International Cooperation
Globally, more than 800 million people with disabilities live in poverty. Too many are being left behind in international development. Disabled People's Organisations Denmark (DPOD) works internationally to help overcome such negative effects and conditions of life through sustainable development cooperation with like-minded partner organisations. On this page you can read about DPOD's international engagement.
Learning site to encourage inclusion
To inspire and share knowledge about how people with disabilities can become part of mainstream development cooperation, we have developed a new learning site for staff and volunteers at civil society organisations, ministries and other actors in international development.
Promoting inclusion in development cooperation
People with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty, less likely to access education and health services, and are under-represented in decision-making and political participation compared to people without disabilities. Many development cooperation efforts do not include people with disabilities, and thus tend to leave them behind. This is not a cause of ill will. It is often due to misconceptions, lack of data about people with disabilities, and due to the fact that people with disabilities often are invisible in communities. With awareness, small adjustments and interaction with this diverse group of people, development cooperation can make a huge difference.
We aim to promote that Danish development assistance becomes inclusive for people with disabilities. We're also part of and cooperate with international networks, primarily through International Disability Alliance and International Disability and Development Consortium, to advance the fulfillment of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Working with disability organisations in the Global South
We support cooperation between Danish disability organisations and like-minded organisations in the Global South. These partnerships are supported through the Danish Disability Fund administered by us and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The Danish Disability Fund is founded on a shared aim of realising the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to the fullest.
We also work in partnerships with national federations of organisations for people with disabilities in Ghana, Rwanda and Nepal.
The development cooperation with organisations of people with disabilities in the Global South builds on a range of principles, values and change theory formulated in this two-pager with an overview of the strategic foundation.
You can read about the Global Disability Programme in the latest report with Results from 2022.