development Agenda to raise the needed funds for implementation since the adoption of the SDG Agenda.
Although measures like identifying data needs and gaps, and setting up reporting mechanisms through a high-level political forum and regional bodies to ensure progress are being carried out, fulfilling the SDG pledge particularly relevant for the one billion persons with disabilities worldwide, especially those living in developing countries, remains a big issue due to multiple challenges to implement the rights of persons with disabilities.
Three years ago, the international community agreed, for the firstv time in history, on an ambitious, comprehensive and universal framework to eradicate poverty, to reduce inequalities and to protect the planet. This agreement is in itself remarkable, as it combines, in an unprecedented way the development, human rights, economic, social and environmental agenda.
“When adopting the 2030 agenda, global leaders made a commitment to all people everywhere to leave no one behind. That pledge is particularly relevant for the one billion persons with disabilities worldwide, especially those living in developing countries due to the multiple challenges to implement the rights of persons with disabilities,” said the CBM statement.