Challenges of Equal Employment Opportunity for Youth with Disabilities

in the Middle East

Ola Abu Alghaib Middle East Regional Project Coordinator Handicap International

17th –June 09

Point of view of field practitioner…

Unemployment Rate Among Youth by Selected WorldRegions, 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 ProtectionEmployment

• Policy makers Agendas.• Disability Movements• Societies perspectives.

Employment Poverty Reduction

• Safety net Integration in labor force

• Quotas (Palestine, Jordan, Egypt)• Social development fund /disability fund

(Yemen)• Rights and Access Programs (Lebanon )• International agencies programs

supporting work opportunities( UNDP Palestine/Lebanon).

National policies addressing employment for PWD /challenges

and good practices)

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 objectiveThe 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