ST GEORGES, Grenada – The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB, the Bank), along with the government of Grenada partnered with the United Kingdom government and other Caribbean groups to address key issues affecting people with disabilities.
The new CDB regional report on disabilities was presented at the 2024 Caribbean Disability Conference, held from October 9 to 13 in Grenada. The event, organised by the Authentic Caribbean and Generation Grenada Foundations, brought together over 200 participants for three days of discussions aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities.
The conference, with the theme “Community Access, Empowerment, and Inclusion,” focused on how to incorporate the recommendations from CDB’s disability study into future development plans. The goal is to unlock the full potential of people with disabilities in the region.
CDB’s social sector division chief, Dr Martin Baptiste who spoke at the Conference opening ceremony, encouraged the broader community to listen to the voices of persons with disabilities and their caregivers. These perspectives were reflected in the bank’s groundbreaking 2024 Draft Regional Disabilities Assessment Report currently under evaluation. Described as a synthesis of studies in four countries – Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Grenada (including Carriacou, and Petite Martinique), and Trinidad and Tobago. The report aims to help the region create and evaluate programmes that include people with disabilities.
According to Dr Baptiste, the assessment highlighted critical areas for action among them, “insufficient efforts to mainstream the rights of persons with disabilities into national policies and programmes; inadequate access to basic services, elevated levels of abuse, stress, and isolation and public expenditure on disability-related services; and the limited involvement of persons with disabilities in policymaking or the design of programmes impacting them.”
Additionally, while the challenges are not insurmountable, the region requires firm and effective action to institute the legal, policy and education reforms necessary to catalyse change. Dr Baptiste affirmed that the bank will continue to serve as a transformative development partner as it relates to disability mainstreaming.
“Disability is not an inability, and nothing can be done without the invaluable contribution of the disabled community,” he emphasized.
Victor Clark, the Resident British Commissioner, British High Commission St George’s, also spoke on the inaugural day of the conference; and noted that the UK is committed to promoting disability rights globally and stressed the need to stop treating disability inclusion as an afterthought.
“The UK is deeply committed to disability inclusion. We work hard to promote the rights of persons with disabilities. Too often well-meaning people don’t consider disabled people when developing policies or designing public infrastructure, rather it might be an afterthought, or a tickbox approach at most. That needs to change.”
The UK government is currently working with CDB to implement a flagship £350 million UK Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF), administered by the bank. The programme is assisting with climate-resilient and socially inclusive economic infrastructure in the region. The conference also included a session on how disability inclusion is being addressed in practice in under UKCIF.
Other agencies supporting the conference were the Centre for Disability Studies, University of the West Indies and the United Nations’ Human Rights and Youth Advisory arms. Delma Thomas minister for mental health and wellness delivered remarks on behalf of the ministry of health, mental health and wellness.
The government of Grenada, hosts of the conference, was represented by senator Gloria Thomas minister for social and community development, housing and gender affairs, who delivered remarks on behalf of prime minister Dickon Mitchell.
