West African civil society organisations are calling on ECOWAS to commit to disability inclusion or risk de-railing the Global Goals.
This Sunday 9 July, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) members are coming together for the Summit of Heads of State and Government in Guinea Bissau. Ahead of the meeting, a coalition of disability rights organisations has released a joint statement calling on member governments to commit to championing inclusion at the event and at the upcoming United Nations (UN) summit on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September.
The three civil society organisations are the West African Federation of Associations for the Advancement of Persons with Disabilities (FOAPH), Sightsavers and Light for the World. The SDGs are a set of 17 ambitious global goals, adopted by the UN and governments worldwide in 2015, which aim to combat poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. Recent UN reports show they are far behind target.
Saleck Ould Dah, Sightsavers' Global Advocacy Officer for Francophone West Africa, has said, "As the world is coming to the halfway point of the 2030 deadline to achieve the SDGs, evidence shows that progress on them has derailed -- they are completely off-track.
"The promise to leave no one behind -- that included people with disabilities -- is in peril. If the SDGs are to be delivered, now is the time to reflect on their implementation as well as the steps needed globally and nationally to achieve them.
"Our Equal World campaign is calling on ECOWAS to renew its commitments to greater inclusion of people with disabilities at the summit on the SDGs, and to serve as a champion for inclusion throughout the world in general and in West Africa in particular".
At the midway point of the SDGs on 18-19^th^ September, world leaders including ECOWAS Heads of State and Government will convene at the UN SDG Summit in New York to evaluate progress made on the SDGs and make commitments on transformative and accelerated actions they will take. The outcome of the summit will be a negotiated political declaration, which member states can contribute to.
Yatma Fall, President of FOAPH, said, "ECOWAS has been a global leader in commitments to inclusion. The Equal World campaign calls on them to continue to champion efforts to reach those who are being left furthest behind.
"We also ask that they include people with disabilities in the processes leading up to the SDG Summit in September. It is only by having an equal say in the processes that affect our lives, that we can achieve a fair, inclusive, and equal world for all".
The statement is part of Sightsavers' Equal World campaign. It is calling on world leaders to recognise that the promise to leave no one behind is in peril and to ensure that the political declaration, and all national commitments, made at the SDG Summit focus on reaching those who are being left furthest behind in global development.
To read the joint statement in full, please visit: https://campaigning.sightsavers.org/promise-in-peril-ecowas-statement/
To find out more about the Equal World campaign and its petition calling on world leaders to leave no one behind, please visit: https://campaigning.sightsavers.org/promise-in-peril
ENDS
For more information and interviews with spokespeople please contact:
Maimouna Dembele - Sightsavers regional media lead, West Africa
Email: madembele@sightsavers.org
Tessa Pope -- Sightsavers senior media officer, inclusion
Email: tpope@sightsavers.org
Phone: +447799188296
Notes to editors:
Available for comment:
- Saleck Ould Dah - Global Advocacy Officer for Francophone West Africa, Sightsavers - Saleck will be in Guinea Bissau attending the ECOWAS Summit, so is available in person.
- Yatma Fall - President, West African Federation of Associations for the Advancement of Persons with Disabilities (FOAPH)
About the SDG Summit:
- The 2023 SDG Summit will be convened on 18-19 September 2023, during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week.
- The 2023 SDG Summit marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
- The UN Secretary-General's annual report on SDG progress warns that "many of the SDGs are moderately to severely off track" - according to a preliminary assessment of around 140 targets with data, only about 12% are on track.
- Heads of State and Government will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to follow-up and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- They will carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs, respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to the target year of 2030 for achieving the SDGs.
- The outcome of the Summit will be a negotiated political declaration.
- Through its Equal World campaign, Sightsavers is calling on UN member states to ensure that the political declaration and all national commitments at the SDG Summit will focus on reaching those who are being left furthest behind, including people with disabilities.
To find out more about the Equal World SDG campaign, please visit: https://campaigning.sightsavers.org/promise-in-peril
To read and sign the petition, please visit: Campaigning.sightsavers.org/promise-in-peril-petition
About West African Federation of Associations of Persons with Disabilities / Fédération ouest-africaine des associations pour la promotion des personnes handicapées (FOAPH):
FOAPH aims to contribute to the promotion and protection of people with disabilities in West Africa, in accordance with the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
About Sightsavers:
Sightsavers is an international organisation that works in more than 30 countries to prevent avoidable blindness and fight for the rights of people with disabilities. Our vision is of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes, and where people with disabilities can participate equally in society.
For more information, visit: www.sightsavers.org
About Equal World:
Sightsavers' Equal World campaign calls for disability rights to be upheld worldwide by campaigning at global and national levels for political change that is inclusive of people with disabilities.
About Light for the World:
Light for the World is a global development organisation. We empower people with disabilities and enable eye health services in low income countries. Over the last three decades we improved health systems, enabled education for all, and amplified the voices of people with disabilities.
For more information, visit: www.light-for-the-world.org