Achieving 17 goals for the future we want
By Rachel Kachaje, Chairperson of DPI
Statement by Mrs Rachel Kachaje, Chairperson of Disabled Peoples’ International, 2 December 2016.
Today, as we celebrate ten years since the adoption of the UN CRPD and the renaming of the MDGs to the SDGs with the added slogan “no one left behind”, I would like, on behalf of DPI and of persons with disabilities themselves, to make a specific statement on Goal 17 — partnerships to achieve the Goals.
When I was Minister of Disability and Elderly Affairs in Malawi, I told the Minister of Finance that if government cannot give more resources to this sector, then it is making a large population of citizens unproductive — and when a large number of citizens are unproductive, the eradication of poverty becomes a failure. If we want to achieve the Goals, let us make our citizens productive, no matter who they are. “No one left behind” should become a reality.
Partnership is a strategic alliance built on trust, equality and mutual understanding to achieve a common purpose. When different talents are pooled together, they can jointly produce incredible results, avoid duplication of effort and waste of resources, and enable continuous improvement. Participation, involvement and consultation of persons with disabilities — making them main partners in matters that affect them — is a fundamental principle that must be reflected at all levels.
The CRPD is one of the best models for this purpose. When participation starts from the beginning, you can be guaranteed of ownership. Today many persons with disabilities believe they own the CRPD because they were involved from the onset of developing it. I congratulate all who worked to conceptualise and give birth to the Convention, and I urge all governments that have not yet done so to sign and ratify it, including the Optional Protocol, without delay.
