Sightsavers responds to report into FCDO’s work on disability inclusion

A report on the UK government’s development strategy and how inclusive it is of people with disabilities was published on Thursday 4 April.

The International Development Committee (IDC) has been leading an inquiry into the adequacy and effectiveness of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) work on disability inclusion, in particular its Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy.

Sightsavers’ country director for Nigeria, Dr Sunday Isiyaku, gave evidence to the committee in October, sharing his personal experience of working on UK-aid funded programmes and answering questions about the consequences of the recent UK aid cuts for disability-inclusive programmes.

Dr Isiyaku said: “We welcome the report and its recommendations, which, if implemented, have the potential to accelerate the role the UK could play in improving the lives of people with disabilities across the world.

“It rightly recognises the progress on disability inclusion in recent years, including the strength of its strategy. But points out that a clear plan for how this strategy can be delivered needs to be published alongside it.

“There is still a long way to go in terms of the FCDO embedding the needs of people with disabilities into all its development work, as only around a third of its official development assistance has any focus on disability inclusion.

“But in an election year, we hope the report is treated as an important resource for any future government when considering its approach to development. At Sightsavers, we will continue to work with and support the government and all political parties to ensure disability inclusion is hardwired into all their international development policies.”

Read the report and its findings on the UK Parliament website.