In 2011, UNICEF launched a programme and partnership with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), under the name REAP – Rights, Education and Protection. Its 2nd phase called REAP II had the overall vision to promote inclusive development approaches which fulfil the rights of children with disabilities, with a focus on the demonstration countries of Papua New Guinea, Viet Nam and the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). In 2020, UNICEF’s Regional office for East Asia and the Pacific conducted an independent summative and formative evaluation of the REAP II programme to assess achievement of outcomes and the constraints to achieve these.
The evaluation aimed to identify lessons from the implementation of REAP II at regional and country level that could be used to shape future programming and to inform the objectives and geographical focus of future disability-inclusive programming. This evaluation provided four recommendations for UNICEF, towards breaking down the remaining barriers to inclusion and fulfil the rights of every child.