This week, we look at the Patriotic Front (PF) Manifesto for 2011 to 2016 and our attention is on the disability chapter which has provided national frame work policies and practices on how to strive for mainstreaming disability dimension in development for poverty reduction.
Mainstreaming of disability always starts with formulation of a national policy framework and the Government established the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) in 1996 as an implementing Agency of Government disability programmes and policies after reviewing the Handicapped Act of 1968.
For effective implementation of the PF Manifesto in 2012, the Disability Act was repealed and the Zambian Parliament enacted the Disability Act number 6 of 2012 based on the following main principles which are key in the mainstreaming approach, more especially the right of persons with disabilities to equality education, shelter, health and employment.
As you may be aware that Zambia as a member State of the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), SADC and other regional groupings is committed to ensuring that disability is looked at as a developmental issues and be implemented across Government departments and ministries.
Disability is not subjected to one single entity with the aim of advocating for the creation of society for all based on non-discrimination of people with disabilities, it has also been enshrined in the Constitution and Disability Act and that is the right of persons with disabilities to inclusion.
The preconditions for realisation of the inclusion of persons with disabilities are, e.g.: positive attitudes; taking into account their needs; identification of barriers that restrict their inclusion; and the elimination of such barriers. Consequently action is needed to remove such barriers for inclusion.
The rights of people with disabilities to access necessary services and supportive measures is vital. Job placement services and acceptance of the disabled in normal schools and colleges without subjecting them to so called special schools which promote discrimination against people with disabilities should be guaranteed.
For now, our Government should urgently review the draft national disability policy and align it to UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and it should be noted that Zambia despite signing the UNCRPD, very little has been done in terms of domestication of the rights provided in both the disability Act and UNCRPD.
If real inclusion is to take place, cabinet must urgently approve the national disability policy which must promote inclusive approach to disability.
One may ask a question why Government has not implemented a signed and ratified convention and our answer is very simple that in line with our current legal system in Zambia, a ratified Convention does not become binding and be part of national legislation automatically.
Consequently, as Government amends certain existing legislations to avoid any conflicting obligations or provisions in the Convention and existing legislation, it will be in the best interest of persons with disabilities that domestication is properly done.
Further for best implementation of inclusive approach to disability is achieved, the President should appoint an inter ministerial disability joint steering committee and ZAPD be a secretariat to design a plan of action and monitor the implementing of the national disability policy.
Through wide consultations with all relevant stakeholders, the joint steering committee will produce a detailed programme of action that assigned responsibilities for various Government ministries and departments to promote the rights, equality and non-discrimination approach to disability and ensure that all Ministries and sectors appreciate inclusive approach through sector responsibility.
The “sector responsibility” principle implies the responsibility to integrate disability issues in the main stream of policy and practice of all sectors rather than handling disability as a matter of social welfare sector or charity but as a developmental agenda.
The main objective of the National Disability Policy on inclusive approach should be toward a sustainable and fair humanity approach to provision of service to persons with disabilities.
The National Disability Policy should focus at “eradication of poverty through economically, socially and ecologically empowerment of disabled people.
It must have a comprehensive approach to sustainable rehabilitation or habilitation for social inclusion. It must be based on Human Rights Approach (HRBA) and includes the rights and equal opportunities of people with disabilities as one of the cross-cutting programmes embarked by Government and it should further address issues of cross-cutting objectives which are: promotion of gender equality and social equality; rights and equal opportunities of easily excluded groups with particular interest to children, youths and women with disabilities.
Until now, most disability-related advocacy for inclusive approach activities has consisted predominantly of disability-specific projects by NGOs and disabled people’s Organization rather than having been handled truly as a cross-cutting issue in bilateral cooperation.
In the multilateral arena, mainstreaming and inclusive approaches have been more evident. It is important that the PF Government introduces Disability earmarked funding at that bilateral level of cooperation in order to implement programmes to be identified by the joint steering committee.
The joint steering committee must also look at recommendation made by GTZ Consultant   who looked at a number of issues to be done in 2008 and we strongly feel that our Government must use the consultant report because specific activities have been recommended using a systematic approach.
There is also a need for integrating the cross-cutting issues on gender and social equality, rights of the disabled people.
The successful implementation of this approach to disability reminds us of the importance of addressing also the “political will” and mobilsation as a prerequisite for all effective societal action, especially that by the public sector.
In order to achieve the integration of disability issues in all development cooperation as said earlier requires concerted efforts by all. The PF Government has a great opportunity to address issues affecting disabled people but needs support of international and national partners.
One difficult challenge is that mainstreaming also needs “ownership” and a responsible agent and this means that it must be everybody’s business to see that the welfare of disabled people is addressed effectively.
On the global scene there is a need for infrastructure for mainstreaming and this calls for investing in core funding for agents that facilitate the global ”public goods”, i.e. appropriate global infrastructure that would be needed for mainstreaming disability issues in development and poverty reduction.
Public goods are by definition things that benefit all regardless of whether one contributes for the production of them or not because the problems for the past 20 years have been that disabled people just receive from Government and they don’t contribute anything.
Mainstreaming disability in development for poverty reduction would yield double benefits in reducing deprivation and exclusion. Agencies and actors that facilitate this should be credited for producing valuable National Disability Policy and increased funding to all Government department and NGOs working for the good of the disabled people within our communities.
The author is Regional Disability Policy Analyst for SADC and Inclusive Development Advisor for Centre for Disability Development Research, Law and Policy, Johannesburg Project Office, P.O. BOX 1981 New Castle, 2940 South Africa Tell:  +27343127894 +27343127894  Fax:  +27343127894 +27343127894   Mobile: +27788839153 +27788839153. E-mail: cm@cddrlp.net  Website:  www.cddrlp.net
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