People with disabilities are the most at risk from poverty especially in poorer countries. There was a meeting held recently between the European Commissioner for Development and 2 disability organisations.  At this meeting the commissioner said that the European Union will focus on people with disabilities when dealing with development in poor countries.

People with disabilities should be at the forefront of any EU development strategy. This was the message from Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs at a meeting with disability organisations recently.

The meeting was held between the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC).

The main topic was improving the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the development work of the European Union.

Disability and poverty are inextricably linked. According to the United Nations, 82% of disabled people live below the poverty line.

In fact, persons with disabilities make up around 10% of any one population and according to the World Bank, make up 20% of the world’s poorest peoples.

These figures are usually higher in countries that have been devastated by natural disasters or civil wars.

Johannes Trimmel, IDDC Vice-Chair said that, “1/3 of the 75 million children worldwide without access to primary schools are children with disabilities. As a matter of fact, when cooperation doesn’t address specifically disability in education, 1/3 of the children remain invisible, excluded and don’t benefit and all from any European development cooperation.”

Disabled people in all parts of the world experience discrimination and are widely excluded from the social, economic and political life of the community.

At the meeting the commissioner reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to being mindful of the rights of disabled people in any EU development strategy.

“The European Commission is committed to ensure that international cooperation, including international development programmes, is inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities”, said Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.