Response Action Plan Responsible area and timeframe Recommendation 2 DFAT should continue Australian leadership for disability-inclusive development including through: Supporting innovative work in areas of key need Agree. DFAT agrees that Australia’s leadership on disability-inclusive development should continue to support areas of key need where Australia has a comparative advantage. These currently include advocacy, DPO capacity building and supporting global capacity on disability data. DFAT will continue supporting DPO capacity building and global capacity building on disability data. As part of the process for developing the new Development for All strategy, DFAT will begin discussions, including by consulting with the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network and PDF and through the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD, to identify key global and regional needs that could be supported. This process will assist with identifying innovative ways of working and areas of key need. DPD (DIS), HPD, and Development Posts ongoing DPD (DIS) by July 2018 Working to identify what disability inclusion looks like in practice, including in humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction Agree. DFAT agrees that its global advocacy efforts need to move beyond promoting disability-inclusion to helping to demonstrate how, in practice, to deliver disability inclusive development and humanitarian action. DFAT will develop and disseminate to external partners, including through the GLAD Network, good practice examples to support advocacy on disability inclusion. DFAT will continue to provide staff with guidance on what ‘good practice’ inclusion of people with disabilities looks like in advocacy efforts, aid programming, public diplomacy, humanitarian responses and disaster risk reduction. This guidance will support the inclusion of people with disabilities in program design, monitoring and evaluation, policy dialogue, advocacy and partnership development. DFAT will increasingly include in future partnership agreements an expectation that development and humanitarian partners identify, document and share examples of good disability inclusion practice. DPD (DIS) initially by July 2018 then ongoing DPD (DIS) initially by June 2018 then ongoing MPD, MDD, DPD, HPD ongoing HPD, DPD (DIS) and UN Geneva 2017-20
DFAT will continue to support improved disability inclusion in basic education through the Global Partnerships for Education through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Board and Committees. DFAT, in partnership with the Department of Health, will identify opportunities for renewed advocacy on disability with the WHO, including through the annual World Health Assembly. MPD (IOB) & MDD (GLB) ongoing DPD (HPB) ongoing Examining sectoral strategies to test their alignment with the ‘Development for All’ strategy Agree. DFAT notes that many of its current sectoral strategies were developed prior to or concurrent with the development of the current Development for All strategy and as a consequence may not effectively address the cross-cutting issue of disability inclusion. As sectoral strategies are reviewed, and the drafting of new versions commences, they will be assessed for consistency with Development for All and for opportunities to strengthen their alignment. DFAT will include consideration of disability in the terms of reference for evaluations reviewing the implementation of DFAT’s sectoral strategies. DFAT owners of strategies ongoing ODE ongoing Improving consistency of DFAT advocacy across key Posts Agree. DFAT agrees that there is scope for more consistent advocacy on disability inclusion by Posts that engage with: the UN, global funds, international financial institutions and other international organisations. DFAT will identify entry points, and develop common messaging to shape consistent engagement with UN partners, WHO, Global Partnership on Education (GPE) and the development banks, including through Executive Board agenda items, country program documents, strategic plans, partnership agreements and other relevant negotiations. DFAT will continue to advocate for disability inclusion across the UN system. This includes through peace and security, humanitarian, human rights and development forums, including both formal and informal meetings, as well as through the administrative and management activities of the UN Secretariat. DFAT will also support advocacy for disability inclusion through treaty bodies and nominations of Australians to key bodies such as the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. HPD, DPD, MPD, UNNY, UN Geneva, Washington DC, and Suva Posts (regional) ongoing MPD, UNNY, and UN Geneva ongoing