Training of Trainers Workshop Held

A training of trainer’s workshop was held on 21-25 January 2008 in Johannesburg. The training was a follow up to the Capacity building of Southern Disabled People’s Organizations held in June last year.

A key objective of the training was to appeal to participants to make fruitful contribution to poverty reduction programmes and specifically to decrease the poverty of disabled people in line with the MDGs.

The training was expected to offer participants a clear understanding of what Capacity Building meant for SDPOs. Give an evidence base of SDPO needs and priorities and increase skills, knowledge and understanding among and between Southern and Northern DPOs.

For more information, contact info@africandecade.co.za

Sudan Passes New Disability Bill

The Sudanese Cabinet has passed the Disability Bill 2008.  The minister of Social Welfare, Women and Child Affairs presented it in April, this year.  The Bill replaces the Disability Act 1984, allowing local and regional development to comply with the interim constitution.

The Bill obliges state bodies and the societies to respect the rights of disabled people assist them in leading a normal life, involve disabled people in public life, ensure effective political, cultural, social and sport participation of disabled people and maintain their right to an education, employment and free movement. The Bill will be referred to the National Assembly for final approval.

This is a fantastic achievement for disabled people's organizations who have been campaigning for this since 2004. It is hoped the country will ratify it soon.

West African Media Sensitised

A media workshop on The role of journalists for inclusive media was on 22-24 April 2008 held in Dakar Senegal. The 3 day workshop brought together 30 journalists from different countries in West, Central and North Africa.

The training provided an insight into the concerns of people with disabilities. They received statistical data, information on the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, and terminology through a series of informative lecture discussions. It’s hoped the workshop will promote recognition and respect for the human rights of persons and make their contributions and concerns more visible in the media and society.

The Dakar workshop was the second organized by the Secretariat of the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities. This particular workshop was planned and implemented by the Regional Office west, central and North Africa. The outcome of the event was the development of a nascent network of journalists from the three regions promoting media initiatives and information that seeks to be inclusive of persons with disabilities.

For more information, contact gouwah@africandecade.co.ke

South Africa among Eight African Nations to Ratify Convention

South Africa the host of the Secretariat of African Decade of Persons with Disabilities is among eight African states which have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. The other nations are Namibia, Gabon, Egypt, Guinea, Kenya, Tunisia and Mali.
An official commemoration of entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities was marked on the 12th of May 2008 in New York. Adopted in 2006, and opened for signature in March last year (2007) it took effect on 3 May (2008) a month after the 20th nation, Ecuador, ratified it. So far some 26 countries have ratified the Convention, starting with Jamaica in March last year, and 16 countries have ratified the Optional Protocol.

The event was organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).  It brought together many of the representatives of the governments, the disability movement and the UN System.
In his official address to the gathering, UN Secretary Mr. Ban Ki-moon stated that “It is a new dawn in the fight for the well-being of people with disabilities,” . He called for concrete steps to transform the vision of the Convention into real victories on the ground. and that “We must address the glaring inequalities experienced by persons with disabilities. We must counter discrimination and prejudice. We must deliver development that is truly for all”, he said.
For more information, contact Email: judith@africandecade.co.za

Secretariat Calls for Ratification of UNCRPD

The secretariat of African Decade of Persons with disabilities has called on African countries to take a leading role in ratification of the UNCRPD.

The secretariat is programmed around the UNCRPD and its aim is to ensure that all African countries ratify and adopt laws to suit the UN convention.

It specifically calls on  DPOs and other CSOs to lobby and advocate for the ratification of UNCRPD by their governments.

Registered CSOs advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities can contact the secretariat for resource materials.

For more information, contact info@africandecade.co.za

Women's Workshop Held

The Secretariat of the African Decade of Persons  with Disabilities held  a three-day workshop for women with disabilities and are managers in Senegal. The workshop brought together women with different disabilities from the 9 Regions of Senegal. It was held on 28-30 April 2008.

The workshop was a follow-up on the session held in December 2007 that highlighted the gaps in skills of women with disabilities who are in leadership positions in the country. Some of the key areas needing follow-up identified during the December session included;

Additional leadership skills training
Fundraising
Awareness raising, advocacy and lobbying
Reproductive health issue
Research
Monitoring and evaluation
Exposure to other countries to learn from their experiences
Policy analysis
Project management

For the three-day workshop, the Secretariat prior tised two of the areas identified, project management and fundraising/ resource mobilisation. The session resulted in a comprehensive plan, which aims to increase the number of women with disabilities within the electoral functions at district level. 

The participants also discussed the principles and methods of resource mobilisation and agreed on specific strategies to mobilise the resources necessary to implement the plan. 

For more information, contact gouwah@africandecade.co.za

International

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Comes to Force

The entry into force of the UNCRPD in May 2008 has been celebrated worldwide by all Persons with disabilities, DPOs and NGOs who since the adoption of the convention on 13th December 2006 have worked so hard.

The UNCRPD is the first and only human rights treaty solely for persons with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination in all areas of life, and guaranteeing legal capacity, liberty, respect for physical and mental integrity, the right to live in the community, inclusion and equal opportunities for all. It spells out in detail the rights of persons with disabilities under international law.

Various articles of the Convention relate to rehabilitation, habilitation, education, accessibility, the right to life, awareness raising, situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies, adequate standard of living and social protection, participation in political and public life, employment, health, national and international monitoring mechanisms, among other issues. The Optional Protocol concerns how individuals or groups can seek redress for violations by their governments of the CRPD through the international treaty monitoring body once national remedies are exhausted.

According to the CRPD, a “person with disability” includes those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.
It recognizes that disability is always changing and is as a result of the interaction between a person’s impairment and obstacles such as physical barriers and attitudes that prevent participation in society.

The convention also notes that most people will experience a disability - either temporary or permanent - at some time in their life and that some people are born with a disability. Several rights are also stipulated in the convention. What remains now is the implementation of the various rights in various systems of government, economic and social setups.

For more information visit:  www.riglobal.org or www.un.org/disabilities

Upcoming Events

International

2-4 July
Regional Conference on rights of persons with disabilities
Location: Thailand

3 December
International Disability Day

Helpful websites
www.rickhansen.com
www.motivation.org.uk
www.wheelchairfoundation.org
www.paranet.ch
www.joniandfriends.org
www.africandecade.org.za
The Secretariat of African Decade of Persons with Disabilities monthly News Update is circulated monthly. We welcome views and feed back from our readers. Your Reponses will always be published in the next issue. For more information, please contact info@africandecade.co.za or jane@africandecade.co.za

Compiled by: Jane Mwangi
Edited by: A K Dube