Sightsavers Ireland delivers 5,000-signature petition to Irish leaders

Sightsavers Ireland has handed in its petition calling for the Irish government to prioritise people with disabilities in its global development policy.

The petition, which attracted more than 5,000 signatures, was received by Maureen O’Sullivan TD on behalf of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence. The national petition call was also linked to a wider global call for the UN to uphold disability rights – this gained more than 50,000 signatures worldwide and is being handed in to the UN Under-Secretary-General Ana Maria Menéndez.

Throughout 2019, Sightsavers has used its Put Us in the Picture disability campaign to ask political leaders to ensure people with disabilities aren’t left behind in global aid. The campaign, and the petition, have successfully led to a commitment from the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to make Ireland’s A Better World development policy disability-inclusive.

The campaigning work of Put Us in the Picture also resulted in Sightsavers’ Regional Director from West Africa presenting evidence to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence, which led to a commitment made by the Committee to host an annual meeting on disability inclusion and to track the Irish government’s progress on inclusive development.

More about the campaign