Strategic Plan 2024-2026

Everybody Gains Through Disability Inclusion

DCDD logo, red text says Dutch Coalition on Disability and Development, blue text says Inclusion works
Annual Strategy 2024-2026

Preface

This document describes the multi-annual strategy 2024-2026 of the Dutch Coalition on Disability and Development, DCDD.

We describe the world we envision, the goals we want to reach at the end of 2026 and to this end, the strategic choices we will make in the coming years.

This multi-annual strategy is the result of reflections of the DCDD Board and DCDD Coordinator, consultations with the main participants of DCDD, a Strategy session with the DCDD Network and feedback and suggestions of the Coordination Team. We are grateful for this collaboration.

It’s a vulnerable world we live in. The lives of people with disabilities are even more vulnerable. Yet strong! Therefore, we look forward to execute our joint mission in this new strategic period. Because through disability inclusion everybody gains.

Fall 2023

DCDD Board

Strategy 2024-2026

Our History

History

DCDD

History

Relevant external developments:

2006

UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD).

2011

Ratification of the UN CRPD by the EU.

2016

Ratification of the UN CRPD by the Dutch Government.

Additional motion: international policies should also be inclusive.

2018

First Dutch CRPD report.

2023

Launch of the Foreign Feminist Policy

Launch of the Foreign Feminist Policy, showing growing international demand for more inclusive Dutch foreign policies and laws.

History

Examples of recent DCDD achievements: 

20 Years of DCDD


In 2020, Vice Versa published an article about 20 years DCDD (in Dutch):

12 Consortia


Our Power of Disability Inclusion sessions have attracted 12 consortia, including 140 people, since 2022.

Since 2019


The Ministry reports annually to Parliament on their support to programmes which include people with disabilities since 2019.

4 Quick Guides


Four Quick Guides on disability inclusive programming were published as practical tools for NGO professionals, as well as several research papers that provide an evidence base for lobby advocates. 

Strategy 2024-2026

Our Identity

Our identity

What We Do

We believe in the power of inclusion to transform lives.
Our Identity

Values

  • Inclusion – We know that inclusion works; we practice what we preach.
  • Rights-based – Disability inclusion is not just an aspiration but a human right.
  • Nothing about us without us – Because people with disabilities know what is best for them.
  • Collaboration – Together, we achieve more.
Our Identity

Vision

We envision a world where people with disabilities can enjoy:

  • Equal rights
  • Opportunities
  • Fair treatment
We believe that through the inclusion of people with disabilities, everybody gains.
Our Identity

Focus

We focus on the Dutch sector of international development cooperation and humanitarian aid and recovery.

Our Identity

Legitimation

Our vision finds its legitimate foundation in the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UN CRPD) and is resonated with the Leave No One Behind Principle of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our Identity

Mission

Among Dutch Government and Dutch stakeholders, we work towards a broad movement with many and diverse participants who embrace our vision. Together, we make disability inclusiveness happen in international development cooperation, humanitarian aid, and recovery.

A photo of young women in Ethiopia during the Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights.
Strategy 2024-2026

Our Context

Our Context

Positive Trends

Some trends that support the work of DCDD

Inclusion

Inclusion is well regarded and there is increased focus on intersectional approaches to development. Inclusion and human rights are a focus point of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs policy.

Shifting the Power

A focus on Shifting the Power and on Localisation, bringing the importance of, for example; Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to the forefront

Advocacy by and for marginalised groups

Advocacy by and for marginalised groups is generally well supported through the ‘Strengthening civil society’ framework of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Our Context

Negative Trends

Some trends that are less favourable to DCDD

Broad Definition of Inclusion

Inclusion has become an important issue, but it has been defined in a very broad way. To be clear, we emphasise that our focus is on disability inclusion (while at the same time using collaboration with other inclusion platforms through an intersectional lens as an entry point).

Funding Competition

Competition for funding is fierce, and pleading for more disability inclusion focus in funding and policy instruments is not a priority for many organisations.

MoFA Policy

The focus of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) policy is not on ‘target groups’, which makes DCDD objectives easy to dismiss.

Internal Shifts in MoFA

There is a shift occurring within MoFA towards trade and large-scale programmes (big grants requiring little management from MoFA).

Kids with and without albinism wearing blue school uniforms and laughing together
Strategy 2024-2026

Our Terminology

Our Terminology

DCDD

With the term ‘DCDD’, we could mean the DCDD organisation or Coordination Team; we could also mean the DCDD Network of the DCDD participants.

DCDD as an organisation and DCDD as a network has much-varied knowledge on disability inclusion and development. When it comes to disability and inclusion, MOFA values DCDD and their Coordinator as their initial point of contact, recognising our role both as a network and a reliable resource for support.

In this strategic period, we will emphasize on the opportunities we all together – as a network – do and can do. We envision a disability inclusive sector in which many organisations involve.

Our Terminology

Abbreviations

When people with disabilities are included in all spheres of life, everybody gains.

MoFA

(Dutch) Ministry of Foreign
Affairs

OPDs

Disabled People’s
Organisations

UN CRPD

UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities

SDGs

Sustainable Development Goals

NGOs

Non-governmental organisations

MPs

Members of (Dutch) Parliament

Our Terminology

Network of participants

The DCDD Network consists of participants (not ‘members’): NGOs, research and training institutes and individuals interested in and working on inclusion of people with disabilities in development cooperation. Participants of the DCDD network join forces to create a platform for learning on disability-inclusion, and to have a stronger voice towards policy makers. The DCDD participants work closely together with organisations working for people with disabilities and Disabled People’s Organisations worldwide.

Get Involved

Join the Movement

Our Terminology

Coordination Team

The DCDD Coordination Team is the staff enrolled by the Board of DCDD. It is an engine to facilitate, boost and catalyse the DCDD Network.

Headshot of Lieke Scheewe

Lieke
Scheewe

Headshot of Maria Baarslag

Maria
Baarslag

Angela
Frings

Judy Y
Dinh Dang

Ieke
van Lammeren

Headshot of Sanne Lukkien

Sanne
Lukkien

Strategy 2024-2026

Our Goals

01

A growing collaboration
on
disability inclusion

02

DCDD serves the sector as a Disability Inclusion Expertise Hub

03

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
applies disability inclusion

Strategy 2024-2026

Goal 1

A growing collaboration on disability inclusion.

Goal 1

Outcomes and Strategic Choices

  • Advocate to program officers and their heads of departments on disability inclusiveness.
  • Promote the added value of DCDD in the sector of development, humanitarian aid and recovery.
  • Invite development and humanitarian aid and recovery organisations to partner with DCDD in the Network.
  • Involve people from project countries in the DCDD Strategy and Execution, e.g., as an Advisory Board.
  • Establish a Core Group of staff of DCDD participants that is willing to take (more) responsibility and to jointly facilitate the DCCD Network.
  • Connect with program staff on disability inclusive themes.
  • Enrich program staff with respect to disability-inclusive programming.
  • Support at least two concrete humanitarian aid and recovery programs to be executed disability inclusively.
  • Identify opportunities for strategic partnerships.
  • Be supportive in forging coalitions of collaboration.
  • Identify two opportunities that are best to become a partner in.
  • Be proactive in forging coalitions of collaboration for those two.
Woman with a red head scarf.
Strategy 2024-2026

Goal 2

DCDD serves the sector as a Disability Inclusion Expertise Hub.

Goal 2

Outcomes and Strategic Choices

  • Share inspiring examples of actual disability inclusion with the Board.
  • Make examples of actual disability inclusion through a DCDD participant available for the Network as a whole and broader.
  • Frequently assess needs and offers among the DCDD Network partners and the participants of We Are Able! learning sessions.
  • Assess how our platform and database with tools and resources is being used and make it as usable as possible.
  • Lead in co-creation with partners, We Are Able! learning sessions on disability inclusive programming and organisations.
  • Further contribute to Partos‘ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion trajectory.
  • Make ‘Practice what we preach’ an essential element in every DCDD Network meeting.
  • Make ‘Nothing about us without us’ an essential element in every DCDD Network Meeting.
  • Accurately identify which knowledge and expertise are needed in the network.
  • Learn from Expertise Hubs experiences in the UK and Australia.
  • Develop a fundable multi-year project proposal.
Strategy 2024-2026

Goal 3

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs applies disability inclusion.

Goal 3

Outcomes and Strategic Choices

Develop a longer-term lobbying strategy towards MoFA:

  • Disability inclusion: why, how, what.
  • Disability inclusion in Feminist Foreign Policy.
  • Disability inclusion requirement in calls for proposals.
  • Interest in and funding of project DCDD Expertise Hub.
  • The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) monitoring and review.
  • Inspire and influence – regularly, systematically, personally – MPs in the field of disability inclusion.
  • Involve other stakeholders who have influence and/or authority with respect to MoFA, e.g., knowledge institutions.
  • Invite relevant OPDs and/or knowledge institutions from the project countries to join meetings.
  • Invite MoFA staff to the Network Meeting, including the ‘Practice what we preach’ elements.
  • Provide proactive suggestions to MoFA to appoint focal points with a mandate focused on disability inclusion.
  • Inform MoFA focal points proactively on the practice of disability inclusion, e.g., guidelines for accessibility of consultations and events (e.g., the GLAD Network and the Global Disability Summit).
  • Prioritise with the network on which department/theme we want to lobby and network.
  • Inspire and influence – regularly, systematically, personally – MPs in the field of disability and inclusion.
  • Involve other stakeholders who have influence and/or authority with respect to MoFA, e.g., knowledge institutions.