COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL NORMS
AND STANDARDS RELATING TO DISABILITY
Part IV. Rights Based Perspective. 12/12   
11. Bilateral and Multilateral Donors
It is very difficult for countries to mobilise adequate resources to meet the needs of
the disabled; thus, foreign financial assistance is needed, as is evident in the existence
of food aid which is designed to compensate for shortfalls during times of famine and
drought. Greater progress can be achieved in reaching these goals if close co-operation is
maintained at every level. This includes
- co-operation and co-ordination among countries,
- multilateral and bilateral assistance agencies,
- international financial institutions, such as the World Bank and regional development
banks,
- international organizations, and various organs and bodies of the United Nations system,
including South-South, North-South and South-North exchanges of best practices and the
- continuous development of tools and instruments for policy, planning and management.
Bilateral and multilateral donors should set aside adequate resources for the
disability component in their financial assistance. Also, donors may tie their aid
to disability projects. For example, a donor will send financial assistance if a
certain percentage of the aid would be used to satisfy the needs of persons with
disabilities.
Donor agencies must establish working relations with disabled persons and/or their
organizations. The staff of donor agencies needs to be sensitised about disabled person's
concerns. One method would be to organise joint workshops, which would facilitate
the implementation of policy guidelines that adequately take into account the concerns of
disabled persons.
Paragraph 12 of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action urges
the international community to help alleviate the external debt burden of developing
countries in order to help developing countries attain the full realisation of the
economic, social, and cultural rights of their people.
Article 23 (c) of the Declaration on Social Progress and Development
states that the achievement of the objectives of social progress and development requires
the implementation of the provision of technical, financial and material assistance, both
bilateral and multilateral, to the fullest possible extent and on favourable terms, and
improved co-ordination of international assistance for the achievement of the social
objectives of national development plans.
Paragraph 7 of the Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and
Malnutrition notes that in order to give impetus to food production in developing
countries, international action should be taken to provide them with sustained additional
technical and financial assistance. In additional, all donor countries should implement
the concept of forward planning of food aid and make all efforts to provide commodities
and/or financial assistance.
Paragraphs 147 and 148 of The Habitat Agenda state that the
international community should support Governments. It should promote:
- Co-ordination of macroeconomic polices at all levels to achieve an international
financial system that is conducive to economic and social development, as components of
sustainable development
- An environment in all countries that attracts foreign direct investment and encourages
savings and domestic investment
- Capacity building in all developing countries
- Financial assistance to developing countries to promote sustainable development
- Facilitate access to international financial resources for all developing countries to
benefit from the growing international financial markets in order to promote development
Paragraph 179 of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons
states that donor countries should be responsive to requests for assistance in the area of
disability. Donor countries are urged to include disability assistance in their bilateral
and multilateral assistance programmes.
Paragraph 174 urges international organizations or multilateral financial institutions
collaborating with Member States in financial ventures to give priority to programmes that
assist the disabled. Multilateral and bilateral aid agencies should include in their
programmes measures that ensure the allocation of increased resources for both capital
investment and recurrent expenditure for services related to prevention, rehabilitation
and equalization of opportunities.
Paragraph 53 of the Tallinn Guidelines for Action on Human Resources
Development in the Field of Disability states that international development
assistance programmes should include a specific component that ensures the participation
of persons with disabilities in such schemes.
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