Structure of the Arab DPO Movement

DPOs are well established in some countries but in their infancy in others. The DPO movement in Lebanon, for example, is longstanding and has evolved in the context of a diverse civil society, and many DPOs have been set up in Jordan, some with Government backing.[1]  Research by ESCWA, however, shows that DPO movements are in the early stage of development in several Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Potential factors behind the growth of the DPO movement in Egypt have been closer ties with the global movement and the involvement of national DPOs in drafting the Convention. Judging by the number of DPOs established since the Convention was adopted, the same could be said of other countries such as Mauritania and Morocco. Political and social changes, such as the 2011 uprising in Tunisia (box 1), have engendered opportunities for persons with disabilities to put their rights on the political agenda. The ongoing crises in Libya, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen, however, may be weakening DPO movements in those countries.

DPO federations also operate in some Arab countries and Governments often find them more efficient to work with than individual organizations. In Morocco, the Collectif pour la promotion des droits des personnes en situation de handicap (Association for the Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) was created in 2006 and is made up of 32 organizations representing persons with various disabilities. It works to build the capacity of individual groups and lobbies to have the Convention put into practice around the country. The National Union of Associations for the Yemeni Disabled has almost 100 DPOs and NGOs in its network but has encountered difficulties in carrying out its coordinating role.[2]

Regional networks bringing together DPOs from various Arab countries include the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities and the Arab Forum for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, both of which are based in Beirut. They promote intraregional cooperation and make sure that persons with disabilities in the Arab world are well represented in global forums. DPOs in Algeria, Mauritania and Morocco are part of the African Disability Forum, set up in Addis Ababa in 2014.