Challenges of Equal Employment
Opportunity for Youth with
Disabilities in the Middle East
Point of view of field
practitioner …
Ola Abu Alghaib Middle East Regional Project Coordinator
Handicap International
17th –June 09
Unemployment Rate Among Youth by Selected World
Regions, 2005
(ILO), Global Employment Trends for Youth
(Geneva: ILO, 2006)
Main challenges to reach Equal
Employment opportunities
• Access to social
services:
(availability, affordability,
accessibility ,good quality, choice )
Health
Education
social Protection
Employment
• Policy makers
Agendas.
• Disability Movements
• Societies perspectives.
Employment
• Safety net
Poverty Reduction
Integration in labor force
Impairment
inadequate environment
Inadequate education
poverty
Lack of support services
Low income
poor quality jobs
poor training
Inadequate safety net
National policies addressing employment for
PWD /challenges and good practices )
•
•
•
•
Quotas (Palestine, Jordan, Egypt)
Social development fund /disability fund (Yemen)
Rights and Access Programs (Lebanon )
International agencies programs supporting work
opportunities( UNDP Palestine/Lebanon).
Weakness of Implemented Policies
•
•
•
•
Gate keeping mechanisms
Budgeting /sustainability.
Geographical coverage.
Lack of awareness on rights and entitlement of
people
• Exclusion of certain disabilities (intellectual disabilities )
• Poor vocational training Programs
• Lack of inclusion in mainstream services
Handicap International Strategy on the regional level to
promote Employment opportunities for Youth with
Disabilities
• Musawa Project
“Strengthening self advocacy capacities for rights and equal opportunities of
people with disabilities in Middle East”
Main objective
• (DPO's) develop sustainable capacities to advocate and
become acknowledged counterparts of public authorities
and other key stakeholders in the development and
implementation of policies targeting the inclusion of PWD's
at local, national and regional levels.
Types of activities
• Training and coaching.
• Support to coordination among DPOs and
regional exchange.
• Research and dissemination of good
practices.
• Micro grants to support local initiatives
• Regional advocacy .
• DMI Project
“Disability Monitor Initiative”
Main objective
The objective of the DMI is to be an advocacy tool to
monitor and facilitate the sharing of knowledge on
the ways local organizations, authorities,
governments and international agencies develop
and support reforms that promote and enable the
full participation of persons with disabilities.
Activities
• Good practice awards
• A regional legislative review
• Production of Regular journals (UNCRPD ,Social
protection, Access to Education etc..)
• Development of an information platform on the
internet for DMI activities and disability resources
(www.disabilitymonitor-me.org)
Case Study from Palestine
Women with Disability in the West Bank
“A Baseline Survey of living conditions”
Stars of Hope Society
Proposed Recommendation to the World Bank and
International Agencies
• Integrate disability within the mainstream of its
development policy and practice
• Support the development of social protection policies and
gate keeping mechanisms.
• influence governments’ policies towards Inclusive
education
• Support to access to services based on rights based
approach .
• increase the resources for enabling PWD to have their own
micro business enterprises.
• supporting specific initiatives to enhance the
empowerment of people with disabilities