December 2015 Newsletter

Rehabilitation International 1 Liberty Plaza New York, NY 10006 1-212-420-1500 info@riglobal.org

!Table of Contents

!Dates & venues for upcoming RI meetings……………………………………………… 2

RI News…………………………………………….………………………………………………… 2-8

CRPD Ratification Update………………………………………………………………………. 9

Other News/Resource Update…………………………………………….……….…….. 10-11

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Dates & Venues for Upcoming RI Meetings !

!For more information, please see our website www.riglobal.org

!RI News

!RI Signs MoU with Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, focused on Assistive Technology

Rehabilitation International (RI) and Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH share a common

understanding of the importance and relevance of (re)integration of individuals with

disabilities into work life as an important part of rehabilitation and social inclusion.

Therefore, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed to indicate our long-term

mutual commitment to ensuring access to assistive health technology.

The parties agree to work together on joint projects aiming at improving access and

availability of assistive health technology for mobility, with a final goal of enabling active

participation in work life as a global strategy.

The projects will promote the implementation of national measures and policies in

alignment with Article 26 and 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities (CRPD). Projects will begin in the Asia Pacific region.

!Toward the full realization of an inclusive and accessible United Nations for

persons with disabilities

!April 9-10, 2016

!RI EC Meeting

!Tokyo, Japan

!October 25-27, 2016

!RI World Congress

!Edinburgh, Scotland

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A draft resolution titled “Toward the full realization of an inclusive and accessible United

Nations for persons with disabilities,” which was tabled by six United Nations Members

States (Antigua & Barbuda, Brazil, Italy, Poland, the Republic of Korea and Tanzania),

was adopted today in the Third Committee of the General Assembly.

Though the United Nations has improved accessibility and disability-inclusiveness in its

work over the years, there are still many loopholes and gaps. Thus, the main sponsors,

believing that the United Nations should lead by example in protecting and promoting

the rights of persons with disabilities, tabled this draft resolution which asks for the

establishment of a unified and comprehensive policy framework to ensure the United

Nation’s working environment becomes fully inclusive and accessible.

Read the resolution.

!RI Celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities

On December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), Rehabilitation

International organized and participated in various events to commemorate the day.

The main theme of this year’s IDPD was “Inclusion matters: access and empowerment

for people of all abilities.” There were also three sub-themes: (a) Making cities inclusive

and accessible for all; (b) Improving disability data and statistics; and (c) Including

persons with invisible disabilities in society and development.

An opening session and a panel discussion on each of the three sub-themes were held

at the official commemoration of the IDPD at United Nations Headquarters, organized

by Rehabilitation International and UN-DESA.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon opened the session.

“The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the

outcome of the General Assembly High Level Meeting on Disability and Development

both emphasized the important role of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society

and development,” said Ki-Moon.

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“As the world has set out to implement the 2030 agenda, persons with disabilities must

be recognized for what they are: effective agents of change whose contributions bring

enormous benefits.” Watch Ki-Moon’s speech here.

RI Secretary Venus Ilagan discussed accessible travel and universal design at a panel

about making urban areas inclusive and accessible.

“Accessibility is a growing market, promising a handsome return on investment,” said

Ilagan. “In order to realize the goal of access and inclusion, there is a need to approach

projects from the outset using universal design. Access does not only benefit persons

with disabilities or those with special needs, it benefits us all.”

“Accessibility has long been major challenge in sustainable urban development,” added

Eric Zhang of UN-DESA. “We need disability-inclusive and responsive urban policy.”

Daniela Bas, Director of UN-DESA, congratulated Ilagan on her speech during the

session. “I would like to thank Venus Ilagan, you gave us real examples of what

mainstreaming means,” said Bas.

Other topics discussed at the UN event included disability data collection, disability

inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals, progress of the UN Convention on the

Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and more. Watch.

RI ended this year’s IDPD at a reception held by the Permanent Missions of Mexico,

Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Turkey and Australia, featuring Indonesia and Korean

musicians with disabilities.

More information about IDPD events.

RI Infographic on IDPD 2015

!RI Attends World Summit on Information Society

On December 15 and 16, RI attended the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS)

annual review meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Information

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technology is key to sustainable development, and the inclusion of persons with

disabilities is key to ensuring access for all.

! Happy New Year from RI!

We wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. The coming year is sure to bring new

challenges and opportunities, and we look forward to the connections and growth to

come.

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!

!SAVE THE DATE: RI World Congress 2016

23rd RI World Congress, 25 – 27 October 2016

Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland

!Rehabilitation International (RI) and Shaw Trust are delighted to announce that the

23rd RI World Congress will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland on 25 – 27 October 2016.

23rd RI World Congress 2016 – the event With 1,000 delegates expected to attend from around the world and a theme of

Inclusivity, the 23rd RI World Congress will unite leading disability researchers,

advocates, government agencies and practitioners in tackling the issues facing people

with disabilities around the world and – critically – find best in class solutions that will

have a positive impact on peoples’ lives.

Why attend?• Be inspired and challenged by high profile keynote speakers and workshop leaders

drawn from around the world

• Collaborate, share best practice and discover best in class solutions to issues that

will have a positive impact on peoples’ lives

• Create a legacy for the disability movement

• Energize and motivate yourself at a range of thought provoking workshops

• Meet the experts, build new networks and identify partners for the future !Who should attend?• Researchers • Policy makers• Advocates

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• Practitioners • Government officials

The eventOver the course of three days, delegates will attend keynote speeches, workshops,

exhibitions and networking events. The full and final event programme is still under

development, but you can keep up to date with developments

at: www.riworldcongress.com

Venue The 23rd RI World Congress will be held at the Edinburgh International Conference

Centre. Situated at the heart of Scotland’s elegant and historic capital city, the EICC

is one of the world’s outstanding venues for conferences, conventions and exhibitions.

Sponsorship To explore sponsorship opportunities and other ways of supporting this event, please

contact Linda Matthews at sponsorship@shaw-trust.org.uk

Register Register your interest for this unique event by

emailing enquiries@worldcongress.com and check back for early bird and RI member

rates and discounts: www.riworldcongress.com

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Find RI on Social Media !!

Please be sure to “Like” and “Follow” us on social media and our website, and share our updates. Every new person we can reach is a

new opportunity for outreach.

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!!Facebook: www.facebook.com/riglobal

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ri_global

YouTube: www.youtube.com/RIGLOBAL1

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/rehabilitation-international

Website: www.riglobal.org

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CRPD Ratification Update !

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161 ratifications and 160 signatories to the CRPD

88 ratifications and 92 signatories to its Optional Protocol (OP)

Antigua and Barbuda ratified the Convention on January 7 2016

Sao Tome and Principe ratified the Convention on November 5 2015

Democratic Republic of the Congo ratified the Convention & Optional Protocol on September 29 2015

Bahamas ratified the Convention on September 28 2015

Belarus ratified the Convention on September 28 2015

Gambia ratified the Convention & Optional Protocol on July 7 2015

Trinidad & Tobago ratified the Convention on June 25 2015

Madagascar ratified the Convention on June 12 2015

Kazakhstan ratified the Convention on April 21 2015

Turkey ratified the Optional Protocol on March 26 2015

Marshall Islands ratified the Convention on March 3 2015

For more information please visit the following website: http://www.un.org/disabilities/

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Other News / Resource Updates RI does not necessarily support the events featured

!U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Funding for Field Missions The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has made approximately $6,000,000 in funding available to its field missions to implement programs inclusive of persons with disabilities. Interested and qualified organizations must apply for this funding directly through their local missions. All USAID missions are eligible under this funding program; however, participation is optional and therefore interested organizations should contact their local mission prior to submitting applications to verify their participation. Concept papers must be submitted by USAID missions only. Applications sent directly to USAID/Washington by applicant organizations will not be considered. The deadline for missions to submit concept papers to USAID/Washington is February 26, 2016. Missions will establish their own internal deadline to receive applications under this call. Prospective applicants must check with their local USAID mission to verify additional deadlines and plan accordingly. Mission contact information can be found at: https://www.usaid.gov/mission-directory !Member States move towards a more inclusive and accessible UN At the conclusion of its session, the Third Committee adopted a resolution on realizing an inclusive and accessible United Nations for all persons with disabilities (A/C.3/70/L.25) under agenda item 72 (Human Rights). The resolution entitled “Toward the full realization of an inclusive and accessible United Nations for persons with disabilities” calls upon the Secretary-General to take measures to create an accessible and inclusive non-discriminatory environment at the UN, as well as to raise awareness of UN staff on disability issues. Furthermore, the resolution requests a comprehensive report on the status of inclusion and accessibility at the UN, as well as for recommendations on measures for improvement. http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/gadocs/a_c.3_70_l.56.pdf !2015 Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific The 2015 Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (GITC) was held in Jakarta, from 26 to 29 October 2015. The event was co-organized by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of Indonesia, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea and several other entities. Over 100 youth with disabilities and 62 governmental representatives from 15 countries, including most of those in South-East Asia, participated in IT competitions in the area of information searching, making story books and creating games through Scratch programmes. At the award ceremony, the congratulatory statement of the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) was delivered and the Executive Secretary’s Awards were presented to participants from Bangladesh and India, respectively. It was announced that 2016 GITC will be held in China. http://www.unescap.org/announcement/2015-global-it-challenge-youth-disabilities-asia-and-pacific !New publication promotes decent work for persons with disabilities Based on two previous editions, the latest publication from the International Labour Organization (ILO): "Decent work for persons with disabilities: promoting rights in the global

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development agenda" presents the main approaches which have been taken in countries across the globe to ensure that persons with disabilities can access employment and work to advance professionally, and on an equal basis with others. These approaches include legislation, vocational training, employment services as well as financial, technical and personal support mechanisms. The latest publication provides a comprehensive overview of the principal international legal instruments, policies and initiatives that aim to promote the rights of persons with disabilities, particularly in terms of work and employment. It also proposes an agenda for future action for promoting the rights of persons with disabilities within the 2030 Development Agenda. Available in English, French and Spanish at http://labordoc.ilo.org/record/462523?ln=en. !2016: A year for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls with disabilities The year 2016 marks the tenth anniversary of the CRPD, as well as the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)’s general recommendation 18 on disabled women. It will also be the year in which the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will adopt a general comment on women with disabilities, which presents a timely opportunity to reinforce the intersectionality between CEDAW, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and CRPD. For reference, see the “Disability Rights, Gender, and Development: A Resource Tool for Action” at http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/Publication/UNWCW%20MANUAL.pdf !School for the blind project in Afghanistan The Vocational High School for the Blind is enabling people with visual impairment to pursue higher education and fulfil their vision to have a vocation and contribute to society. The school is supported by the Afghanistan Second Skills Development Project, implemented by the Ministry of Education with support by the World Bank. The project focuses on providing incentives to schools and institutes offering formal Technical and Vocational Education and Training programs, while simultaneously strengthening the institutional system as a whole. http://bit.ly/1PZNwCE !!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! | P a g e 11