A bimonthly web-zine of international disability news and views • Issue no. 7 March-April 2001

table of contents - home page - text-only home page Highlights from the Final Report of the 2000 Nordic Conference on Disability & Development Inclusion of the Disability Dimension in Nordic Development Cooperation, Copenhagen, November 2000 ATLAS Alliance - DSI - FIDIDA - SHIA INTRODUCTION This report has been produced jointly by the Nordic Disabled Person Organisations, DPOs. It is a result of a process initiated in 1991, when these DPOs met at Hanaholmen, Finland and agreed to call on their respective governments to give increased attention to disability issues in development cooperation and to take joint action towards multilateral agencies to promote disability concerns. The Hanaholmen Conference resulted in increased contacts between the DPOs and Nordic bilateral agencies. Some positive policy development was noted, but more was needed to turn policy into practice. One of the main challenges identified was to achieve joint Nordic action towards multilateral agencies. In 1998, the Nordic Ministers for the first time met with the DPOs at Haga, Sweden, where they officially agreed to increase their support to disability issues. The Nordic Ministers undertook to support a conference in 2000, and in preparation for the conference, the Nordic DPOs, ministries and agencies were to jointly document and suggest methods, good practices and operational strategies. The overall aim was a more practical approach and mainstreaming of disability into all areas of development co-operation. Four areas of research were divided between the Nordic countries: multilateral cooperation, health, education and gender/children perspectives. Surveys were undertaken and thematic meetings were organised. At this conference, held in Copenhagen in November 2000, the four reports and a synthesis report summarising the findings and recommendations were presented along with reports from partners in Uganda and South Africa. This report summarises all the ideas, suggestions and good practices highlighted at the Copenhagen 2000 Conference. The report is short and meant to serve as a resource basis and source of inspiration for future action by Nordic DPOs and gov-ernments in their efforts to include the disability dimension in development cooperation programs, especially in relation to multilateral agencies. The suggestions presented in the report are not necessarily endorsed by all participants, but constitute a summary of important statements and suggestions made. The report is based on Reports submitted by Nordic countries in preparation of the conference The ministerial Communiqué and the statements made by four Nordic Ministers for Development Co-operation The Nordic DPO Statement Reports submitted by the representative from the World Bank Reports presented by the Ugandan and South African delegates Group work reports Other statements and suggestions made by delegates at the conference, as recorded in the minutes EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background Nordic countries have been active in promoting disability issues and "a society for all" from the early 1970's. A result of these efforts has been a policy shift from early charity approaches to individual centred rehabilitation - and during the last two decades - to equalisation of opportunities, inclusion and empowerment of per-sons with disabilities. This approach focuses on the shortcomings of the environ-ment and mainstream contexts that are not designed to accommodate people's dif-ferences. There are a number of social, physical, economic, normative and cultural obstacles that restrict the opportunities for persons with disabilities. The national Nordic development strategies, as well as joint Nordic efforts to influence multilat-eral institutions, should aim at addressing these obstacles. Many policy declarations have been made by the Nordic governments - but still more could be done in practice, such as funding, human resources, development of knowledge, tools and practical action. Agencies are asking for facts and figures, as well as knowledge about "best practices" and methods on how to implement the policies. Many DPOs feel that attitudes and lack of political will are the main obstacles, and they see technical aspects as less important. Some fears have been expressed of giving too much attention to "best practices", as there are no standard prescriptions or recipes. Different disability groups have different needs, and different countries require different approaches depending on political situation, cultural norms and social contexts. Commitments At the Copenhagen Conference, the Nordic Ministers for Development Cooperation, for the first time, made joint policy declarations and commitments to address disability issues in development cooperation. According to the communiqué and the speeches presented by the ministers, they jointly declared their resolve to: Recognise and promote the UN Standard Rules as guidelines for all bilateral and multilateral development work and to assure, that special measures are taken to create accessibility and participation in development society for persons with disabilities in order to strengthen their possibilities to exercise their human rights. "We can do more, we can do better". Work for increased use of the different UN Human Rights instruments to promote and protect the basic human rights and freedoms of disabled persons such as the right to be respected and protected from abuse, the right to participate in democratic processes, as well as the right not to be discriminated with regards to basic education, health services and job opportunities. Enhance the efforts for the inclusion of the disability aspect in all relevant areas of development cooperation, combined with mechanisms for implementation, monitoring and evaluation (the example of the Norwegian national strategy was mentioned as a model). Take new and reinforced actions to ensure that the UN organs and other multilateral agencies give increased attention to persons with disabilities in their activities, including improved resource allocation to the disability dimension. Establish a joint Nordic platform for influencing multilateral agencies to include and prioritise the disability dimension. Recognise, that poverty and disability are closely interlinked and to include the disability dimension in poverty alleviation initiatives. To study and document the interrelationship between poverty, economic policy measures and disability, and to ensure that persons with disabilities are included when combating poverty. Continue the process of compiling best practices, identifying and elaborating principles for development co-operation, which includes persons with disabilities. Assure, that development cooperation measures are inclusive and accessible for all children with disabilities in order for them to exercise their rights in accordance with the Convention of the Rights of the Child. Give special attention to women and girl children with disabilities Sustain and further develop their dialogue and collaboration with DPOs in order to jointly find good practices and practical tools Consider supporting the African Decade on Disability, if approached by African countries with well-motivated requests. Evaluate, within five years, what has been achieved and lay down future plans for continuing Nordic cooperation concerning these questions. The DPOs committed themselves to: Seven steps identified as the way forward 1. To establish national strategies for inclusion of the disability dimension in de-velopment cooperation in order to: achieve overall recognition of the basic human rights and freedoms for persons with disabilities address poverty and unfair distribution of resources and ensure adequate re-source flows to disability concerns. include disability concerns in all social development efforts, ensuring persons with disabilities access to health and education services, to job opportunities and to information. 2. To empower persons with disabilities and to strengthen the capacity and in-volvement of DPOs in development work by: recognising persons with disabilities and their organisations as partners in development and contributing to their capacity building efforts developing the capacity, strategies and actions of DPOs 3. To increase the knowledge of the status of persons with disabilities by exchanging knowledge and experience, collating facts and figures and documenting good practices 4. To increase collaboration between DPOs, multilateral and bilateral agencies in development efforts in order to address the problem of uncoordinated and isolated efforts with little impact on the lives of persons with disabilities. 5. To establish a joint Nordic platform for promotion of the disability dimension in multilateral institutions as regards Financial Institutions UN Technical Agencies The UN Human Rights system 6. To support development efforts within the context of the African Decade. 7. To revisit the joint Nordic agenda at expert level after three years and at ministe-rial level after five years. WAY FORWARD National strategies for inclusion of the disability dimension In order to move from policy to practice there is a need for national strategies and action plans. These strategies need to have built in evaluation points or indicators. DPOs from Nordic and South countries should be involved in the evaluation processes. Based on the suggestions presented at the conference national strategies should aim at: 1.1 Achieving recognition of human rights for persons with disabilities Nordic Ministries and Agencies should consider the following measures: To strengthen the Human Rights focus by promoting the use of all UN Human Rights instruments and conventions to monitor the rights of per-sons with disabilities. To use the UN Standard Rules as guidelines for all bilateral and multilat-eral development work as these rules specify the particular obligations of the states in relation to the situation of girls, boys, men and women with disabilities. To support an evaluation of existing UN instruments to establish if these adequately provide the necessary protection for persons with disabilities. To establish mainstreaming of persons with disabilities concerns as a cross cutting issue in development cooperation in the same manner as gender concerns and include monitoring and follow up of the status of persons with disabilities within the context of mainstreaming (censuses, surveys, project evaluations etc). To adopt an equal opportunity employment policy in the agencies and in ToR (Terms of Reference) for consultants. To appoint persons or establish units within the agencies to promote and monitor disability issues until inclusion of the disability dimension in all programs has been achieved. To establish mechanisms for increasing awareness and capacity on dis-ability issues within the agencies and to facilitate joint action by Nordic staff serving in multilateral and bilateral offices, e.g. through inclusion of disability issues in staff training. To accept the fact that it is a complex task to change attitudes, norms and values and to be ready to make long-term commitments in a country in order to achieve sustainable impact on the lives of persons with disabilities. 1.2 Addressing poverty and ensuring resource flows to disability concerns. There is a clear link between poverty and disability. Poverty is one of the main causes of disability and the exclusion of persons with disabilities causes poverty. As poverty eradication is one of the main objectives of development programs of all Nordic governments, it is reasonable to give disability a high priority. Exclusion of persons with disabilities is a waste of both personal and societal resources. Nordic Ministries and Agencies should consider the following measures: To make disability a priority area in all poverty alleviation and social de-velopment programs. Persons with disabilities must be included and made visible in all strategies for poverty elimination. The participation of DPOs in the countries involved is decisive, as their experience and knowledge are prerequisites to finding sustainable, efficient strategies and measures to be taken. To commission further studies and document the interrelationship be-tween poverty, economic policy measures and disability To ensure that children with disabilities and their parents, women and men with disabilities, are included in family, education, health, employ-ment and income-generating activities. To ensure that poverty eradication initiatives take into account the HIV/Aids pandemic and to recognize that persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable and should be given special attention within HIV/Aids programs. To influence the World Bank, the UN Technical Agencies and the EU to address disability in their poverty alleviation programs. 1.3 Including disability concerns in all social development efforts Nordic Ministries and Agencies should consider the following measures: To use all three strategies for inclusion of the disability dimension but to prioritise the sector wide mainstreaming strategy. To develop indicators and monitoring mechanisms in order to measure the effects and results of the different strategies, especially mainstreaming strategies. The LFA planning tool, used by all major agencies, should be used to introduce the disability dimension in formulation of objectives, indicators and outputs. To ensure that persons with disabilities have access to information, health and education services and to job opportunities that are developed as a result of the Nordic development programs by adopting an inclusive approach when planning and implementing the programs. To increase the level of financial investments for inclusion of disability concerns in social and human rights sector programs by - earmarking 1% of the total development funding for disability specific projects or components and 1% of any project budget for inclusive measures in mainstream programs in bilateral as well as multilateral contributions. - promoting the 20/20 initiative and the HIPIC initiative. To revise manuals, planning and follow up tools of different agencies and sectors to include information on how to address disability concerns and give examples of good practices. To build appropriate capacity (quantity and quality) to be able to develop, implement and monitor the disability dimension in different programs and sectors in the same manner as the gender issues. To require all education programs to incorporate the principle of inclusive education while recognizing the special rights of deaf students to learn in a sign language setting and blind students to have access to Braille teaching materials. To require all primary health programs to address the needs of persons with disabilities and to be accessible to them. To require all job creation initiatives to address the specific needs of per-sons with disabilities and to be accessible to them. Strengthened capacity and involvement of DPOs Based on the suggestions presented at the conference the following need to be achieved: 2.1 Recognition of persons with disabilities and their organisations as partners in development In order for DPOs to be able to play an active role in development coopera-tion they must be recognised by governments, Ministries and Agencies as important and resourceful partners. Nordic Ministries and Agencies should consider the following measures: To support capacity building and institutional strengthening of DPOs as part of social development and human rights strategies. This is a good investment in order to obtain quality, sustainability and local ownership. Experience shows that the active role of DPOs in design, implementation and monitoring is of decisive importance for the success of health, rehabilitation and education initiatives. To inform DPOs about important meetings and to assist them to get invitations to such meetings. To assist DPOs to be introduced to important networks and decision makers. To support development of partnerships between DPOs in Nordic countries and in the South. To ensure the influence of women and children with disabilities, by supporting women with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities to form their own organisations and networks. To ensure that the voices of persons with disabilities are heard in matters concerning themselves and that credible structures for this are created at all levels. To share information about important development issues and to ask for DPO input. To include the disability dimension into mainstream policy debate and to use the potential of all human rights instruments to promote disability concerns To avoid giving money to charities or supporting programs that treat disabled people as helpless victims and denies them respect and influence. 2.2 DPOs to develop their capacity and improve strategies and actions DPOs have different roles as partners, advocates, facilitators and implementers/contractors. It is a challenge to develop capacity for all these different roles and to be able to influence and contribute to the work of bilateral and multilateral development agencies. The following general measures should be considered by DPOs: To assign staff within DPOs to be particularly responsible for the promotion and monitoring of the disability dimension within multilateral and bilateral agencies To participate in the formulation of a Joint Nordic Platform of Action based on this conference report. To take a role in scrutinising projects initiated by bilateral and multilateral development agencies, focussing on the disability aspects especially stressing the value of: - non-exclusive and non-discriminatory programs. - accessibility of buildings, transport, information and public services. - inclusive education in teacher training and school curricula development. To participate in the development of guidelines on how to plan, implement and evaluate mainstream efforts as well as disability specific initiatives. To undertake their own surveys to document facts and figures, as well as good practices in order to have good arguments. To apply the under-utilised potential of various Human Rights instruments. To build their own capacity and knowledge in order to be able to monitor and constructively support bilateral and multilateral development initiatives. To influence the bilateral and multilateral development agencies on the choice of consultants or to position themselves as consultants by developing and marketing of their particular knowledge. To collaborate with, raise awareness of and share information with the respective governments in order to achieve maximum effect in development. To develop partnerships with South DPOs in order to be able to influence development processes from both ends. To collaborate with, complement and share information and tasks with fellow Nordic DPOs in order to avoid duplication and ensure efficiency. To evaluate the work in relation to the suggestions made at the Conference. Increased knowledge To ensure that information about the status of persons with disabilities is disseminated to the relevant bodies and used to improve programs and policies. To ensure that the information is accessible to DPOs and persons with dis-abilities. To undertake evaluations of different methods and programs. To document good practices, but to use them with caution as conditions dif-fer in different countries. There will never be standard prescriptions of successes. Increased collaboration To achieve sustainable improvements in the situation of persons with disabilities is a complex task involving attitudes and cultural norms, political priorities, economic policy, health and education policies etc. It is obvious that isolated interventions by DPOs or agencies often have limited impact. Examples from Uganda and South Africa show that joint efforts - combining initiatives from UN agencies, bilateral agencies, governments and DPOs in Nordic and South countries - are a way to achieve greater impact. Coordination also reduces the difficulties for the collaborating South country to guide and control the development process. Nordic Ministries, Development Agencies and DPOs should therefore consider: To establish joint guidelines for inclusion of a disability dimension in bilat-eral development work in order to facilitate collaborative efforts in countries where programs are being supported. To appoint Nordic "lead agencies" for the various international arenas and/or sectors. To establish mechanisms to ensure that Nordic governments and Nordic DPOs collaborate and complement each other when addressing multilateral agencies and when supporting development in a particular country. Uganda provides a good example of a collaborative effort between Nordic governments and DPOs where health, education and social development initiatives have been designed to complement and reinforce each other. To ensure local ownership and coordination in South countries. South Africa is an example of where the government has established a national plan for introducing the disability dimension in all government activities and where international agencies are invited to support different aspects of the plan - including support to DPO capacity building. It is also a good example of a bilateral development program benefiting both parties, Sweden as well as South Africa. To ensure that country analyses and strategies are developed in close col-laboration and with involvement from stakeholders in the South. To concentrate their interventions to countries where the possibilities of collaboration between DPOs, bilateral and multilateral agencies are favourable To clearly designate the responsibilities between different actors and to have a continuous and open dialogue rather than writing memos, manuals and inputs. A Joint Nordic Platform As a basis for the establishment of a Joint Nordic Platform the following sugges-tions could be considered: 5.1 Promoting disability issues within the multilateral financial institutions The following measures should be considered by Ministries and Agencies in a joint Nordic Platform of Action: To reaffirm the goal set for 2003 to integrate disability into all World Bank programs by making inclusion of disability aspects - together with gender and children aspects - a condition for future financial contributions to the Bank. To require that poverty eradication should be the first priority of the fi-nancial institutions and reaffirm that this cannot be done by economic growth alone but only in combination with economic distribution policies that promotes social development and equal opportunities. To require disability issues to be part of all country and sector situation analyses and part of all poverty reduction strategies. To require the PRSP Handbook to include specific practical recommen-dations on how to include the disability dimension. To require that staff and consultants that carry out studies and evaluations on behalf of the Bank have sufficient knowledge about the disability dimension and its implications To require that the situation of persons with disabilities be part of the regular benchmarking instruments for sector development. Access to health, education and income generating activities for persons with disabilities is one of the best indicators for equity and development of a country. To require that the Bank develop adequate monitoring indicators in order to be able to evaluate programs and monitor progress in order to determine to what extent the inclusion of a disability dimension has had a positive impact. Indicators must be developed and base line studies need to be carried out now and to be repeated in three years to see what changes have occurred. To require World Bank support to the development of national statistics, indicators and follow up mechanisms in order to evaluate how the disability dimension has been considered in World Bank lending. To financially, morally and technically support capacity building of DPOs in the South for them to be able to participate in PRSPs in their respective countries. To support the establishment of a Trust Fund to promote specific studies and interventions necessary to promote the disability dimension in World Bank activities. To support the OECD initiative on inclusive education. To collaborate with DPOs in all these efforts. DPOs in Nordic and South countries should consider: To influence the Word Bank Handbook on poverty reduction strategies. To take a role in scrutinising projects initiated by the World Bank or Re-gional Banks, focussing on the disability aspects. To design and offer awareness raising and training components for World Bank staff and consultants. To influence the Bank on the choice of consultants or to position them-selves as consultants to the Bank by developing and marketing of their particular knowledge. To convince the World Bank and Regional Banks on the need to undertake surveys on disability for example cost-benefit analyses on inclusive policies as compared to exclusion, or the interrelationship between disability and poverty. To promote and facilitate capacity building within the DPOs in order for them to be able to contribute to and influence the PRSPs. Organisations that ordinarily focus on a rights-based or justice-based approach to disability may need to broaden their outlooks to include economic fundamentals. To build upon and enhance, rather than replace, existing processes of participation and representation and promote a structured, time-bound plan for participation, rather than a collection of ad hoc, fragmented or open-ended exercises. To position themselves to participate in the implementation and monitoring of poverty reduction strategies, not just in their formulation. To learn which branch of government is responsible for interim PRSP preparation, express interest in being included in the participatory process, and offer to contribute data and otherwise play a constructive role. To seek the help of DPOs in other countries which have expertise and ex-perience in economic policy-making. To be prepared to address conflicting interests and tradeoffs with other stakeholders, rather than merely compiling and promoting a "wish list" contributed by various elements of the disability community. 5.2 Promoting disability issues within the UN Technical Agencies In order to address these problems there is a need for coordinated and unified Nordic strategies and programs to ensure that resources and influence are maximized. This includes assessment of conditions and earmarking of funds, pressure to include the disability dimension in the general policies of the UN agencies as well as data collection within their field of responsibility. The following suggestions should be considered by Ministries and Agencies in a joint Nordic Platform of Action: To reaffirm the Standard Rules as guidelines for all UN programs by making inclusion of disability aspects - together with gender and children aspects - a condition for future financial contributions to the UN technical institutions. To establish a joint Nordic policy framework and a platform for sustained action and to select a Nordic "lead agency" for the promotion and monitoring of disability issues within each UN agency (most importantly UNICEF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNDP, WHO, ILO, UNFPA) and the EU. To require that poverty eradication should be the first priority of the UN Agencies and that this can be done only if activities are designed to pro-mote social development and equal opportunities. To require mainstreaming of disability issues in the same manner as gen-der issues and to place it on the human rights and social development agenda. To require that accessibility and equal opportunity for persons with dis-abilities should be basic quality criteria for all development programs. To use the planning tool LFA (Logical Framework Approach) used by most UN Agencies to introduce the disability dimension as a compulsory indicator of development within all programs but especially within the social development and human rights programs. To require appropriate capacity (quantity and quality) in each agency to be able to develop, implement and monitor the disability dimension in the same manner as the gender dimension and to stop the ongoing down-sizing of disability units and programs. To require that UN buildings, documentation and information are acces-sible. To require that UN statistics and development indexes include the dis-ability dimension. To earmark Nordic funding for policy development, capacity building and other initiatives to integrate the disability dimension within the UN agencies programs. To develop and promote the mechanisms for stakeholder participation and partnerships between DPOs, governments and UN agencies at all levels. To assist DPOs to channel their voices in multilateral forums and to im-prove information sharing around mechanisms, agendas, priorities and schedules of these agencies. To financially, morally and technically support capacity building of DPOs in the South for them to be able to promote and monitor disability issues within their respective governments and in relation to UN Agen-cies - in particular with the UNDP To adopt a similar policy towards EU as towards the UN agencies as re-gards inclusion of the disability dimension in development cooperation programs. To collaborate with DPOs in all these efforts. DPOs in Nordic and South countries should consider: To influence Manuals and Guidelines of the respective agencies To take a role in scrutinising projects initiated by the agencies, focussing on the disability aspects especially stressing the value of: - non-exclusive and non-discriminatory programs, e g programs that consider the effects on lives of disabled adults and children. - accessibility of buildings, transport, information and public services. - inclusive education in teacher training and school curricula development To design and offer awareness raising and training components for UN Agency staff and consultants. To influence the UN agencies on the choice of consultants or to position themselves as consultants by developing and marketing of their particular knowledge. To promote and facilitate capacity building within the DPOs in order for them to be able to contribute to and influence the UN agencies at various levels. To create platforms and forums to share information and knowledge on good practices and to establish a web site for information and exchange of knowledge. 5.3 Promoting disability issues within the Human Rights system Ministries and Agencies should consider the following suggestions in a joint Nordic Platform of Action: To raise awareness within the governments and within the UN in order to have a common agreement that disability is a human rights issue and that all Human Rights Instruments can be used for monitoring of the rights of persons with disabilities - not only the Standard Rules. To give financial and moral support to the initiatives taken by the inter-national disability movement and the UN Special Rapporteur on Disabil-ity, to find ways of strengthening the status of persons with disabilities within the human rights system and to use the recommendations from the Human Rights Seminar in Sweden as a starting point for a joint Nordic plan. To continue supporting the function of the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability for the remainder of his period To develop guidelines on how to observe the disability dimension when assessing the situation in a country, when making country reports to the UN and when assessing these reports in the UN Human Rights system. Such guidelines must be accessible to persons with disabilities and to DPOs. To support capacity building within disability organizations around the world as well as within governments, EU and UN bodies to ensure that the human rights instruments can be fully utilized to promote protect and promote disabled peoples rights. To take active initiative in negotiations with partner countries when it comes to requesting DPO participation and when it comes to capacity building of DPOs on how to use the human rights instruments. To take active initiative in negotiations with partner countries to advocate that each individual has the right to communicate in his/her own language, including sign language. To invite DPOs to attend important planning and monitoring meetings. To include persons with disabilities in developing countries not only as an important target group but also as stakeholders in programs and pro-jects concerning human rights issues. This requires full accessibility. To evaluate the effectiveness of present Human Rights systems and if necessary consider to promote an additional, more focused human rights instrument, i.e. a convention on the rights of persons with disabilities To collaborate with DPOs in all these efforts. DPOs in Nordic and South countries should consider: To inform themselves about the possibilities to use other Human Rights Instruments in addition to the Standard Rules. To build their capacity in order to be able to contribute to the monitoring process of these Human Rights Instruments. To establish an international DPO focal point for monitoring, collating in-formation and reporting of Human Rights abuses of persons with dis-abilities (possibly Disability Awareness in Action, DAA). To assist in the development of guidelines and in capacity building of government and UN officials. To promote information sharing as well as to collaborate with and influ-ence other Human Rights NGOs to include the disability dimension in their work. Promoting the African Decade on Disability The following suggestions should be considered by Nordic Ministries and Agencies in relation to the African Decade: To inform their respective governments particularly their foreign mission abroad about the African Decade. To realign the work of their ministries and embassies to achieve the aims of the Decade as expressed in the Business Plan. To influence multilateral agencies to support the Decade. To affirm disability as a human rights issue. To support the programs within the following areas through bilateral, multi-lateral and NGO programs: - capacity building of DPOs, particularly advocacy and lobbying skills. - institutional development of DPOs. - eradication of poverty amongst persons with disabilities. - interventions which address disability in on-going crises such as HIV/Aids, natural disasters and war conflicts. - development of organisations of disabled women, the girl child and mothers of disabled children. To support the capacity building of the coordinating and monitoring structures of the Decade within the OAU (i.e. e ARI) and within the Continental and Regional DPOs. DPOs in Nordic countries should consider: To develop and respect the leadership and the coordinating role of DPOs in the South (i.e. PAFOD) of the Decade and ensuring that the priorities of the South DPOs will guide the process To review their present programs in light of the priorities expressed in the Business Plan Revisiting the joint Nordic agenda In order to evaluate the outcome of the Nordic initiatives and lay down future plans for continuing Nordic cooperation concerning the disability dimension in Nordic and multilateral development cooperation there is a need for follow up. It was suggested to arrange a follow up meeting after three years at expert level and after five years at ministerial level. It was further suggested that the next meeting be held in Africa (e g Uganda). Nordic Ministries, Agencies and DPOs should consider the following recommenda-tions: to outline the agenda for these follow up meetings and to appoint somebody to be responsible for the practical arrangements to consider the option of meeting in Africa to budget accordingly APPENDICES 01 Nordic DPO Statement at the Conference for Nordic Development Cooperation and the Disability Dimension 02 Ministerial Communiqué 03 Communiqué from African Delegates to the Development Cooperation Conference in Copenhagen 04 Statement from the Women Assembled at the Nordic Conference table of contents - home page - text-only home page Email this article to a friend! Your email Your name Recipient's email