WRITTEN QUESTION E-2323/02

by Michel Hansenne (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 July 2002)

Subject: The inclusion of disabled people in poverty-reduction work

It is recognised that the European Commission is the biggest provider of humanitarian assistance in the world, dedicated to the international development target of halving world poverty by 2015.

There is also clear evidence that disabled people, who are among the most severely marginalised, make up a disproportionate number of those living in extreme poverty.

What commitment has the Commission made, therefore, to include disabled people in its poverty-reduction work?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 2002)

The Commission recognises the importance of addressing disability issues in the context of poverty reduction. According to World Bank and United Nations (UN) figures, people with disabilities make up 20 per cent of the world's poorest. Disability is both a cause and an effect of poverty, and over 80 per cent of disabled people in developing countries live below the poverty line. They often experience discrimination and are widely excluded from the social, economic and political life of the community.

The development cooperation policy of the Community, is based on the priority areas and the cross-cutting principles laid out by the Commission in its Policy framework(1). Disability issues and people with disabilities are not a focal area and need to be addressed in each of the priority fields, wherever relevant. Efforts are now beginning, and much remains to be done, for policies and programmes in fields as diverse as health, education, transport and rural development to be developed and implemented in a way that involve disabled people and their concerns throughout the process and reflect their needs. This will necessitate the availability of statistical data and the development of indicators. The Commission tries to ensure that all its policies adequately reflect the needs and priorities of the disabled and that they contribute to making societies less disabling. At the same time, the Commission also recognises that there could be a need for targeted action and direct support to certain groups of disabled people, through the use of existing financing instruments rather than a specific budget line.

The Community continues to support capacity building and organisational development of organisations that represent and empower the disabled. The Commission has also cooperated with European non-governmental organisations (NGOs) representing disabled people to prepare guidance for Commission services and delegations on how to ensure disability issues get sufficient attention in programming and implementation. This guidance will underline the importance of ensuring that the Country programmes comply with the Union-African, Carribean and Pacific States (EU-ACP) Joint Parliamentary Resolutions on persons with disabilities(2), as well as underline the importance of the European Year of Persons with Disabilities (in 2003) as an opportunity to give particular attention to these issues. When finalised, the Commission will be pleased to share this guidance with Parliament.

Finally, the Commission will rely on training and other forms of support, to ensure that the guidance is applied and used in the countries as well as on monitoring and evaluation to assess the outcomes and impact.

(1) The European Community's Development Policy, COM(2000) 212 final.

(2) Resolution on the rights of the disabled people and older people in ACP countries ACP-EU 3313/01/final, OJ C 78, 2.4.2002 Resolution on health issues, young people, the elderly and people living with disabilities ACP-EU 3398/02/final.