General and Specific Policy Recommendations for ESCWA Member Countries

According to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability, 14 years after the adoption of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, no country has managed to implement them fully, including all the countries in the ESCWA region. In fact, the review presented in this paper of the national policies and legislative frameworks that address disability and employment suggests that governments in the region are still experiencing difficulties in translating the principles of equal opportunities and equal rights into practice. Furthermore, there is a general lack of coherence and complementarity in designing policies, laws and social protection systems that target people with disabilities. In most countries, there is no clear-cut coordination mechanism for the different sectors concerned with disability. Quite alarming is the persistent deficit of reliable data on disability disaggregated by type, causes, geographic distribution, educational attainment and economic activity, which hampers targeted policymaking and inclusion initiatives. 

In this context, it is important to note that when disability is considered a personal responsibility rather than a social and public one, caring for a family member with a disability often deprives the caregiver from employment or education. Considering the inter-linkages between disability and the transmission of poverty, the need to maintain income and provide persons with disabilities with a social safety net becomes imperative. 

The challenges facing disability in the region highlight the need for general actions to mainstream disability issues in national development processes and more tailored actions to promote the economic participation of persons with disabilities. These actions, among others, are set forth below.

A. Increasing public awareness and support for the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities:

Within that context, the recommendations to governments in the ESCWA region are as follows:

  1. Advocate the inter-linkages between citizenship rights, equal opportunities and the inclusion of persons with disabilities, with the support of the media and human-rights activists groups;
  2. Ensure high-level political buy-in for the integration of persons with disabilities and for developing rights-based policies and programmes that are comprehensive, accountable and responsive to the needs of the persons who are targeted;
  3.  Reinforce democracy and transparency by facilitating access of persons with disabilities to information about their rights and to institutions that protect these rights;
  4. Promote attitudinal changes in both public and private sectors by educating employers and other workers that qualified persons with disabilities are able to compete for jobs, learn new skills and bring in previous work experience.

B. Engaging civil society and relevant stakeholders in disability-related policymaking:

Within that context, the recommendations to governments in the ESCWA region can be summarized as follows:

  1. Adopt a participatory approach for disability-related policymaking, implementation and monitoring, and encourage social dialogue between government authorities, service providers, disability movement groups, local communities and persons with disabilities;
  2. Strengthen governance by developing clear mandates for all concerned stakeholders, including civil society and organizations for persons with disabilities, to monitor the progress of policies and programmes and evaluate disability inclusive measures.

C. Pursuing an integrated approach to social and economic policymaking:

Within that context, governments in the ESCWA region are urged to take the following measures:

  1. Ensure that disability issues are integrated in national plans and programmes on health, education, labour, infrastructure, transport and social protection services;
  2.  Elaborate special programmes to support women with disabilities who face double discrimination on account of their disabilities and gender, especially in rural and remote areas;
  3.  Ensure that disability pension schemes are complemented by measures to keep workers with disabilities active for a longer time, including disability benefits, rehabilitation and reintegration measures.

D. Establishing new and strengthening existing mechanisms for the implementation, coordination and monitoring of disability-related policies and legislation:

In line with CRPD, governments in the ESCWA region are encouraged to take the following measures:

  1. Set up focal points or national frameworks at the highest levels of the government, to implement, coordinate and follow up on disability-related policies, and empower these frameworks or focal points in order to enable them to carry out the necessary enforcement measures;
  2. Develop anti-discrimination legislation to complement the quota systems and devise mechanisms to file anti-discrimination complaints and take corrective measures, including, for example, discrimination acts in hiring, wages, promotion and dismissal from work, among others.

E. Developing statistical and information systems that support an evidence-based approach to disability policy and programming:

Within that context, the recommendations to governments in the ESCWA region can be summarized as follows:

  1. Mainstream disability issues in national censuses and surveys, including household, labour force, demographic and health surveys, with a view to identifying and resolving immediate and indirect barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from accessing adequate education, rehabilitation, vocational training, employment, health and social assistance services;
  2. Operate a comprehensive definition of disability that takes into account the capacity of an individual to work while, at the same time, not undermining their eligibility for benefits.

F. Strengthening national capacity for integrating the concerns of persons with disabilities in development strategies:

Within that context, governments in the ESCWA region are urged to take the following measures:

    1. Tap into multilateral and bilateral development assistance, including the technical expertise of United Nations organizations and agencies aimed at assisting governments in terms of mainstreaming disability issues at all levels and processes of policymaking;
    2. Conduct capacity-building activities for staff in the ministries and departments in charge of data collection and analysis, and in NGOs that provide disability support services;
    3. Engage in national, regional and international dialogue for sharing experiences and success stories in mainstreaming disability in employment strategies and in the workplace.

G. Adopting measures to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labour market:

Within that context, the recommendations to governments in the ESCWA region are as follows:

  1. Intensify efforts to adhere to the standards and recommendations of the international instruments with respect to the employment of persons with disabilities, including Recommendation Nos. 159 and 168 of the ILO Convention on Vocational Training and Rehabilitation; Rule No. 7 of the Standard Rules; Article 27 of CRPD; and the ILO code of practice on managing disability at the workplace;
  2. Adopt more proactive labour-market policies for promoting the right to work by implementing persuasive campaigns and by providing employers with incentives to hire persons with disabilities, such as wage subsidies, reducing income taxes, sharing the cost of workplace adaptation, supporting social enterprises, and developing sheltered and other forms of employment when integrating workers with disabilities in open employment is not possible;
  3. Encourage persons with temporary or permanent disabilities to engage in or return to work by providing them with incentives, such as vocational training that is consistent with labour-market demands, job coaching, counselling, grants to start small businesses, in addition to disability benefits and subsidized assistive devices needed in training and at work;
  4. Improve the conditions of work of persons with disabilities by enhancing the quality of sheltered employment projects, introducing flexible work arrangements and reducing workload, among others;
  5. Advise employers that most of the workers with disabilities do not require special adaptation of the workplace and, where incurred, that such costs are affordable. There is also a need to adopt affirmative action, such as rewarding employers who exceed the quotas in employing persons with disabilities;
  6. Support the role of national employment offices in finding employment for persons with disabilities and placing them in jobs that suit their capabilities and their interest, in addition to subsidizing the cost of transportation to and from rehabilitation and training centres as well as the workplace.