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Approximately 1 out of every 20 people in Romania holds a disability certificate as of June 2023—totaling nearly 900,000 individuals, of which roughly 77,000 are children. Persons with disabilities in Romania are more likely to be women and to have lower levels of education. While a little over 16,000 adults with disabilities still live in social care residential centers under the social protection system, there is an unknown number of people admitted to other facilities like psychiatry wards and hospitals for extended periods of time.
The fundamental right to social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities is yet to be fully realized in Romania. Romanians with disabilities are often socially ostracized and less materially well-off, encounter barriers in accessing their physical environment, and face exclusion from employment opportunities and the health system.
Romania is slowly making efforts to improve disability inclusion, with progress visible already in some areas as part of the country’s efforts targeted at implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) that was ratified in 2010.
Since 2019, the World Bank has been actively supporting Romania on strengthening its social protection system to better assist and include persons with disabilities. Under several engagements with the Government of Romania, the World Bank has contributed to the development of overarching strategic frameworks to support the implementation and monitoring of the CRPD, and provided technical assistance to support reforms enabling the modernization of the process under which disabilities are assessed, as well as facilitating deinstitutionalization and independent living.
National Strategic Framework
Although Romania ratified the CRPD in 2010, advancements to enable persons with disabilities to enjoy their rights have been slow. This is largely on account of limited national coordination, unclearly defined responsibilities, and limited resources specifically allocated to this aim.
In 2019, the Government of Romania requested technical support from the World Bank to develop a robust national strategy for the implementation and monitoring of the CRPD. A national strategy did exist at the time of the new strategic planning, but it did not systematically cover all measures needed for aligning national policy to CRPD requirements, and it did not have clear indicators or a monitoring system.
Approved in late 2022, Romania’s new National Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities covers the period 2022-2027. This strategy is built on a wealth of data and took shape through a participatory process with all relevant stakeholders, especially persons with disabilities and their representative organizations. In doing so, this represents Romania’s first strategy on the topic of disability inclusion that reflects the lived experiences of persons with disabilities.
The World Bank has also contributed to the development of a mechanism designed to monitor the progress of over 30 types of actors engaged in the implementation of the strategy. The National Authority for the Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities is responsible for overseeing the implementation and monitoring of the National Strategy.
Modernizing Disability Assessment
Optimizing the process of granting a disability certificate to an individual is a key reform that Romania needs to undertake. The existing process lacks clarity and is inconsistently applied on a national level, leading to unequal treatment. Moreover, assessments often overlook the unique challenges that individuals face.
With technical assistance from the World Bank, Romania’s National Authority for the Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities has developed a new system to address current issues and inefficiencies. In line with best practices and international standards (specifically the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health approach), this new system introduces WHODAS 2.0 and thus allows for the assessing of an individual’s functioning rather than focusing only on the disability itself. To this end, the system incorporates modern tools for more accurate and equitable assessments, and it provides an improved evaluation of individual needs—ensuring that persons with disabilities receive personalized support. Moreover, the new system proposes a modernized plan to strengthen access to improved care and to advance the integration into society of persons with disabilities.
Overall, Romania’s new system for disability assessment aims to redefine the way the country understands disability, aligning it with a human rights perspective and international best practices. Steps for this system’s adoption are still being defined.
Reforms to Ensure Independent Living
In recent years, Romania has embarked on a critical journey towards the deinstitutionalization of both children and adults with disabilities and strengthening social services. Through the implementation of the “National Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2022-2027”, Romania aims to ensure independent living and community inclusion that are essential for promoting economic growth that works for all.
Romania has demonstrated a firm commitment with regards to the deinstitutionalization of children. In 2018, the country had 50,000 children under public care, with 7,000 still living in institutions, nearly half of whom had disabilities. At the request of the National Authority for the Protection of Rights of Children and Adoptions, the World Bank provided technical assistance for (i) the development of a comprehensive analysis of the public care system, (ii) the creation of a deinstitutionalization guide including a range of tools at the institution and child level, (iii) the design and implementation of a thorough monitoring system of children in public care, (iv) insights into best practices for preventing the separation of children from their families, and (v) support for the elaboration of service development plans at community level. Additionally, this technical assistance helped enhance evidence-based policies to prevent child separation.
Regarding adults with disabilities, Romania had 16,000 persons in residential care institutions as of June 2023. Most of these individuals were under 45 years old, with intellectual disability being predominant. Technical inputs from the World Bank informed the elaboration of a National Strategy for Preventing Institutionalization and Speeding up the Deinstitutionalization Process 2022-2030. This strategy aims to reduce the number of persons living in institutions to 11,500 by 2026, in compliance with the requirements of Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The strategy introduced a person-centered approach, representing a paradigm shift in how support is provided to persons with disabilities in the country. It also introduces a Deinstitutionalization Guide outlining the responsibilities of various stakeholders involved in the process.
The World Bank is committed to supporting deinstitutionalization efforts and the overall transformation of social services and supports provided to persons with disabilities through a rights-based and person-centered approach.