Newsletter from IDA Secretariat | 17 May 2018

By IDA

 - May 17, 2018

Logo of all the Members of IDA

IN THIS EDITION:

  1. Highlights
  2. Treaty Bodies Review, Geneva 2017-2018
  3. SDGs Monitoring Process
  4. Activities in the Past Weeks
  5. Upcoming Activities
  6. IDA Members
  7. UN System, Agencies and Mechanism
  8. Job Offers

  1. HIGHLIGHTS:

THIRD ISSUE OF UPDATES ON THE UK GLOBAL DISABILITY SUMMIT, JULY 2018, LONDON

As co-host of the UK Global Disability Summit, IDA, in consultation with the Civil Society Reference Group for the Summit (more information on this group here) is pleased to share the 3rd update of information in preparations for the Summit (for more information please click here). This 3rd update includes:
1. Special Note on Invitations
2. Updates from the Civil Society Reference Group: more specifically on the Civil Society Forum and Co-moderators of the Main Summit
3. National Consultations towards Commitments
4. Updates from the Thematic Working Groups
5. Coming Up

More information on the Summit is available here.

BRIDGE CRPD-SDGs UGANDA MODULE 1, KAMPALA

The first module of the Bridge CRPD-SDGs Uganda cycle took place in Kampala, Uganda from 12 to 18 April 2018 (c.f. Newsletter No. 19). The module was organised by ADF, the National Union of Disabled Persons Uganda (NUDIPU), and IDA, with support from the IDDC and their members; and financed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) and CBM. The workshop involved 72 people, being 43 participants and facilitators supported by 29 sign language interpreters, illustrators, captioners and personal assistants to build a shared, comprehensive and inclusive understanding of the CRPD in development contexts, including its fundamental concepts and structure, and its links with the SDGs (click here to see the list of participants). In addition to being gender balanced, with 21 women and 22 men, participants and facilitators represented different constituencies including cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and Down Syndrome, persons with leprosies, vitiligo, deafblindness, spina bifida and hydrocephalus, psychosocial disabilities, albinism and persons with multi-disabilities, among others.
A pivotal moment was the two days preparation, on 10-11 April 2018, with a dedicated preparation of the trainers and representatives of underrepresented groups on the inclusive facilitation methodology. Furthermore, this Bridge module was part of the training trajectory of several Bridge trainers involved in future initiatives, such as Bridge Tanzania, MENA, French and Portuguese speaking initiatives.
Bridge Uganda Module 1 enabled a unique connection among IDA and IDDC members from Africa and other regions, for instance, a participant from the World Blind Union and ADF facilitators from Niger are currently exchanging on country reporting to the UN monitoring mechanisms. Also, the facilitation team created a WhatsApp group and is exchanging on their daily work and experiences. Participants are also in the process to develop a WhatsApp group. While we are still compiling and analysing the written evaluations, the first Uganda Module was evaluated by participants at a level of 4.2, out of a maximum of 5. Please click here and here for testimonies.

2. TREATY BODIES REVIEWS, GENEVA 2017-2018

78TH SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD, 15 JANUARY-2 MAY 2018, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

The Committee on the Rights of the Child opened its 78th session (15-January – 2 May 2018) in which it will be reviewing Angola, Argentina, Lesotho, Montenegro and Norway. The public meetings will be web-casted live by the UN Office of Geneva according to the following schedule (all GVA time) (click here to access):

  • Monday, 14th May 
    15h00 – Argentina
  •  Tuesday, 15th May
    10h00 - Argentina
    15h00 - Angola
  • Wednesday, 16th May
    10h00 - Angola      
  • Friday, 18th May
    10h00 - Montenegro
    15h00 - Montenegro
  • Tuesday, 22th  May
    15h00 - Lesotho
  • Wednesday, 23th May
    10h00 – Lesotho
    15h00 - Norway

11TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF STATES PARTIES TO THE CRPD, JUNE, NEW YORK, USA

  • All IDA Members are very welcome and encouraged to submit a statement during the General Debate and Plenary sessions of the 11th Session of the Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the CRPD. Statements are delivered throughout the Conference - 12 to 14 June. Click here to complete the online submission. Please note that the time of your statement cannot be guaranteed as it will be at the discretion of the COSP Bureau. There will be a full day of statements on 12 June 2018, followed by 30-60 minutes at the beginning of each round table. We will endeavour to provide those who register with information on the list of speakers in cooperation with the Bureau. The deadline to submit your organization’s interest is 7 June 2018, 5.00 PM NY time. If you submit before the deadline, your organisation is more likely to be called on during the first day of general statements (12 June 2018).
  • During the 11th Session of COSP will take place the elections of the Committee’s members.  IDA, as part of TB-Net (NGO coalition on UN treaty bodies), advocates to strengthen treaty body membership by promoting a merit-based and transparent election process. IDA would like to give all candidates the opportunity to provide further information to States parties, organizations of persons with disabilities and the public, in general, on their profiles by providing responses to a common questionnaire. Please click here to see the questionnaire - it has been sent in English, French and Spanish to the 29 candidates registered so far. All responses will be posted on the UN TB Elections website. In addition, IDA has invited the candidates to record a 2-minute video to reply to specific questions, giving them the opportunity to provide with a user-friendly audiovisual material for relevant stakeholders and the public, in general, to learn about their ideas for the work of the Committee. All videos will be posted on the dedicated YouTube page after 15 May 2018. 

ELECTIONS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN, 7 JUNE 2018, NEW YORK, USA

  • IDA, Women Enabled International, Spanish National Organisation of the Blind (ONCE), Spanish Committee of Representatives of Persons with Disabilities (CERMI), and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) call for States Parties to increase disability representation within the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Reaffirming that women and girls with disabilities represent a significant part of the population of all women and that disability representation in treaty bodies must expand beyond the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee). As such, we encourage States Parties to strongly consider the election of Ms. Ana Peláez, a two-term CRPD Committee member who will provide essential expertise in addressing multiple and intersectional discrimination, to the CEDAW Committee. 

Click here to download the statement in English

Click here to download the statement in French

Click here to download the statement in Spanish  

3. SDGs MONITORING PROCESS

OPEN APPLICATIONS TO RECEIVE TRAVEL FUNDING TO ATTEND THE 2018 SESSION OF THE HLPF TAKING PLACE FROM 10-18 JULY IN NEW YORK

  • The UN, with thanks to a generous grant from the European Commission, will be funding a number of representatives of Major Groups and Other Stakeholders from developing Voluntary National Review countries to participate in the 2018 session of the HLPF taking place from 10-18 July in New York. The selected colleagues will receive funding to support airplane tickets, two days of daily subsistence allowances and terminal expenses during the HLPF. You can apply for funding if you are from one of the countries listed here:

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Benin, Bhutan, Cabo Verde, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Namibia, Niger, Paraguay, Poland, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, State of Palestine, Sudan, Switzerland, Togo, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Vietnam

Persons with disabilities are invited to apply. Please use this form, or click on this link.  Nominations for funding must be submitted no later than 22 May 2018. Please note that prior to the application you have to register to HLPF: Nominee must have dully registered and be accredited to attend the 2018 HLPF. Click here to register.

If your organisation doesn’t have consultative status, if you have difficulties to register, kindly contact hlpf2018 [at] ida-secretariat.org.

WORKSHOP ON THE MEASUREMENT OF DISABILITY, 10 JUNE 2018, NEW YORK, USA

A one day workshop on the Measurement of Disability will be held on 10 June 2018, in New York, USA.   The Workshop will include modules on the (i) Importance of Data, (ii) Concepts and Definitions, (iii) Data Collection Methods and Tools, (iv) Making Use of Data. As an outcome, participants are expected to:

  • Have increased their knowledge of main issues related to the collection, analysis, interpretation, and use of data on disability;
  • Have strengthened their understanding of appropriate data collection methods and tools;
  • Have deepened their knowledge of how to read and interpret data on persons with disabilities;
  • Understand how to disseminate and use data effectively to promote the rights of persons with disabilities. 

To apply click here. If the link is not accessible for you, please click here to download the MS Word Document and return it to hlpf2018 [at] ida-secretariat.org. Applications deadline is 15 May 2018. Please note that there is limited funding available for participants. The selected participants will receive an invitation to attend the workshop no later than 20 May 2018.  

WEBINAR ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR EUROPEAN ORGANIZATIONS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, 24 MAY 2018

  • In preparation to the High-Level Political Forum, EDF is holding a webinar on the Sustainable Development Goals on 24 May 2018, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Belgium time (more information is available here). While the webinar is held for European organisations of persons with disabilities, other stakeholders interesting by the topic to join. Click here to register. If you have any questions, please email Alexandre Bloxs, EDF SDGs policy assistant:alexandre.bloxs [at] edf-feph.org.

4. ACTIVITIES IN THE PAST WEEKS
WORLD CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION: The Second World Conference on Disability and Disaster Risk Management was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 15 – 17 May 2018. More information will be provided in the next newsletter.

5. UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

JUNE                                                                                                                            

  • 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 the 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 mobilize 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 MEMBERS

European Disability Forum

  • The European project “Bridging the Gap – Inclusive Public Policies and Services for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities” is holding a workshop entitled"Social protection of persons with disabilities in development cooperation", on 15 May 2018 in Vienna, Austria. Click here to register. The workshop language is English. Sign interpretation will be provided. Depending on the request, the workshop may be web streamed. Click here to download the Workshop Agenda.
  • The 2018 Civil Society Days will take place on 24-25 May 2018, in Brussels, Belgium. Click here to register. The focus of these Civil Society Days will be on fostering the current debate about the future of Europe and on highlighting the role across Europe of the civil society organisations which come together in the EESC to represent "Europe at work". EDF and AGE Platform are organising a workshop during the European Economic and Social Committee Civil Society Days: Empowerment to overcome the digital divide, on 24 May 2018 from 16h00 to 18h00. The workshop will discuss what needs to be done to assure an inclusive digital society and explore initiatives that can be implemented at different levels. Read the workshop agenda. Registrations are open until 15 May 2018.
  • European Dyslexia Association (EDA) ‘s next Autumn Seminars will take place on 19–21 October 2018, in Munich, Germany. The registration is not open yet however you are invited to submit a spoken research presentation or a research poster, on the subject of dyslexia and dyscalculia related to theory as well as practice. Each oral presentation will be allowed 20 minutes and 5 minutes of Q&A. The deadline for submitting your contribution is 15 June 2018. You will be informed about the results of the review-process by 30 June 2018. For more information please click here.
  • The Disability Intergroup is holding an event on 22 May 2018 from 10:00 to 12:00 in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting will gather representatives of the negotiating parties of the European Accessibility Act and different stakeholders to discuss the main issues of the Act. Click here to register for the event. The complete agenda can be downloaded in Word or Pdf.

Down Syndrome International

  • The 13thWorld Down Syndrome Congress will be held on 25-27 July 2018 at Glasgow, Scotland. Held every two years, the Congress provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for families, professionals and people with Down’s syndrome to access the latest medical research, educational developments and best practice related to the condition. Click here to download the full press release.

7. UN SYSTEM, AGENCIES AND MECHANISM

OPEN APPLICATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL (ECOSOC)

  • Applications for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) are still opened. The deadline is the 1 June 2018 deadline for NGOs to apply for ECOSOC consultative status in order to be considered by the 2019 NGO Committee. The following link provides background information, the benefits and instructions how to apply: https://bit.ly/2ozYpVw 

QUESTIONNAIRE ON ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR PERSONS WITH ALBINISM

  • The Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism invites you to fill in a questionnaire on access to justice for persons with albinism (click here for English version and here for French version). The purposes of the questionnaire are:
  1. Development of a comprehensive report to inform the public of the issue from multiple countries including providing updates on progress, gaps, and recommendations/way forward.
  2. Guide various duty-bearers and stakeholders, from the government to development partners (including funders) on the situation and ways they could be of help at all levels – community, national and international
  3. Provide a strong basis for partners to join this work

Please note that the topic of access to justice includes not only matters of physical attacks but also matters of discrimination. 

OHCHR CONSULTATION ON MENTAL HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS

  • Posts should be between 700-200 0 words in length.
  • Posts should be relevant to the themes of UN DataForum (click here to read them) 
  • Please make specific reference to the UN World Data Forum taking place 22-24 October 2018 in Dubai.
  • Please include hyperlinks to relevant sources and background information rather than using footnotes.
  • Posts should be clear and concise, leaving out excessive jargon.
  • Please write with a global audience in mind.
  • Posts should reflect original, unpublished work.

 PAGE ON IDA WEBSITE DEDICATED TO ON WEBINARS ABOUT THE UN SYSTEM AND PROCESSES

  •  IDA website has a page dedicated to webinars about the UN system and processes. All are welcome to visit this page and access the webinars through the recordings (which are also available in International Sign), and also through the narrative documents. There is a recording on:
  1. UN System in New York (click here to find more information)
  2. UN System in Geneva 

8. JOB OFFERS

  • UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CO: University Research Co (URC) is seeking multiple consultants to support reading/Literacy Outcomes for Learners with Disabilities. Deadline for application is 1 June 2018. More information on the tasks and instructions on how to apply available here.
  • INTEGRITY ACTION: Integrity Action is seeking a consultant to conduct a contextual research to understand ways to increase participation of students with disabilities in Integrity Clubs in the Kathmandu Valley and Sindhupalchok, Nepal (click here to download the ToR). The consultant should be based in Nepal.  Applications must be submitted before the 20 May 2018.
  • IDDC: IDDC is recruiting a new IDDC Coordinator to be based in the IDC Secretariat in Brussel. To download the job advert, please click here. Closing date for applications is 12 noon on 29 May 2018. 

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