European cooperation joins forces for inclusive public policies in Latin America

Three European international cooperation programmes, Bridging the Gap, EUROsociAL+ and SOCIEUX +, came together to participate in the seminar “Europe and Latin America. Disability in bi-regional cooperation: the opportunity for a new, fairer normality for all” organised by Grupo Social ONCE.

The seminar, which was chaired by the ONCE Social Group, highlighted how the response to the COVID19 pandemic has shown that there are still many challenges remaining for an effective application of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but, at the same time, that it has opened a window of opportunity to move towards fairer and more inclusive societies.

In this regard, the sum of the experience of three cooperation programmes makes a significant contribution to the development of inclusive strategies so that no one is left behind on the road to the new normal, as the representatives of the programmes involved explained. 

Andrea Mónaco, of the EUROsociAL+ programme’s social policy area, presented the actions taken in the region aimed at supporting inclusive policies for people with disabilities. In the case of SOCIEUX +, Catherine Barme, work and employment coordinator, highlighted one of her experiences in Peru, where several activities have been carried out to promote the employment of said group, and the short-term activities, among peers, that have been posed to meet the problems of social and labour protection caused by the current health crisis. 

The director of Bridging the Gap, Federico Martire, presented the main results achieved and the possibility that these will be consolidated and maintained when the project ends. Likewise, he presented measures taken so that the response to COVID19 might be inclusive and take people with disabilities into account. The actions taken include an alternative and inclusive report prepared by disabled people’s organisations on the Paraguayan Government’s response to the pandemic. 

FIIAPP participates in the organisation of these three European cooperation programmes and has taken important steps in its commitment to people with disabilities, as shown by the inclusion of disability in its annual operational plan and its adherence to the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) network.