Implementation of the World Programme of Action
concerning Disabled Persons
Addendum

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Addendum II. United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability

A. Project cycle activities

45. During the 20-month period from 1 January 1998 to 31 August 1999, the Voluntary Fund provided nearly US$ 1 million to 35 disability-related projects. As table 1 indicates, nearly 90 per cent of the projects were carried out at national and regional levels, in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Interregional projects and activities accounted for 11 per cent of the projects and received 15 per cent of the grants disbursed.

Table 1
United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability: projects supported and grants by region, 1 January 1998 to 31 August 1999

^a Including the third-party cost-sharing contribution of the Government of Turkey (US$ 50,000) and the co-financing grant of the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) (US$ 44,000) to Anadolu University, as support for development of the Technical and Vocational Institute for the Hearing Impaired.

46. In terms of regional distribution, the fact that Africa accounts for 40 per cent of the projects supported and received 30 per cent of the grants disbursed is due to the generally small-scale national-level nature of the proposals submitted and approved. The Asia and Pacific region and Latin America and the Caribbean both account for 17 per cent of the projects supported, closely followed by the Central and Eastern European region with 14 per cent of projects supported.

47. Decisions to recommend projects for support are considered by interdisciplinary review entities, at substantive, administrative and financial levels, and are based on the technical quality of the proposal, its relationship to national policies and the contribution that project results are expected to make to the further equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities. Grant recommendations take into account General Assembly guidance on assistance to least developed, heavily indebted and low-income countries, especially in the Africa region, and to countries in transition. Guidelines for preparing proposals for consideration by the Voluntary Fund are published on the Internet (http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/spdproj.htm).

48. Table 2 indicates that nearly 75 per cent of all projects supported and 66 per cent of the grants disbursed were for capacity-building and institutional development for disability action. By function, this included 14 training and skill development projects (40 per cent); 8 projects (23 per cent) involved technical exchanges - seminars and workshops on priority disability issues, such as disability policies and legislation, Internet accessibility, employment-generation and microcredit, and sports for persons with disabilities. Nine projects (26 per cent) involved pilot action, which accounted for 25 per cent of grants disbursed. There were two main themes in pilot action supported: (a) promotion of income-generating opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities and (b) social integration of persons with disabilities, in particular young persons with disabilities. The balance of the projects supported involved development information efforts, including production of Braille text, and applied research and evaluation.

49. While applied research involved only two projects and accounted for less than 8 per cent of grants disbursed, these efforts are significant for the way in which the Voluntary Fund is able to assist Governments on request in pursuing catalytic and non-traditional investigations on emerging disability issues and trends. For instance, the Ministry of Social Affairs of Indonesia (DEPSOS RI) in cooperation with a non-profit research institute is carrying out an evaluation of previous technical cooperation activities in the disability field to assess their sustainability and capacities to respond to current social and economic conditions in terms of social services and safety nets. In Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare is being assisted by a local non-governmental organization, Jairos Jiri Association, in cooperation with the Institute of Child Health, University College London Medical School, in developing and testing low-cost tools for screening for hearing loss and impairment among young children, and in developing services appropriate to local conditions, in rural areas in particular.

Table 2
United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability: projects supported and grants by function, 1 January 1998 to 31 August 1999

50. The majority of activities supported by the Voluntary Fund continue to be grass roots-based and locally focused: more than four fifths of the projects supported were implemented by non-governmental organizations with appropriate endorsement of and in cooperation with concerned governmental bodies and organizations. Non-governmental organizations are well recognized for their abilities to quickly and efficiently identify and formulate proposals for catalytic and innovative action in response to emerging issues and needs, in such areas as leadership training and promotion of non-traditional approaches to employment generation. Of the balance of the projects supported, four were implemented by governmental bodies; one project (a regional workshop on Internet accessibility) was carried out by an intergovernmental organization, the ASEAN secretariat; and one project (an interregional seminar on environmental accessibility) was carried out by ESCWA.

Table 3
United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability: projects supported and grants by project agent, 1 January 1998 to 31 August 1999

51. In line with the guidance of the General Assembly, the Voluntary Fund directs special attention to support for catalytic and innovative action. The resources of the Voluntary Fund are limited and represent complements to, and not a substitute for, other forms of assistance available for disability action. This is evident from data on grant disbursements and total project budgets: during the period under review, the Fund disbursed US$ 999,102 as at 31 August 1999, and the budgets for the 35 projects supported totalled US$ 4,960,468 (see table 3). Each grant dollar from the Fund served to mobilize an average five times as many financial resources for concerted practical action in the disability field.

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B. Contributions to the Voluntary Fund

52. During the period under review, the Voluntary Fund received one or more contributions from 15 Governments³⁶ and an intergovernmental organization, the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) that totalled US$ 571,266.58. Of that total, US$ 220,116.02 comprised earmarked contributions by seven Governments (Austria, China, Denmark, Iceland, Japan, the Netherlands and Norway) to support the activities of the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development to finance infrastructure support for his office, his travel and meetings of his Panel of Experts.

53. The balance of the contributions received during the biennium 1998-1999, including project-specific contributions by the Government of Turkey and AGFUND, supported concerted practical action in the disability field. However, these contributions covered slightly more than one third of the grants disbursed. There is an urgent need to augment the resource capacities of the Voluntary Fund on a sustained and predictable basis.

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C. Selected project experiences

54. Assistance from the Voluntary Fund is provided on request and aims to further the World Programme's goals of full participation of persons with disabilities, and equality. During the period under review, it is possible to identify four clusters of project action: (a) training for full participation and equality; (b) promotion of social integration of persons with disabilities; (c) training and promotion of economic participation; and (d) technology transfers. In addition, Economic and Social Council resolution 1997/20 of 21 July 1997, on children with disabilities, provided policy and programme guidance that is reflected in the one fifth of all projects assisted by the Voluntary Fund during the biennium 1998-1999.

55. Projects for leadership training were designed and carried out entirely by non-governmental organizations, in cooperation with concerned Governments. This included national training workshops, in Ecuador, Kenya and Uganda, and training by means of regional and interregional exchanges. Chief among the exchanges was the Fifth World Assembly of Disabled Persons International (DPI) (an international non-governmental organization), held at Mexico City from 1 to 7 December 1998. President Ernesto Zedillo addressed the DPI World Assembly, which was attended by 1,500 persons with disabilities from 76 countries. Participants adopted resolutions that focused on measures to ensure that "the next millennium must see the integration of disabled people in their societies with full respect of their human rights".³⁷ In Mozambique, the Southern African Federation of Disabled Persons in cooperation with the Associations of Disabled Mozambicans (ADEMO) held a subregional workshop on "Equalization of opportunities: legislation, gender and the socioeconomic situation of landmine victims, women and children with disabilities" from 10 to 13 August 1999 at Maputo. Graça Machel graciously addressed the Workshop, which directed special attention to leadership training and institutional development to improve the social and economic situation of landmines victims, women and children in particular. Training and applied research on equalization of opportunities, law and disability policy were the theme of an international expert meeting and symposium organized by Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley (United States of America), in cooperation with the World Institute on Disability from 8 to 12 December 1999.³⁸

56. Social integration of people with disabilities was promoted by means of pilot action and direct training activities. All projects supported were initiatives of the non-governmental community in cooperation with the concerned governmental body or organization. For instance, two of the projects supported involve testing and evaluation of innovative approaches for counselling and outreach to promote social integration of persons with mental disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, respectively. In Ecuador, social integration of young disabled persons is being promoted through outreach, demonstrations of innovative therapies and training of national personnel. A second pilot project on social integration, based in Ecuador but with a regional Latin American scope, uses training seminars and sports competitions for persons with disabilities together with health and well-being workshops.

57. Economic participation of people with disabilities is being pursued by means of pilot action, training and regional seminars. Several of the projects supported are initiatives by the non-governmental community to promote non-traditional income-generating opportunities by, for and with people with disabilities. The initiative in Azerbaijan directs special attention to promotion of economic opportunities among young disabled adults by training in selected commercial services to meet the demands of its developing economy. In Burkina Faso, Senegal and Togo, project focus is on promotion of agro industrial-based economic opportunities among persons with disabilities. At regional level, the Government of Mali in cooperation with the Malian Federation of Associations of Disabled Persons (FEMAPH), the Western African Federation of Disabled Persons (FOAPH) and the International Cooperation Agency for Economic and Social Integration of Disabled Persons (ACIPH) (a non-governmental organization) organized a subregional Western Africa Seminar on Microcredit and Persons with Disabilities (Bamako, 25-30 October 1998). Two projects have involved support for vocational training and rehabilitation, which include an initiative of the non-governmental community in Ethiopia and by Anadolu University (Turkey). The Anadolu University initiative involves establishment of the first combined "Technical and Vocational Training Institute for the Hearing Impaired" and is generously supported by a third-party co-financing grant from the Government of Turkey and a multi-year co-financing grant from AGFUND.

58. Pilot action and technology transfer projects have directed special attention to national capacity-building and institutional development to support application and dissemination of technologies to improve the social and economic situation of persons with disabilities. Two of the projects supported, in the Philippines and Zimbabwe, are focusing on testing and evaluating innovative diagnostic and treatment procedures - for blind and vision-impaired persons in the Philippines and for those with hearing loss or deafness in Zimbabwe. Special attention is directed towards development of procedures that are appropriate to the disadvantaged sectors and under-served populations, to outreach and to training national personnel. In Malawi, Government and the non-governmental community are cooperating in training national personnel as orthopaedic technicians. In Uganda, an initiative of the non-governmental community in cooperation with Government focuses on technical exchanges and training women with disabilities to design, manufacture, market and repair wheelchairs and mobility aids. The Uganda mobility project has its origins in the "NGO Forum" organized in connection with the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 4-15 September 1995). The project has established an operational workshop - "Mobility Appliances by Disabled Women Entrepreneurs" (MADE) - at Kampala which is now producing locally folding wheelchairs appropriate to the needs of an estimated 100,000 Ugandans who need a mobility device.

59. Two other technology transfer-oriented projects supported by the Voluntary Fund involve regional and interregional exchanges on the priority theme of accessibility. The secretariat of ASEAN in cooperation with NIDA of Thailand convened a "Seminar on Internet Accessibility and Persons with Disabilities" (Bangkok, 12-16 July 1999). The Seminar was attended by 35 participants and considered a number of strategic issues to promote Internet accessibility by, for and with persons with disabilities among ASEAN. The Seminar had substantive contributions by an international presentation team, which established an Internet presence to support the Seminar (http://www.worldenable.net), and by representatives of the Centre for Adaptive Environments (http://www.adaptenv.org), the Disabled People's Association of Singapore (http://www.dpa.or.sg) and by the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (http://www.jsrd.or.jp).

60. At the initiative of ESCWA, in cooperation with the Government of Lebanon, the Voluntary Fund is co-financing a seminar and workshop on "Environment Accessibility" (Beirut, 25 November-5 December 1999).

61. Action related to children with disabilities and their families has mainly involved support for direct training and pilot action at national level. In Kenya and in Uganda, projects supported have focused on training of trainers in sign language to facilitate the education and social integration of young hearing-impaired persons. In Armenia, project support has been provided for training of national personnel concerning education of children with special needs. In the Russian Federation and Slovakia, initiatives of the non-governmental community have focused on outreach and training to promote social integration of children with disabilities and their families. A pilot initiative of the State Welfare Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran involves testing and evaluating innovative approaches to making libraries more accessible to children with disabilities and thereby promote their social integration.

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D. Cooperation with the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND)

62. The United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability has been cooperating with AGFUND for nearly two decades, beginning shortly after the adoption of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons by the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session (Assembly resolution 37/52 of 3 December 1982).

63. It might be recalled that the President of AGFUND, Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who was instrumental in establishing the Arab Gulf Programme in 1981 to support social development and humanitarian efforts of developing countries in cooperation with concerned United Nations agencies and their development programmes, had addressed the fourth session of the Advisory Committee of the International Year of Disabled Persons (Vienna, 14 July 1982).

64. The Board of Directors of AGFUND currently comprises representatives of the following member States: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. AGFUND directs special attention to the situation of women and children in developing countries and carries out these efforts in cooperation with the United Nations system, with concerned non-governmental organizations and with Arab governmental bodies dealing with the situation of the Arab child.³⁹

65. Cooperation with AGFUND has represented a significant difference in the efforts of the Voluntary Fund to support catalytic and innovative measures to further equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities in countries. The wise and distinguished leadership of Prince Talal in the field of disability and his strong commitment to the social and institution dimensions of disability action were recognized in a testimonial presented by United Nations Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuellar in connection with the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992). 66. AGFUND has approved, to date, support for 22 projects in cooperation with the Voluntary Fund for practical action to build capacities of developing countries for disability action. AGFUND, whose pledges exceed US$ 1,150,000, is, in its generous support, one of the longest sources of project-specific financial resources for the Voluntary Fund.

67. Cooperation with AGFUND has also contributed to greater awareness and support for a broad human rights perspective on disability action, which reflects the deep interest of AGFUND in the social, cultural and institutional aspects of development cooperation projects. The AGFUND focus on the situation of women and children has reinforced this critical dimension of mainstream development, which is evident in a recent project of ESCWA on support for the "Regional Centre for Rehabilitation and Training of Blind Girls and Women" (Amman, Jordan) that was co-financed by both AGFUND and the Voluntary Fund.

68. The AGFUND difference in disability-sensitive development cooperation is characterized by its generous support for efforts to empower beneficiaries - women and children in particular - to acquire new skills and knowledge for disability action and to strengthen capacities of persons with disabilities to participate in social life and development on the basis of equality.

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E. Disability-sensitive development cooperation in the twenty-first century: partnerships and venture grants

69. The preceding review of project cycle activities of the Voluntary Fund, selected project experiences and cooperation with AGFUND begs the questions what next, and what are the implications for disability-sensitive development cooperation in the twenty-first century.

70. The Voluntary Fund is but one of a number of resources available to Governments for assistance in the disability field. The unique value proposition of the Voluntary Fund derives from its link with the goals of the World Programme of Action - full participation of persons with disabilities in social life and development, and equality. Recent activities of the Fund reflect the priorities identified by the General Assembly for equalization of opportunities of persons with disabilities, a development objective of the World Programme of Action.

71. There are three distinguishing characteristics of Voluntary Fund action that contribute to its unique value proposition. The first characteristic is the concern with catalytic and innovative action for equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities. For instance, during the biennium 1998-1999, more than 80 per cent of the projects supported were designed and implemented by the non-governmental community and more than 60 per cent of the projects involved support for training, institutional development and technical exchanges; an additional 25 per cent of projects involved pilot action. The second characteristic is the concern with "open approaches" to the provision of advice, assistance and referrals on request. The Voluntary Fund does not simply provide grants: often it will respond to requests for assistance with substantive comments, will suggest referrals and will seek to build networks among interested communities on selected disability topics and issues. Building networks and providing referrals add value to problem-solving as well as stimulate innovative action in the disability field. In addition, the Voluntary Fund may on request advise and assist with formulation of project plans of operation for especially innovative concepts submitted for its consideration and prepare resource analyses on implementation options, including third-party cost-sharing, which provide a means to reinforce the disability perspective in mainstream development. The third characteristic that contributes to the unique value proposition of the Voluntary Fund is its focus on initiatives that contribute to "an architecture of the possibilities of human beings".⁴⁰ As noted above, a number of Voluntary Fund-supported initiatives have focused on building leadership, and managerial or technical skills and have thereby empowered persons with disabilities to plan, negotiate and implement practical action.

72. These three value propositions serve to distinguish the Voluntary Fund from other forms of assistance and are termed "unique", since they are contributing to changes in the rules of the game for development cooperation in the disability field. First, the activities of the Voluntary Fund are premised on partnership by, for and with persons with disabilities. This approach has contributed to an observed branding of its seed-money grants as venture-grant assistance for catalytic and innovative action. Second, the activities of the Voluntary Fund respond to priorities identified by the General Assembly, which provide the framework for cooperation with Governments in the disability field.

73. The strategy of the Voluntary Fund in addressing the priorities for action identified in General Assembly resolution 52/82 has been: (a) to focus on constituency-driven initiatives that address a particular disability issue in a catalytic and innovative way; (b) to work with project agents to formulate time-bound, operational proposals for action; and (c) to document lessons learned for study by other interested parties, including publication on the Internet to facilitate global access.

74. The lessons of the Voluntary Fund during the current biennium underscore the important contributions that are made to the realization of practical action in the disability field by (a) concise, strategic policy guidance by Governments on priorities and means of executions, (b) partnerships at all levels to facilitate consultation and coordination, and (c) technical and financial assistance, small-scale, quickly disbursed venture grants in particular.

75. The experience of the Voluntary Fund also suggests that, as disability-sensitive policies provide an enabling framework for action, investments in building national capacities and institutions of civil society and support for initiatives promoting environmental accessibility are central to achieving the aim identified in General Assembly resolution 48/99, of 20 December 1993, with respect to achieving a society for all by 2010.

76. The capacities of the Voluntary Fund to support initiatives of Governments and the non-governmental community in cooperation with Governments in the twenty-first century invariably depend upon the level of resources voluntarily provided on a predictable and sustained basis. As noted above, projects supported to date have drawn increasingly on the operational reserve available through prudent planning and management of Voluntary Fund resources in previous bienniums. The resources of the Voluntary Fund urgently require strengthening if the Voluntary Fund is to continue its support of catalytic, innovative and practical action to further equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities in the biennium 2000-2001 and beyond.

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Notes:

³⁶ Austria, Bangladesh, China, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Slovenia and Turkey.

³⁷ Recommendations adopted at the Fifth World Assembly of Disabled Peoples International are available on the Web (http://www.dpi.org/resolution.html).

³⁸ The report of the expert meeting is available on the Internet (http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/disberk0.htm).

³⁹ Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND): 1991-1995 (AGFUND, Riyadh), pp. 11-13.

⁴⁰ Benjamin Zander, conductor, Boston Philharmonic, as quoted in Tom Peters, The Circle of Innovation (London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1998), p. 144.

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