Topic of the Day – Global Disability Summit 2018

UPSC Exam Preparation: Topic of the Day – Global Disability Summit 2018

Global Disability Summit is an important topic in international relations in the UPSC syllabus. Read on for more on the summit, theme of the program, objectives of the summit and other important details for the IAS exam.

The first ever Global Disability Summit was organized in London, United Kingdom in July 2018, by the UK Department for International Development (UK DFID), along with co-hosts the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the Government of Kenya. 

The summit was organized to dynamize the global effort to address disability inclusion in the poorest countries in the world and act as the start point for major change on this particular neglected issue. The motto of the Conference was to firm up the commitments of the country leaders towards the cause of persons with disabilities. Besides India, global leaders from more than 40 countries attended the summit and have committed themselves to work in the direction of economic empowerment of persons with disabilities.

The objectives of the Global Disability Summit 2018:

• Raise global attention and focus on the neglected area.
• Bring in new voices and approaches to broaden the engagement.
• Mobilise the new global and national commitments on disability.
• Showcase the best practice and evidence from across the world.

Themes for the programme:

The programme was built around four themes, with two cross-cutting themes on humanitarian assistance and gender:

1. Tackling stigma and discrimination
2. Inclusion in education
3. Routes to economic empowerment
4. Harnessing technology and innovation

Civil Society Forum:

As an addition to the summit, the Civil Society Forum was called for leveraging the opportunity to amplify the voice and participation of persons with disabilities, through their individual participation and that of representative organizations (DPOs).

• The forum aimed at ensuring the participation of the most marginalized groups as well as for advancing priority to featuring partnerships between different stakeholders. 
• It was an opportunity to highlight the issues relevant to the global disability movement and realization of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, that would not specifically be addressed at the Summit.
• The Forum set the stage for the more in-depth dialogue at the Summit on specific thematic areas.

Read more ‘Topic of the Day’ and stay ahead of your competition. 

Also Read: