Individuals With Disabilities Are Mainstreamed Through The G20 Process

'Civil20', an official participation group inside the G20 process, has established a stand-alone 'Disability, Equity, Justice' (DEJ) working group to address concerns over mainstreaming people with impairments. This move is anticipated to boost discussions on problems relating to disabilities. This move is a first for the G20 processes and comes under India's leadership.

According to the Civil20 website, the DEJ working group will advance disability equity and disability inclusion within the G20 leaders' promises. It added that the focus is on amplifying the voices of individuals with disabilities, who make up 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the world's population, and reside primarily in G20 nations. Moreover, as a result of wars, conflicts, natural disasters, and ageing, the population of persons with impairments is growing.

The DEJ Working Group seeks to achieve a realistic vision of economic development that is inclusive, just, accessible, and sustainable by bringing together the experiences and knowledge of handicapped and non-disabled civil society.

According to the working group, it is critical that the G20 nations address systemic inaccessibility and impediments entrenched in stigma. According to research, countries can lose up to 7% of their GDP due to the absence of meaningful involvement and inclusion among people with disabilities. A heightened danger of violence and exclusion threatens the meaningful involvement of women with disabilities and those who experience many forms of discrimination in the political, social, and economic spheres.

Furthermore, education, jobs and livelihoods, health, inclusive societies, the environment and a sustainable climate, and social protection are among the thematic focal areas of the DEJ Working Group. The Group will hold policy discussions all around India and collect suggestions from professionals and people with disabilities at the local, regional, and international levels.