Mainstreaming disability in development aid: A comparative analysis of the United States Agency for International Development, the Australian Agency for International Development and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

Abstract

Intergovernmental organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank claim that the majority of the one billion persons with disabilities worldwide live in developing countries and are at high risk of poverty and vulnerable living conditions. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted in 2006. While first and foremost a human rights treaty, it is also recognised as having a development mandate requiring responses by State Parties to respect, promote and fulfill the rights of persons with disabilities. Article 32 on international cooperation obligates Donor States to mainstream disability in policies that support international development programmes. One of its main requirements is to ensure that persons with disabilities living in poor countries have access to and are included in development aid. This thesis investigates how three Donor States and their bilateral agencies mainstream disability in the policies that support their international development programmes. Semi structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five key informants across three jurisdictions; the United States, Finland and Australia. The data collected from the interviews and documentary analysis highlights the successes and challenges that Donor States and their respective bilateral agencies face in mainstreaming disability in international development programmes.