General News
The World Bank Safeguards and Disability Expert Meeting on the Management of Social Risk
World Bank Headquarters, Washington DC
March 19, 2015
As part of the World Bank Safeguards Review process, Disabled People’s International (DPI) participated in the Expert Meeting on the Management of Social Risk. The meeting included representatives of US based organizations and international organizations working on issues of vulnerable groups.
DPI was represented by its Arab Regional Office Executive Director, Mr. Mohammed Loutfy who is also the co-founder of the World Bank Safeguards and Disability Campaign, an effort started by the Lebanese Physical Handicapped Union (LPHU) and the Bank Information Center (BIC) to ensure the integration of disability into the World Bank’s Safeguards Policy. The Campaign has been a very successful initiative that has resulted into cultivating a welcoming environment at the World Bank towards adopting the principles of inclusion and accessibility into the Safeguards' Environmental and Social Assessment Standards and its annexes.
At the meeting, Loutfy made the following remarks:
- The need to ensure quality compliance with standards of accessibility and inclusion throughout World Bank Operations for the Safeguards Policy i.e. project investment financing.
- The need for integrating the CRPD within the Safeguards' preamble as one of the main legal references, to which the Bank would comply to.
- The need for the Bank to explicitly adopt Universal Design and universal accessibility standards.
- The Bank should ensure inclusive community engagement especially with groups of persons with disabilities primarily in the Global South which would be systematically integrated in the consultation process throughout all project cycles.
Towards the end of the meeting, the World Bank representatives showed a significant interest in Loutfy's comments. They assured that disability is going to be one of the major issues to be integrated in the Bank's Safeguards Policy. Furthermore, all relevant policy documents and suggestions that were previously submitted by the Campaign will be considered throughout the next drafting phase.
For any questions regarding the World Bank Safeguards Review process, please write to Mr. Mohammed Loutfy at loutfy.lphu@gmail.com or to the DPI Chairperson's Office at secretariat.dpi@gmail.com
Chairperson's Office
Disabled People's International (DPI)
C-43, South Extension Part II
New Delhi - 110 049, India
Tel.: 91-11-26265647 / 26265648
Fax: 91-11-26265649
Website: www.dpi.org
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Source: Disabled People's International (DPI)
When: 27/3/2015