Sri Lankan Disability Advocate Calls for Long-Term Investment in Inclusion at UN Conference
New York, June 2025 ; Speaking at the 18th Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the United Nations Headquarters, Ms. Rasanjali Pathirage, a Sri Lankan disability rights advocate, issued a strong appeal to governments and international donors: “Move beyond short-term projects—invest in our future.”
Pathirage, who heads the Disability Organisations Joint Front of Sri Lanka (DOJF), a national umbrella body championing the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities, used the high-level platform to call for a paradigm shift in how disability-inclusive development is financed, particularly in the Global South.
“Inclusive development demands inclusive financing,” she said. “We cannot continue to treat persons with disabilities as passive beneficiaries. We are innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs.”
In her address, Pathirage highlighted how shrinking civic space and financial instability have left Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) navigating increasingly complex challenges. Despite this, she underscored that DOJF views these hurdles not as barriers ,but as a call to innovate.
- Empowering Entrepreneurs, Not Charity Recipients
DOJF has pioneered community-driven entrepreneurship models in Sri Lanka, especially for women with disabilities. Backed by the Direct Aid Programme of the Australian High Commission, and in collaboration with private sector partners and local authorities, the initiative has supported over 60 entrepreneurs with disabilities, offering startup grants, business training, and access to local markets.
“These are not charity models,” said Pathirage. “They are rights-based investments in inclusive economic growth.”
- Beyond Budgets: Changing the System
One of DOJF’s major concerns lies in how disability is often sidelined in national and local budget processes. To address this, the organization actively advocates for disability-inclusive budgeting and financial planning, working closely with financial institutions to create accessible banking services, including simplified loan procedures and mobile platforms in accessible formats.
But, Pathirage insists, real innovation goes beyond money.
“Innovation is not only about funding, it's about mindset. We need a financial system that includes us from the start, not as an afterthought.”
- A Global Call to Action
Representing not just Sri Lanka but the wider Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum, which pushes for full implementation of the UNCRPD across 56 countries, Pathirage laid out a bold call to action:
# Establish dedicated disability innovation funds at both global and national levels.
# Enable direct access to financing for OPDs, cutting out traditional intermediaries.
# Promote multi-stakeholder financing models, where governments, businesses, and civil society co-invest in disability-inclusive development.
“We ask for flexible core funding, access to digital infrastructure, and a seat at the table in shaping the financial systems that impact our lives,” she concluded. “Persons with disabilities are not waiting to be empowered, we are ready to lead.”
Aranchi Rala News Guy : 2025.06.11
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