Promoting equity and equality is a major milestone in today’s development initiatives across the globe. As millions of people from disadvantaged and marginalized groups live in poverty, bringing them to the table, and ensuring the same starting point, the same rights and similar opportunities is a must to achieve sustainability, not to mention the Sustainable Development Goals. With this in mind, World Inclusion Day, celebrated on October 10th, is a great time to discuss inclusivity with international development experts.
Key Takeaways:
- World Inclusion Day is held on October 10th and is dedicated to ensuring that people of diverse abilities, conditions, ages, races, religions, genders, and other characteristics are accepted, welcomed, and treated fairly.
- High levels of diversity and inclusion in the workplace are associated with greater productivity, innovation, and workforce well-being.
- Women, youth, and people living with disabilities from ultra-poor communities are the most excluded groups of global communities.
- It is believed by international experts that ensuring a diverse and inclusive environment and workplace starts with inclusive education.
DevelopmentAid: What are the key challenges to promoting inclusivity in international development, and how can these be effectively addressed?
“Promoting inclusivity in international development has been challenged by the lack of harmonized tools and approaches. Poverty is a key challenge to effectively reach marginalized groups of society including women, youths, the elderly and people with disabilities from the ultra-poor sector. In addressing these challenges, international development programs should incorporate gender equality, social inclusion, and economic empowerment in order to strengthen participation of the marginalized groups of society. Multi-sectoral approaches should be taken on board to enable a number of diverse professionals to develop harmonized tools and approaches for effective inclusivity.”
“Social inclusion refers to the endeavor to guarantee unbiased chances for everyone, irrespective of their social attributes (such as age, gender, caste/ethnicity, race, language, culture) or various factors (such as physical abilities, economic status, and social background). This is done with the goal of enabling individuals to realize their maximum capabilities in life. It’s a comprehensive effort geared towards establishing an environment that facilitates the enthusiastic involvement of all community members across various domains of life, including societal, political, economic, and civic spheres, along with engagement in the process of decision-making. Exclusion is deeply rooted in the social framework of a community or nation and the inclusion approach varies from one community or country to another. Taking Nepal as an example, this is a nation that is characterized by its diverse array of ethnicities, languages, cultures, and religions. However, Nepal has encountered numerous obstacles that hinder the effective execution of inclusion initiatives. These challenges encompass geographical factors, with its three distinct ecological regions (mountain, hill, and terai) causing scattered settlements that impede efficient service delivery. Additionally, there are physical challenges arising from the lack of an infrastructure that caters to the needs of children, gender-diverse individuals, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Political challenges have also emerged as policies, laws, and regulations have often been crafted with the majority population in mind, thereby leading to the insufficient representation and participation of minority groups in decision-making processes and institutions. Economic hindrances stem from poverty which restricts access to education, political representation, and involvement in community development endeavors. Socio-cultural barriers persist as well. Despite legal measures to abolish untouchability, the tradition lingers in practice, highlighting the gap between legal frameworks and actual societal behavior.”
DevelopmentAid: Why is inclusion important for advancing global development?
“Sustainable and effective global development is attainable only where nobody is excluded. Inclusion is key in advancing global development. This principle should be a cornerstone of development programs and aid projects across the world. The attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is highly dependent on effective inclusion as well. Just mention a few of SDGs, attainment of no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, gender equality, and affordable clean energy, inclusion remains a key.”
DevelopmentAid: How can inclusive education contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty and promoting sustainable development in low-income communities?
“While the goal of education, from the labor market perspective, is to have an adequate supply of skilled professionals, inclusive education levels out the economic ground equalities. It is key for the poor and the rich, girls and boys, and those living with disability to have equal opportunities for the future situation on the paid labor market. Inclusive education is central to low-income communities accessing quality training, skills, and technology for self-employment and paid labor for all.”
“Education assumes a pivotal role in raising people’s awareness about their rights and expanding cognitive capabilities. To initiate the inclusivity journey, it is essential to construct a curriculum framework that integrates the principles of inclusiveness and advocate for its adoption at the school level. This framework imparts knowledge, proficiencies, and practical applications that contribute to the incorporation of inclusivity from an early age. It facilitates the realization of the maximum potential of all students, nurtures cultural understanding and acceptance, introduces life-skills education post-schooling, and elevates students’ self-regard and assurance. Succinctly put, schoolchildren can act as precursors, facilitating the dissemination of inclusive ideals from child to child, child to parents, and child to the broader community. To address exclusion, the following activities should be implemented.
- The government ought to formulate policies that embrace inclusivity
- Give precedence to inclusive initiatives
- The government or the relevant authority needs to allocate sufficient resources for the improvement of facilities that cater to the needs of children, gender-diverse individuals, and the elderly, thus fostering an all-encompassing environment
- Organize campaigns aimed at improving awareness regarding societal issues such as gender equality, disabilities, the abolishment of untouchability, political representation, and more
- Execute focused programs designed to alleviate poverty
- Foster the development of human resources dedicated to the implementation of inclusive projects
- Reinforce monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure adherence to policies and to maintain accountability.”
See also: Human freedom on decline: causes, consequences and solutions | Experts’ Opinions
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