The DEJ Working Group will advance disability equity and disability inclusion within the G20 leaders’ commitments, thereby furthering the Agenda 2030 to leave no one behind. Our emphasis is to bring forward the voices of persons with disabilities, 1.3 billion people or 16% of the global population—the majority of whom live in G20 countries. The population of people living with disabilities, moreover, is rising, due to wars, conflicts, disasters, and aging.
To this end, in line with G20 leaders’ commitments and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), the DEJ Working Group will bring together experiences and expertise of disabled and non-disabled civil society to advance a practical vision of economic development that is accessible, just, sustainable, and inclusive. We will emphasize equity and justice for all persons across disabilities and strata of society.
Attaining equity and justice requires persons with disabilities to have equal access to education, employment, livelihoods, and nation building. Accessible and affordable assistive devices and technologies and access to physical, digital, and financial infrastructure is important to their productivity. Lessons learnt from the pandemic include building a robust health infrastructure and inclusive response mechanisms that meet the needs of persons with disabilities.
It is imperative for the G20 countries to tackle barriers rooted in stigma and systemic inaccessibility. Research shows that lack of meaningful participation and inclusion among persons with disabilities costs countries up to 7% of their GDP. Women with disabilities and others facing multiple forms of discrimination are at greater risk of violence and exclusion that undermines their meaningful participation in economic, social, and political arenas. This working group will develop recommendations with relevance across disabilities to advance disability equity and inclusion through inclusive and accessible planning, implementation, and systems change.
Thematic areas
- Education
- Employment and livelihoods
- Health
- Environment, climate sustainability and disaster responses
- Sustainable development, social protection and poverty
- Inclusive societies and cultures
For any further questions on the DEJ please email: disability.equity.justice@risingflame.org
Working group leaders
Lead Coordinator: Ms. Nidhi Ashok Goyal, Rising Flame, India (nidhi@risingflame.org)
International Coordinator: Ms Risnawati Utami, OHANA, Indonesia (risnautami@gmail.com)
What will the working group do?
- Organise and collaborate for thematic policy consultations and grassroots (Jan Bhagidari) people’s participation;
- Organise the international conference for multi stakeholder deliberations
- The final outcome from the DEJ Working Group, after our policy consultations, will be a policy brief that reflects recommendations for persons with disabilities by persons with disabilities themselves!
We in collaboration with other organisations and partners will organise thematic consultations in different parts of India to gather policy recommendations from a diverse group of persons. These consultations will mostly be hybrid or in some cases fully virtual to facilitate G20+ participation.
Contribute to policy brief
We have created forms to provide a participatory space for individuals and organisations to share policy recommendations that are solution oriented and realistic. We will endeavour to bring the collective disability wisdom together to articulate policies that are forward looking and visionary.
We also invite civil society organisations, organisations of persons with disabilities and other groups to share their success stories with us. These success stories will be used to present Best Practices or Udaaharans within the policy brief being produced.
Best Practices or Udaaharan Form
If you face any challenge then please do write to us at Disability.Equity.Justice@risingflame.org
Deadline for submission: May 22nd, 2023
Completed Policy Consultations
Policy Consultation on Health and Disability
Date: April 27, 2023
Time: 9.30 AM to 5 PM IST
Venue: New Delhi + Virtual
We organised our first policy consultation on 'Health and Disability' in New Delhi + virtual mode in collaboration with International Planned Parenthood Federation, India Working Group, and Mariwala Health Initiative on 'Health and Disability' in New Delhi + virtual mode.
Panel 1: Rare conditions, invisible disabilities and communicable diseases
Panel 2: Universal access and inclusion: Health infrastructure, health finance and pandemic response
Panel 3: Access to education and information – Sexual and Reproductive Health
Panel 4: Menstrual and Maternal health
Policy consultation on Women With Disabilities
Date: May 9, 2023
Time: 2 PM to 5 PM IST
Venue: Ahmedabad + Virtual
Rising Flame in collaboration with US Consulate Mumbai and Blind People's Association organised a policy consultation on “Women With Disabilities”. You can see the excerpts from our panel here.
Policy consultation on Employment and Disability
Date: May 11, 2023
Time: 9 AM to 4 PM IST
Venue: Goa and virtually
Office of the State Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities, Goa in collaboration with US Consulate Mumbai, Mariwala Health Initiative and Rising Flame organised a policy consultation on ‘Disability and Employment’. You can see excerpts from the panels:
Panel 1: Employment, Livelihoods and Inclusion ,
Panel 2: Entrepreneurship and Future of Work ,
Panel 3: Workplace Mental Health and Safety.
Policy consultation on Education and Disability
Xavier's Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), St. Xavier's College, in collaboration with Rising Flame and Mariwala Health Initiative, organised a policy consultation on ‘Education and Disability’ in Mumbai and virtually on May 23, 2023 from 2pm to 5pm Indian Standard Time. You can read the excerpts from our event: Best Practices and Panel.
International conference of Disability, Equity, Justice
Our International Conference had participation of 350 participants in person and 1000 virtual. There were participants from across 10 countries and around 22 countries online.
You can read more from the conference: