This Communiqué is also available in the following formats:

• DRG Communiqué for April 2010 meeting (PDF 105kb)
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Summary outcomes

1. The third meeting of the AusAID Disability-Inclusive Development Reference Group was held in Canberra on 29 April 2010. The
   agenda for the meeting and
   biographies of DRG members are below. The two-hour teleconference was chaired by AusAID Disability Inclusive Development Team Director, Kristen Pratt. Ms Megan McCoy and Assistant Director General Laurie Dunn gave their apologies.

Purpose

2. The Reference Group was established to provide senior level guidance to the Australian aid program on implementation of the Development for All Strategy. Objectives for the third meeting were to review the draft Performance Assessment Framework for the strategy and update DRG members on progress in disability and development in AusAID.

Summary of discussions: AusAID update

3. An update of progress in disability-inclusive development in AusAID included:
   • DPO Capacity Building: support for the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) has commenced, with core funding to four Pacific DPOs (Fiji DPA, Vanuatu DPA, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands) and ongoing support for an additional position at the PDF Secretariat to oversee DPO capacity development, technical and mentoring support to the CEO PDF. A joint review of DPO capacity development assistance with the New Zealand Aid Programme is underway and will inform a comprehensive program of future support for Pacific DPOs.
   • Disability Rights Fund: AusAID has contributed AUD1.2 million over two years (2009 and 2010) to the Fund, assisting the opening of grant funding to DPOs in Indonesia, where a first round of grants has recently been announced. Pacific grantees have received their first grants and held their first convening meeting in Suva, 27-28 March 2010.
   • Papua New Guinea: In response to Dame Carol Kidu's request for Australia's assistance to PNG to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
     Disabilities, training in disability and development was provided to PNG's Department for Community Development, National Disability Advisory Committee and staff from AusAID Pt Moresby Post in April 2010. Professor Ron McCallum, Inaugural Rapporteur to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and 2010 Committee Chair, was invited to PNG to mark their National Day for People with Disability on 29 March.
   • Avoidable Blindness Initiative: An Independent Review to assess AusAID's approach to preventable blindness in Asia and the Pacific is underway, and will inform future directions and management arrangements.
   • UNICEF: AusAID has been working closely with UNICEF to promote the rights and needs of children with disability. A partnership is under negotiation to promote the inclusion of children with disability in the Child Friendly Schools initiative, support child protection activities and establish a disability specialist position to integrate disability-inclusive development throughout UNICEF's programs.
   • Guidelines for disability-inclusive development: the Disability-Inclusive Development team is currently developing guidelines on Universal Design for an accessible built environment, wheelchair use (following WHO guidelines), and the use of recycled spectacles in aid programs.
   • Other recent disability-inclusive initiatives around the agency include:
     • Active role for people with in Australian aid program: The Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) has been invited to contribute to technical and vocational education training (TVET program) design
     • Recognising rights: the Scholarships program is developing reasonable accommodation guidelines for scholars with disability
     • Disability-inclusive development: education infrastructure guidelines have been developed for PNG's Education Department through AusAID's education program. The Philippines country program has conducted a disability situational analysis in consultation with local DPOs to inform their new Country Strategy. The Philippines Law and Justice program is working with consultants with disability in designing their new program.
   • Enabling mechanisms: delays in establishing a number of key enabling resources and mechanisms present a continuing challenge to the roll-out of disability-inclusive development in AusAID. Priorities for the remainder of 2010 are:
     • mobilising two Regional Disability Advisers (Suva, Phnom Penh)
     • designing a Disability Resource Facility
     • developing Communications, Leadership, and Capacity Development strategiesfor disability and development in AusAID.

Performance assessment for Development for All

4. Previous DRG meetings agreed on the importance of developing a performance assessment framework to measure progress under the Development for All strategy. The DRG identified the need to build baseline information as a reference point for performance assessment, and the importance of starting in a focused way.
5. There are significant challenges involved in achieving effective performance assessment of disability-inclusive development in the Australian aid program, including addressing the complexity of collecting information from a large number of programs and sectors, and ensuring that disability-inclusive development is integrated into AusAID's operations and practices. At the activity level, performance information on disability-inclusive development will be generated through existing performance systems as well as some additional, specific systems. At least initially, this will require technical support and capacity development of AusAID staff and implementing partners.
6. DIDT has developed a draft framework for measuring the progress of strategy implementation, and plans for supporting measurement processes in the agency. The review of this framework is the primary purpose of this third DRG meeting. Given the framework is still work in progress and requires further consultation, the meeting's focus was directed towards strategic information and risk management issues.
7. A number of Performance Assessment Framework (PAF) documents were presented for discussion:
   • Performance Assessment Framework Overview–sets out the PAF's purpose, audience, roles and responsibilities for performance assessment, principles of approach and methodology (eg drawing on lived experience of people with disability), and risk management. This document explains how AusAID will facilitate use of the PAF, including through performance measures or indicators, the support of Regional Disability Specialists, training and capacity building programs for AusAID staff, guidelines on incorporating DID into design and performance assessment, and engaging a Performance Information Team to support quality, in-depth performance information in priority areas. An annex to this document is the Annual Performance Assessment Implementation Plan, which outlines priority performance assessment tasks for the next year eg developing comprehensive performance information systems in two countries; and in disability-inclusive education in selected country programs.
   • Performance Measurement –Strategy level–this table contains performance measures and indicators linked to
     Development for All key activity outcomes. The table aims to facilitate assessment of progress at the strategy level eg under Outcome 1, measuring progress of our support for partner governments to include people with disability in national development processes. Performance measures to assess how well we are complying with the Strategy's guiding principles are yet to be developed but will also be included in this table.
   • Performance Measurement–Activity level–this table contains performance measures and indicators at the activity or program level. The table aims to provide a concise and practical guide to mainstreaming disability in Australia's development assistance programs through both general or cross-sectoral measures (eg participation and central role of people with disability, promoting an accessible built environment, demonstrating Australian leadership and advocacy), and sector-specific measures (eg health or education programs).
   • Development for All Annual Report Card–the final product of the PAF system, the 2010 Report Card summarises overall progress, major results and challenges from the strategy's launch to the present. It also provides an overview of the management response for next year. A summary table of results and ratings against strategy outcomes and guiding principles uses a traffic light system of red, orange and green to indicate level of progress. This is supported by more detailed discussion of achievements, issues and challenges against the strategy's Core and Enabling Outcome areas, and objectives for the following year, against which ratings will be made. The Report Card will be published once finalised.
8. Links to AusAID systems and operations: The Annual Report Card incorporates elements of AusAID's budget reporting templates to avoid duplication of efforts. It is expected that format and timing of the Report Card will be brought into alignment with other thematic and sector reporting in AusAID from next year. Results of AusAID's 2010 internal Quality at Implementation report on Development for All will be included in the Report Card.

Key issues: Performance Assessment Framework

9. DRG members found the documents presented were useful and accessible, and overall a good start to operationalising performance assessment for the Strategy. Key comments included:
   • Strengthening integration of the CRPD: the CPRD should be used as a guide to strengthen the use of human rights-based language, approaches and measures in the PAF, in keeping with
     Development for All principles and approaches. Consideration should also be given to aligning CRPD reporting with
     Development for All reporting requirements where possible.
   • Defining terms: clearer definitions and more specific use of key terms would facilitate the assessment of performance against objectives.
     • Infrastructure: important to clarify use of this term which potentially covers a very broad range of development sectors, from roads and transport to information and communication, the built environment and universal design. This will allow a clearer articulation of the strategy's performance assessment focus eg access to school environments. The CRPD's Article 9 should be used as a guide to define and identify indicators of accessibility.
     • Quality of life: this is a value-laden term, difficult to quantify and qualify. The PAF should specify how 'quality of life' is understood and will be measured. It would be useful to link quality of life measures in the PAF to international human rights frameworks and confine the focus to those areas identified as priorities under
       Development for All – eg access to education, the built environment, specific activities to increase social inclusion and participation. Other quality of life measures to consider include: measuring poverty through asset levels of people with disability, and ways to shift the focus away from the individual and what they do or do not have, towards how society is supporting social inclusion through measures such as social protection, or inclusive policies for youth and women.
     • Access to services: important to clarify the range of services meant in this term; health and education are key services, but services could also refer to access to social protection or social security. Again this would permit a clearer articulation of performance assessment objectives.
   • Supporting AusAID to implement the PAF: it would be useful to more explicitly acknowledge the support required for AusAID to effectively implement the Performance Assessment Framework, demonstrating how we are addressing the risk that activity managers are overburdened, lack understanding of disability and development, and may view reporting on disability-inclusive development as a another task to be ticked off. A range of technical support and capacity building measures will be established over the course of 2010 to support reporting against the strategy, including and implemented. Lessons learned from mainstreaming HIV and gender in AusAID will also be applied to support the integration of disability into existing programs.
   • Striking a balance between capacity development of partner organisations and collecting baseline data: it will be important to balance the need to collect immediate baseline information and research with the equally important need to build capacity in partner DPOs and government organisations to undertake their own monitoring and reporting.
   • Keep level of ambition realistic: a limited focus and realistic performance targets are important to ensure key performance objectives are achieved eg is it reasonable to expect greater access to services within life of the strategy? How many indicators and performance measures can we report against?
   • Format of documents: overall the documents were found to be useful and clear, although some parts are repetitive and consideration should be given to shortening and simplifying text to cater for a range of audiences. The Annual Report Card in particular was thought to be useful and will evolve as information becomes more consistent across objectives.

10. Next steps with the PAF are to finalise draft documents in light of DRG comments in preparation for further consultation and peer review by both internal and external stakeholders. A final draft of the PAF and Annual Report Card will be presented to the next DRG meeting in August.
11. Next DRG meeting, August 2010, Cambodia–dates and travel arrangements will be finalized by end May.

AusAID Disability Inclusive Development Reference Group Meeting No 3

2 hour Teleconference between Canberra, Melbourne, Samoa, Sydney and Washington on Thursday 29th April, 2010

Summary agenda

Objectives

Provide guidance and inputs on draft Performance Assessment Framework and Annual Report Card

• Feedback on proposed Framework and information management arrangements
• Addressing risks: are we managing complexity, avoiding over-burdening, and providing practical and simple guidance for monitoring and evaluating DID?
• Is the Annual Report Card format useful?

Agenda items

1. Welcome and introductory remarks, including update on key activities and issues (L Dunn)–20 mins
2. Overview of draft Performance Assessment Framework and key issues (A Clare)–20 mins

• Process of development to date and plans for moving ahead
• Where the PAF sits with other quality and performance assessment systems in AusAID
• Documents for consideration:
  • PAF Overview and approach
  • PAF Table: Strategy-level performance measures
  • PAF Table: Activity-level performance measures
  • Development for All: Annual Report Card (outcome of PAF process)

3. Discussion questions on Performance Assessment Framework (S Dyer)–45 mins
4. Other issues (K Pratt/S Dyer)–30 mins

• Next DRG meeting, Cambodia–initial planning and logistics
• Other

5. Closing remarks (L Dunn)–5 mins

Biographies of AusAID Disability-Inclusive Development Reference Group members

The reference group comprises representatives from development partners with experience in disability-inclusive development, Disabled People's Organisations, Australian NGOs working in this area and academia.

Ms Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, World Bank Senior Operations Officer in the Human Development Network. She works on East Asia and Pacific Region and the Africa Region. Ms McClain-Nhlapo is a human rights lawyer with a particular interest in marginalised groups. In 1999 she was appointed by President Mandela to the South Africa Human Rights Commission, and reappointed by President Mbeki in 2002. She has served as an expert on a number of UN Committees in the areas of child rights, the right to food and the rights of people with disabilities. She also represented the National Human Rights Institutions at the UN during the process of developing the UN Convention for People with Disabilities. Charlotte has lectured and presented on human rights and development issues on numerous occasions and in a range forums.

Ms Megan McCoy, Pacific Regional–Human Development Programme Officer, New Zealand Aid Programme. Megan has led the New Zealand Aid Programme efforts in relation to disability in the Pacific and was closely involved in the development of AusAID's disability strategy, Development for All. She has extensive experience in disability and development work and an excellent working knowledge of partners and issues in our region.

Mr Setareki S. Macanawai, Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Disability Forum (Umbrella organisation for Pacific Disabled People's Organisations). Seta played a lead role in supporting AusAID in the development of the discussion paper for AusAID's disability strategy and in coordinating inputs from Pacific Disabled People's Organisations. He has been contracted to participate on a number of AusAID reviews including the 2008 ADRA round and the ABI fund. Seta has been presented with a number of awards including a Human Rights award in 2008.

Ms Christine Walton, Executive Officer of the Australian Disability and Development Consortium (ADDC). The ADDC is an Australian based international network focusing on disability issues in developing countries; building on a human rights platform for disability advocacy. This consortium originally developed from, and has now replaced, the ACFID Policy Group. ADDC played a key role in lobbying the government to increase the focus on disability in the aid program and continue to have a high profile engagement with government. They also made constructive contributions to the preparation of Development for All. Christine has extensive experience in the disability sector in management, advocacy, education and representation on affiliated Boards.

Ms Rosemary Kayess, Associate Director, Disability Studies and Research Centre (DSRC), and Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Law, UNSW. Rosemary played a key role in drafting the Inclusive Education Article for the CRPD. In addition to her academic responsibilities Rosemary has held numerous board positions including: 2006 - National Disability and Carers Ministerial Advisory Committee, 2004 - 2008 Chairperson, Disability Studies and Research Institute, 2004 - 2006 Department Family & Community Services; NGO Representative; Australian Delegation, United Nations Ad Hoc Committee, 1996 - 2000 Disability Council of NSW, 1995 - Chairperson, Disability Discrimination Legal Centre (NSW).