Mary Davis, Special Olympics International; Virginia Atkinson, International Foundation for Electoral Systems; Professor Michael Stein, Harvard Law School Project on Disability; Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Sara Minkara, US Department of State; and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Taryn Williams, US Department of Labor join the G7 Ministers’ first meeting on Inclusion and Disability, held this week in Umbria, Italy. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics
Special Olympics urged Group of Seven leaders Wednesday in Umbria, Italy, to strengthen their commitment to advancing disability rights during the first-ever G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Inclusion and Disability.
Special Olympics chief executive officer Mary Davis commended the landmark summit of government officials from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, for the “significant step forward in our collective journey towards a more inclusive world.” Advertisement
“Special Olympics is honored to be part of this historic event and ensure that our community of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities has a seat at the table alongside leaders from these seven major economies,” Davis said.
“We are committed to working with G7 leaders to ensure that the voices of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities are heard and their needs are met,” Davis added. “This summit has shown that when we come together with a shared vision, we can create real change.”
Recent data shows there are an estimated 65 million primary and lower secondary-school age children with disabilities in developing countries who are underserved in terms of education and social services, according to the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, which says fewer than 5% of those children will complete primary school. Advertisement
While Davis commended the conference, which ended with attendees signing the Solfagnano Charter — a series of commitments to strengthen inclusion — she challenged leaders to continue their work.
“This inaugural meeting must not be the last,” Davis said, as she called on “all subsequent G7 presidencies to schedule regular ministerial meetings on disability to monitor progress to ensure that commitments to inclusion yield results: better policies, stronger legal frameworks and more financial resources.”
Special Olympics, the global sports organization founded in 1968, is working to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. It currently represents more than 4 million athletes and 1 million coaches and volunteers in 200 countries.
“The message from the G7 is clear: the future of economic and political cooperation is disability inclusive,” said Sara Minkara, the U.S. State Department’s special advisor on international disability rights.
“We look forward to seeing how other bi- and multilateral partnerships carry this good work forward and elevate the voices of the 16% of the world’s population with a disability.”
