Strategic framework for CBM Global advocacy

Blog | September 13, 2022

This blog on the strategic framework for CBM Global advocacy relates to our Annual Report 2021. 

In 2021, the CBM Global Federation adopted a strategic framework for its work on advocacy. The goal of the framework is to leverage the collective strength of the federation and OPD partners to contribute to systemic and sustainable policy change at the global, national and local level in a number of key priority areas that governments and other duty bearers need to undertake to deliver on their commitments on disability inclusion.

The four priorities are:

1. Equitable access to health and community-based services.
2. Improved data for increased accountability.
3. Inclusive humanitarian action.
4. Climate justice: ensuring inclusive adaptation and mitigation policies.

Our work during the year focussed on continuing to advocate for disability-inclusive data; partnering and supporting OPDs, disability activists and data alliances to drive this important agenda; and working in partnership with global OPD partners to continue advocacy on inclusive COVID-19 responses and the build back better phase, drawing on evidence gathered by researchers with disabilities on the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities. Our advocacy work on climate justice in partnership with OPDs, CBM Global federation members and mainstream climate NGOs also resulted in increased attention on this critical issue.

Data advocacy

“There is no excuse not to have data on persons with disabilities or to include OPDs in data collection and interpretation efforts. Persons with disabilities and their representative organizations are the experts on issues affecting them and are generating community-driven data to complement official statistics. We look forward to working with statisticians and together, we can count, collect and disaggregate data.” – Jose Viera, Permanent Representative of the SGPwD.

Highlights

• Reaching more OPDs on data advocacy. The data advocacy toolkit co-developed with the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities and International Disability Alliance was made in International Sign and promoted by the World Federation of the Deaf to its members. The toolkit was also translated into French, Spanish and Easy to Read to reach more persons with disabilities.
• Influencing the wider data sector. For the first time, the World Data Forum included a person with a disability in its opening plenary session; it was one of the first times disability was so directly discussed. José Viera, Permanent Representative of the SGPwD, presented in the high-level plenary session on leaving no one behind and the need to measure equity. Direct advocacy by CBM Global, CBM Switzerland and OPD partners led to an accessible and inclusive World Data Forum (WDF) in October 2021.
• Building alliances with other inclusive data partners at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). CBM Global as part of the Global Partnership of Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) collectively supported the launch of the Unequal Pandemic report. We supported Sulayman Abdulmumuni Ujah, a deaf disability activist from Nigeria, to contribute to the foreword of the report and give the first intervention.

Climate advocacy

“Hardly persons with disabilities are sort of reflected in any policies or any documents, strategies, national action plans on climate change, here in the Pacific.” – Sainmilli Tawake, Fiji, EDF and CBM Global video, 2021.

CBM Global undertook its climate advocacy work in partnership OPDs, academic partners and mainstream climate networks, taking a collective approach to bring about systemic change.

Highlights

• The Disability Inclusive Climate Justice Video was launched at the 2021 European Development Day and was featured at UN events during the year. The video was produced in partnership with the European Disability Forum. The making of the video and its key messages for inclusion in action on climate were featured in a podcast with McGill University. CBM Global and EDF were also featured in UK Enable magazine in an article on climate and disability.

• Getting the message out to the media: BBC featured the need for disability inclusive climate action. CBM Global was featured on BBC Ouch! podcast and on BBC news on the topic of the lack of accessibility at COP26.

• COP26, direct advocacy to policymakers. Led by CBM UK, Humanity and Inclusion and CBM Global partners, REPSSI, a side event was held at COP26, “An Inclusive planet: inclusion, mental health and climate change.” During COP26, there was also an opportunity to speak directly with Alok Sharma, President of COP on the need for a disability-inclusive approach to climate action.

Supporting capacity-building in OPDs to advocate for disability rights change at global, regional and national level including:

• 71 trained disability activists engaged in national or regional UN CRPD or SDGs implementation or monitoring activities.
• 100% (29/29) of OPD submissions to all UN Treaty Bodies, supported by IDA, contained fully CPRD compliant language.
• OPDs equipped with technical capacities and supported to advocate for human rights, development and humanitarian action including 426 (91 new) participants in the Bridge CRPD-SDGs training program, and 76 participants (23 new) in the Bridge CRPD-SDGs ToT.
• IDA and OPDs produced evidence-based monitoring reports on the situation of people with disabilities, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 13 (7 new) pre-HLPF webinars, in-person and training webinars related to SDGs; 11 national (2 new: Colombia and Guatemala) and 6 regional OPD-led SDG reports from a CRPD perspective include data (5 more in-progress); 5 pieces of evidence produced on COVID-19 (4 more in progress).
• IDA, its members and OPDs supported to engage in key intergovernmental processes, such as the HLPF, SDGs forum, COSP, UNGA and humanitarian frameworks; 20 people participated in SDG regional forums (all new). 19 representatives engaged in the global review process virtually at HLPF.

Learn more about our advocacy work.