IDA welcomes the new UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
UNDP, OHCHR, DESA, WHO, ILO and UNICEF jointly launch a Multi-Donor Trust Fund on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. IDA calls on States and private donors to give consideration to contribute to this MDTF to ensure the mainstreaming of persons with disabilities in UN development work.
New York, 9 December 2011 - Yesterday, six UN Agencies, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR), the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), jointly launched, in the presence of high-level representatives from States, together with representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities and non-governmental organizations, a Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) on disability rights to support the inclusion of the rights of persons with disabilities within the work of the United Nations at country level.
The International Disability Alliance (IDA) was instrumental in the creation of this MDTF, which seeks to address the insufficient attention given by UN Country Teams to the rights of persons with disabilities. In recognition of its representative nature, IDA will be represented through its Chair on the Policy Board of this new MDTF.
The main beneficiaries of the MDTF will be country offices of UN agencies and national DPOs/NGOs, which could benefit from this MDTF through their partnership with country offices from UN agencies. Some of the objectives of the UNPRPD MDTF include: capacity development for the ratification and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); support of disability specific initiatives such as national disability strategies, legislative and policy reform; support for the dialogue between States, DPOs and UN Country Teams; and breaking the invisibility of persons with disabilities by supporting mainstream and specific data collection on the status of and discrimination faced by persons with disabilities.
“The main challenge at this stage is fundraising for the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” stated Diane Richler, IDA´s Chair, on the occasion of the launch. “We would like to take this opportunity to appeal to States, bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as private donors, to contribute to this MDTF and thereby support the promotion of disability rights in the work of the UN in developing countries.”
Contact: Stefan Trömel at stromel [at] ida-secretariat.org
Website: www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org
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