Newsletter from IDA Secretariat | 11 April 2018

By IDA

 - April 11, 2018

IN THIS EDITION:

  1. Treaty bodies review, Geneva 2017-2018
  2. UN System, Agencies and Mechanism
  3. SDGs monitoring process
  4. Activities in the past weeks
  5. Upcoming activities
  6. IDA (or co-sponsored) intellectual production
  7. IDA members
  8. Other
  9. Job offers

  1. TREATY BODIES REVIEWS, GENEVA 2017-2018

122ND SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE, 12 MARCH 2018- 06 APRIL 2018, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

  • The 122nd Session of the Human Rights Committee was held from 12 March 2018 to 06 April 2018. In this session, the Committee reviewed El Salvador, Guatemala, Hungary, Lebanon, Liberia and Norway. Public meetings have been webcasted live and are available on UN Web TV.

63rd SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS, 12 MARCH 2018 – 29 MARCH 2018, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

  • The 63rd Session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was held from 12 March 2018 to 29 March 2018. In this session, the Committee reviewed the States’ reports on CESCR implementation of Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Mexico, New Zealand, Niger and Spain. Public meetings have been webcasted live and are available on here.

UPDATED CALENDAR OF REVIEWS FROM OTHER TREATY BODIES

  • An updated calendar of the treaty bodies reviews can be downloaded here.

 2, UN SYSTEM, AGENCIES AND MECHANISM

  • WHO REGIONAL OFFICE IN PAKISTAN: WHO Regional Office in Pakistan is holding a consultative meeting on improving access to assistive technology in the Eastern Mediterranean Region on 8-10 May 2018 (click here to download the provisional programme of the consultative Meeting). IDA was invited to nominate by 23 March 2018 the most appropriate person from the ‘’Eastern Mediterranean’’ region - Afghanistan to Tunisia- to represent IDA. The objectives of the aforementioned meeting are to: 
    • Update the participants on the progress made to improve access to assistive technology, and to operationalize the GATE initiative, resolution EM/RC63/R.3, and the Islamabad Declaration (attached); and
    • Finalize the draft “Strategic action framework on improving access to assistive technology in the Eastern Mediterranean Region” to be distributed to all WHO Member States during the upcoming Seventy-first World Health Assembly in May 2018.

Click here to download WHO-EMRO- Islamabad declaration for improving access to Assistive Technology.

  • UNDP: UNDP Kuwait is looking for several consultants in the fields of inclusive employment, Universal Design, accessibility and International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).
    • Click here to read the description and application instructions for the “Inclusive employment consultant”.
    • Click here to read the description and application instructions for “Consultant to support setting up a Universal Design Unit within PADA”.
    • Click here to read the description and application instructions for “Consultant for International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Training”.

3. SDGS MONITORING PROCCESS

  • 2018 HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM: The Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities has prepared a draft of its submission to the 2018 UN’s High-level Political Forum (HLPF) to be held on 9-18 July 2018 in New York, USA. The submission is entitled “Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable Societies for Persons with Disabilities” and addresses Goal 6, 7, 11, 17. The HLPF Secretariat integrated the majority of comments received. Kindly review the updated final draft and share comments and recommendations by 8 April 2018.
  • THEMATIC GROUP ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION: The establishment of aThematic Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is being launched under the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities. This thematic group will support the engagement of persons with disabilities, their representative organizations and other relevant stakeholders to contribute to the monitoring of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (included within the 2030 Agenda framework), under the umbrella of the Major Groups and Other Stakeholders mechanism. The DRR Thematic Group will be led by one permanent and one alternate focal point. All those interested to engage / participate in the creation of a Terms of Reference for the group, scope of work, as well as the election of focal points, click here to sign up. Further details can be found on the IDA website.
  • WEBINAR SERIES ON SDGS: The Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities for Sustainable Development (SGPwD) is launching aseries of webinar on SDGs. The first webinar will be held from 10-11 am EST on 19 April 2018. It will focus on disability data and the SDGs, providing an introduction on the global indicator framework which monitors the implementation of the SDGs and discussing disaggregation by disability using the Washington Group Short Set of Questions. International Sign and Close Captioning will be provided. Click here to register. The webinar will also be recorded and made available for those who cannot connect. If you would like to suggest any further thematic topics or wish to comment on webinars, please fill out SGPwD’s survey here.
  • HLPF BULLETIN #5: The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) Bulletin # 6 is now available on IDA’s website. Click here to read it.

 4. ACTIVITIES IN THE PAST WEEKS

  • TECHNICAL WORKSHOP ON COLLECTING DATA ON PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN HUMANITARIAN CONTEXTS: On 11-12 December 2017, IDA together with UNICEF, UNHCR, the Washington Group and HI held a two-day technical workshop on Collecting Data on Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Contexts in New York, USA. IFHOH, PDF, AOPD, WBU and ADF participated in the workshop.  More details can be found on the IDA website.   As part of the follow-up from this meeting, a report on the meeting’s discussion and outcomes has been prepared. Please find the report attached (Click here to download the report). The report, with IDA logo, will be disseminated at the end of this week. Please note, a technical paper following on from this workshop is being prepared and will also be shared shortly. 
  • EUROPEAN REGIONAL FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: EDF attended the second Regional Forum on Sustainable Development which took place on 1-2 March 2018, in Geneva, Switzerland. The forum focused on monitoring the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). EDF Executive Committee Member Nadia Hadad was selected by approximatively 70 civil organisations to talk about sustainable cities (SDG 11). EDF Vice-President John Patrick Clarke gave the final closing speech, on behalf of civil society. More information on the event is available on EDF’s website.
  • WEST AFRICAN CONSULTATION ON VOLUNTARY NATIONAL REVIEWS: The UN held a one day West African consultation between stakeholders and governments on the voluntary national reviews, in preparation to the 2018 HLPF. The consultation took place on 23 March 2018, in Dakar, Senegal. Representatives of the following countries were present: Benin, Cape Verde, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Republic of Congo, Senegal et Togo.
  • ASIA-PACIFIC FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2018: Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2018 (APFSD 2018) was held on 28-30 March 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Asia-Pacific civil society meeting on Sustainable Development was held on 25-27 March 2018 as a preparatory meeting. IDA has been represented by Muhammad Akram, IFHOH and Savina Daula’asi, PDF.
  • EXPERT MEETING ON DISABILITY DISAGGREGATED STATISTICS FOR MONITORING OF THE SDGS: An Expert meeting on disability disaggregated statistics for monitoring of the SDGs was held on the 26-27 March 2018, in New York, USA.  The meeting was convened by UNICEF, the UN Statistical Division (UNSD-TBC), the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Global Action on Disability (GLAD). IDA was represented by Ana Lucia Arellano, Laisa Qalo Vereti, Rebecca Sheffield and Peter Ochieng.
  • WEBINAR ON HLPF: The Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities held a first preparation call for the upcoming High Level Political Forum in English, on 21 March 2018 and in Spanish, on 28 March 2018.  The aim of the webinars was to share information about the HLPF theme, goals under review, the official submission, participation, side-event opportunities, regional preparatory forums etc. Both webinars had International Sign Language, and subtitles.

  • BRIDGING THE GAP: The EU funded project Bridging the Gap held a webinar-based training cycle on 26 March 2018 to foster a culture of disability mainstreaming in development and to define a homogeneous approach to the project crosscutting topics. The first module focused on understanding the CRPD and analysing its principles and structure (download the concept note).  More information available on GLAD network’s website.

  • COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN: The 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women was held from 12-23 March 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York, USA. This year’s event focused on the “challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”. IDA sponsored Robinah Alambuya to attend the session, to speak at the side event entitled: “Advocacy on the margins: Women with disabilities addressing violence at the grassroots level” held on 22 March 2018, and to conduct meetings with UNWomen connected to the Flagship Programme Initiatives (FPIs).

  • On 22 March 2018, IDA organized a parallel event at the CSW NGO Forum together with Humanity and Inclusion/Making It Work Gender and Disability Project and the Disability Rights Fund, in New York (Download the flyer here). This interactive session brought together women leaders with disabilities from grassroots communities in Africa to share their work top combat gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities in rural communities. These leaders outlined inclusive strategies to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. The session also explored cross-movement collaboration as a strategy for greater inclusion. More information available on IDA’s website. 

5. OTHER UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

APRIL

  • IAEG- SDGs: The 7th Meeting of the IAEG- SDGs will take place on 10-12 April 2018 in Vienna, Austria. The meeting will be hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). There will be a Members meeting taking place during the first day (9 April) and a Plenary Session taking place during the following three days (10 - 12 April). The aims or the meeting are: to review the tier classification, to discuss the implementation of the guidelines on data flows and global data reporting and the development of a document on best practices in global data reporting, to review proposals for additional indicators, to discuss progress made on the work stream on data disaggregation, and to share experiences on implementing monitoring of the SDGs. More information on the meeting available here.
  • LATIN AMERICA FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2018: Latin America Forum on Sustainable Development 2018 (APFSD 2018) will be held on 16-17 April 2018 in Santiago, Chile. The Latin America civil society meeting on Sustainable Development will be held on 18-20 April 2018 as a preparatory meeting. Representarives of WNUSP and RIADIS will attend both events.
  • BRIDGE UGANDA: The first cycle ofthe national BRIDGE CRPD-SDG training in Uganda will be held from 12-19 April 2018. The training is organised by ADF, in partnership with CBM, IDDC and IDA, supported by a grant from DFID and the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) in the UK.
  • COMMONWEALTH SUMMIT: The People's Forum at the Commonwealth Summit will be held on 16-18 April 2018, in London, United Kingdom. The mainstream forums will offer an opportunity for Commonwealth dialogue and provide a platform for wider debate of some of the key issues and challenges, in advance of discussions by leaders at CHOGM. Click here to register for the Summit. 
  • PARTNERS FOR REVIEW MEETING: The German initiative Partners for Review will hold its next meeting from 11-12 April 2018, in Tbilisi, Georgia.
  • INDIGENOUS WORKSHOP: An indigenous workshop will take place in Quito end of April 2018.

MAY

  • AFRICA REGIONAL FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Africa Forum on Sustainable Development 2018 will be held on 2-4 May 2018, in Dakar, Senegal. IDA will be represented by Mahamadou Oumarou Manou.
  • INDIGENOUS WORKSHOPS: An indigenous workshop will take place in Narok Town, Kenya from 2 to 5 May 2018. Another one will take place in Thailand from 29 May to 1 June 2018.

JUNE                                                                                                                            

  • FORUM ON “TRANSFORMING GOVERNANCE FOR REALIZING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS”: The United Nations Public Service Forum is organizing a Forum on “Transforming Governance for Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals” to be held in Marrakech, Morocco, from 21-23 June 2018. In 2018, the Forum will focus on “Transforming Governance for Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals”.  At the Forum, participants will debate on how to transform the way governments, institutions and public administrations are organized and work to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to become effective, inclusive and accountable, as committed in SDG 16.
  • 2018 HELEN KELLER WORLD CONFERENCE: The 11th Helen Keller World Conference will take place on 19-27 June 2018 in Benidorm, Spain. With the main topic: “Our rights; Our Voice; We lead the Way”, the 11th HKWC 2018 will focus on strengthening human rights, democracy and equality through full and equal inclusion of persons with deafblindness in all aspects of the global, regional, national and local society in which we live. Registration forms are available for download on WFDB’s website.
  • COSP: The 11th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD will take place on 12-14 June 2018, at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA. Among other agenda items, the session will expect to feature an election of 9 members of the CRPD Committee.

JULY

  • 2018 UK DISABILITY SUMMIT: IDA will be co-hosting the first UK global disability summit with the UK Department for International Development (DFID) on 24 July 2018, at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in London, United Kingdom.  The objectives of the Summit are to: raise global attention and focus on a neglected area; to bring in new voices and approaches to broaden engagement; to mobilise new global and national commitments on disability; and to showcase good practices and evidence from across the world.

AUGUST

  • CRPD: The 20th Session of the CRPD committee will take place from 20 August 2018 to 7 September 2017, in Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

OCTOBER

  • UN WORLD DATA FORUM: The UN World Data Forum 2018 will take place in Dubai, UAE from 22-24 October 2018. The event will bring together data leaders from diverse stakeholder groups, including national and international statistical systems, academia, business community and civil society. The aim of the forum is to exchange ideas, showcase innovations, identify solutions, discuss future strategies, and provide mutual learning opportunities on a wide variety of topics. More information available on the website of the UN World Data Forum.

6. IDA (OR CO-SPONSORED) INTELLECTUAL PRODUCTION

  • CRPD: IDA has updated its Compilation of CRPD Committee Concluding Observations. It includes the recommendations adopted during the 19th Session (February-March 2018). Click here to read it.

7. IDA MEMBERS

ABRACA

  • ABRACA is launching a campaign in 2018 to raise awareness about the issue of deinstitutionalization. The aim is to show the precarious and violent situation of people in institutions, raise awareness of the importance of deinstitutionalization processes and policies that ensure inclusion in the community, and talk about the right to live and be included in the community of people with autism and other disabilities. More information available here.

Down Syndrome International

  • To celebrate the Down Syndrome International Day, the Permanent Mission of Brazil and Down Syndrome International hosted the side event ‘What I bring to my community – Enabling all persons with Down syndrome to speak up on how they can contribute and live fulfilling lives, fully included in the community’, on 21 March 2018, in Geneva, Switzerland. The event was co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of India, Israel, United Kingdom and OHCHR, with the support of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities and IDA. More information available on IDA’s website.

European Disability Forum

  • EDF presented its second human report entitled “2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) report: A European perspective to respect, protect and fullfil the United Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”. The report provides an overview of the strong link between the Convention and the SDGs and presents recommendations on how to ensure Europe takes a human rights based approach to the Sustainable Development agenda, fully including persons with disabilities.  This report has been designed as a resource for organisations of persons with disabilities and decision-makers in Europe to learn more about the 2030 Agenda and what opportunities exist for advocacy around the SDGs in order to respect, protect and fulfil the CRPD, in Europe and in international cooperation. The board members of EDF agreed to adopt a resolution where they call on the EU to fully include persons with disabilities in all policy dialogues regarding the SDGs, in Europe and in the context of international cooperation.
  • On 8 June 2018, ENIL in collaboration with EDF and the Bulgarian Centre for Independent Living will hold an event in Sofia, Bulgaria on ‘Investing in Independent Living’. It will build on the work of ENIL and EDF on how the European Structural and Investment Funds are used in relation to persons with disabilities to promote their independent living. The event will: present the understanding of independent living based on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the general comment on Article 19; present the components which require public investment in order to uphold the right to independent living; analyse the current approaches to deinstitutionalisation highlighting positive and negative elements; and propose recommendations for the current and future programming period to ensure public authorities invest in independent living practices in line with the CRPD. The event would also provide an opportunity to launch the joint ENIL and EDF best practice report on Independent Living. For more information please contact simona.giarratano [at] edf-feph.org
  • EDF published a press release to call on the EU and Member States to implement policies that allow everyone to access healthcare on an equal basis with others. Download the press release in PDF and in Word.   

Inclusion international

8. OTHERS

  • ORGANISATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES COMMISSION: The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission invites qualified institutions/consulting firms to submit expressions of interest to provide consultancy services for a Certificate Course in Specialized Reading Instruction. Working in close collaboration with the OECS Commission and others, the consultant will design a modular accredited certificate programme to support the USAID-funded OECS Early Learners Programme. The main goal is to develop a cadre of teachers who have high-level reading instruction competencies that will translate into improved reading competencies for early primary learners in the six independent Member States of the OECS. The assignment will involve an in-service programme with a blended approach (face-to-face and online). The assignment is expected to be undertaken within seven to nine months and is expected to commence in April 2018. Participating teachers will be based in the participating Member States of the OECS/USAID Early Learners Programme. Further details about the consultancy, along with qualification requirements and submission guidelines available here. The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is 30 March 2018.
  • DISABILITY RIGHTS FUND: The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) extends its deadline to 2 April for its 2018 Round 1 Request for Proposals for Disabled Persons’ Organizations from Nigeria (Click here to read Newsletter No. 17) (Click here to see the related information). Interested organizations are urged to review the full eligibility criteria and RFP details posted on the Fund’s website. 
  • USAID 2018 DISABILITY FUNDING PROGRAM: Resources from USAID’s 2018 Disability Funding Program will be dedicated to funding inclusive education efforts initiated in 2017, and competitively provided to USAID Missions to support existing projects in the democracy, human rights, and governance sector. Click here to learn more about responding to funding opportunities.
  • M-ENABLING FORUM: The first M-Enabling Forum Europe will take place on 27 September 2018 in Düsseldorf, Germany. E.J.Krause & Associates (EJK) and the G3ict (the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICT, established with the support of the United Nations) organize this conference and showcase to advance awareness of new milestones for accessible technologies and environments. The Forum will include panel discussions about rules and standards as well as case studies, showing how mobile technologies and assistive services enable independent living. The event will bring together policy makers, standardization bodies, manufacturers, network operators, software and application providers, banks and organizations representing various segments of older people and persons with disabilities including multi-disability advocacy organizations like the European Disability Forum. Online registration will open mid of April. Further information available here.
  • FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AGENCY:  FRA has published three easy-read reports which look at different parts of this issue. The first report looks at what the EU and the 28 Member States have agreed to do to move people with disabilities from living in institutions to living in their local community with support. The second report is about the money that is needed to help people move from institutions to live in the community. The third report looks at the lives of people with disabilities who are living independently in their local community. These easy-read reports can be downloaded from the FRA website and will also be available in printed versions in the coming months.
  • EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF SOCIAL RIGHTS: A press release has been published on a decision from the European Committee of Social Rights regarding denial of inclusive education to children with disabilities in Flanders, Belgium. Click here to read it.
  • WOMEN ENABLED INTERNATIONAL: The Women Enabled International’s interactive Global Map highlights hundreds of organizations that work to advance the rights of women and girls with disabilities worldwide, along with its accompanying appendices. Since its release in March 2016, over 620 organizations has been added. Click here to view it.
  • JOURNAL “LAW IN CONTEXT”: An edited collection on Disability, Rights and Law Reform in Australia has been released. This special issue (Volume 35 No.2) of the journal Law in Context provides a forum for critical analysis and reflection on the impact on Australian law of advancements in international human rights law related to disability in the decade since the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force. You can purchase a single copy of this issue through this page, or subscribe to the journal from the journal page.
  • EMOJIS REPRESENTING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Apple designed 13 new emojis to represent people with disabilities. Among the emojis one represents sign language, one represents guide dogs and people in traditional and electric wheelchairs. There are also emojis to represent the mechanical prostheses of legs and arms.The company has asked Unicode to include them in the standard list of emojis.According to Apple, this is just a first step in the representation of more and more people with disabilities. More information available here.

9. JOB OFFERS

  • IDA: IDA is seeking to recruit a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer to be based in Lyon, Geneva, New York or in exceptional circumstances elsewhere. Under the line management of IDA Program Manager and with close functional links with other IDA staffs, including the Operation and Finance Manager, Project Officers and Senior Advisors, the MEAL Officer is responsible for ensuring the timely and quality monitoring, reporting and information management relating to IDA projects and activities. The position is expected to start between May 2018 and July 2018, depending on availability. The contract is one year initially (with expected extension). Please send to the e-mail address: recruitment [at] ida-secretariat.org the completed application form together with an unedited writing sample in English related to human rights, CRPD, or social policy/legal issues by e-mail to the IDA Secretariat by 15 April 2018 , indicating in the subject line: “IDA Recruitment – MEAL Officer”. 
  • EUROPEAN WOMEN LOBBY: The European Women Lobby (EWL) is hiring a Programme Director to be based in Brussels, Belgium starting from 1 June 2018. Deadline for applications is 8 April 2018. Please click here for more information.
  • MENTAL HEALTH EUROPE: Mental Health Europe is recruiting a new Director for its secretariat in Brussels. Deadline for applications is 18 of April 2018 at 12h00 CET. More info about the position here.
  • EUROPEAN NETWORK AGAINST RACISM: European Network Against Racism (ENAR) is currently seeking to recruit a Communications Officer and a Network Development Officer. The deadline for applications is 18 April 2018.
    • Click here to read description and application instructions for the Communications Officer.
    • Click here to read description and application instructions for the Network Development Officer.


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