Spanish cooperation reinforces its commitment to aiding disability

The Global Action on Disability (GLAD) network coordinates the work of agencies, foundations and private sector agents that work to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in international development and humanitarian aid policies.FIIAPP, AECID and ONCE became full members of the network in 2019,coming together to reinforce their commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities in development cooperation. 

The European–funded Bridging the Gap cooperation project is led by FIIAPP in cooperation with AECID and ONCE.This project seeks to reduce the social exclusion of people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Latin America, supporting the implementation of fairer and more inclusive policies.It also contributes to the global commitment to encourage and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, the specific objective of the tenth Sustainable Development Goal. 

The event, promoted by the Bridging the Gap cooperation project within the framework of the GLAD annual meeting, saw the participation of Inmaculada Zamora, FIIAPP General Secretary; Fernando Jiménez, Director of Multilateral, Horizontal and Financial Cooperation of AECID, and Javier Güemes, Director of International Relations of Grupo Social ONCE.  

During her speech, Inmaculada Zamora highlighted the work of the FIIAPP “based on the exchange of experiences and knowledge between experts from the public sector in different countries to support the improvement and reform of public institutions.”The FIIAPP General Secretary recognised the great work done by initiatives such as Bridging the Gap:“The project is now in its final six months and has obtained worthwhile results, both nationally and globally.We believe that its relevance is a starting point for future cooperation initiatives under the umbrella of Europe.”She also highlighted the work of other projects such as EUROsociAL+ and SOCIEUX+ in promoting inclusion and the rights of people with disabilities.  

Fernando Jiménez from AECID also recalled the importance of international alliances, as outlined in SDG 17, when working on cooperation and development projects. Lastly, Javier Güemes highlighted the importance of not forgetting the middle-income countries of Latin America or the European regions of the Mediterranean when carrying out projects related to disability.