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October 2014 Newsletter
Rehabilitation International
41 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
1-212-420-1500
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Table of Contents
Dates & venues for upcoming RI meetings……………………………………………… 2
RI News……………………………………………….……………………………………………… 2-4
CRPD Ratification Update………………………………………………………………………. 5
Other News/Resource Update…………………………………………….……….…….. 6-8
Inspiration…………………………………………………….…………………………………... 9-13
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Dates & Venues for Upcoming RI Meetings
October 4-5, 2014
RI EC Meeting
Warsaw, Poland
October 5, 2014
RI Commission Meetings
Warsaw, Poland
October 6, 2014
2014 Annual General Assembly
Warsaw, Poland
March 5-6, 2015
EC Meeting
Kuwait
September 19-22, 2015
EC Meeting and 2015 GA
Malmö, Sweden
For more information, please see our website www.riglobal.org
RI News
New RI President Elect + News from RI’s General Assembly
From October 4 to 6, the RI Executive Committee, Commissions, and General Assembly met in
Warsaw, Poland to discuss various topics related to the present situation of RI and future plans.
As part of the General Assembly meeting, an election was held to decide the new RI President
Elect. After 54 votes, Ms. Zhang Haidi of China was chosen to succeed current RI President Jan
Monsbakken in 2016.
Haidi is the Chairperson of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF), which is
headquartered in Beijing. Established in March 1988, CPDF is a national umbrella organization of
and for persons with diverse disabilities. CDPF's mission is to promote the full participation of
persons with disabilities in society on an equal basis with others, ensure that persons with
disabilities share in the material and cultural achievements of society, as well as foster
humanitarianism in society.
The meeting also included an overview of the upcoming RI 23rd World Congress in the U.K., which
is being organized by RI member Shaw Trust and will take place in 2016. The theme of the event
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is “Making a Difference” and some current planned subthemes include accessibility and inclusion,
leisure and sport, disaster management, and education.
Three of RI’s newest members were welcomed at the meeting by Veijo Notkola, Chair of RI’s
Policy and Services Commission: Beit Issie Shapiro (Israel), the Lithuanian Association of
Rehabilitologists (Lithuania), and the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance
(Belgium).
RI’s Barbara Leroy Receives OECD Fellowship
Dr. Barbara LeRoy, the Vice President of RI’s Education Commission, has been awarded a Thomas
J. Alexander Fellowship by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD), which is based in Paris, France. The Fellowship will be implemented over the 2015
calendar year. As a fellow, Dr. LeRoy will work at OECD Headquarters with a team of analysts
and use data from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to examine
the equity, participation, accommodations and performance of students with special educational
needs in this standardized assessment. Dr. LeRoy is currently the director of the Developmental
Disabilities Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
DISCIT Meeting on Active Citizenship
In early October, RI President Jan Monsbakken traveled to Charles University in Prague, Czech
Republic to discuss an ongoing DISCIT project focused on active citizenship, of which RI is a
member of the Stakeholders group.
RI Signs MoU with KSRPD
Rehabilitation International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Korean Society
for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (KSRPD) for the Global IT Challenge for Youth with
Disabilities (GITC) project. This project aims to alleviate inequality for persons with disabilities,
create quality jobs and eradicate poverty. GITC is to be held every December in commemoration
of the December 3rd ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’, and will be held in different
parts of developing countries in rotation. This year, the event will be held in Busan, Republic of
Korea as an associative event of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit. For more information,
please contact us at [email protected].
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Find RI on Social Media
Earlier this year, RI launched a new online presence, which includes Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,
and YouTube pages, as well as a new website.
This initiative will allow RI to better communicate its message and work around the world, which
will enhance public knowledge of the organization and lead to new partnerships, memberships,
and the like.
The new website includes many features, such as responsive design, which will allow it to be
viewed on any device, including smartphones and tablets. Other new features include a login-
only member’s area, where private information directed to members will be shared and
questions can be asked.
With a modern layout and updated information, our new web presence is sure to bring RI into
today’s technological world and show how we can adapt to changing times.
Please be sure to “Like” and “Follow” us, and share our updates. Every new
person we can reach is a new opportunity for outreach.
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
151 ratifications and 159 signatories to the CRPD
85 ratifications and 92 signatories to its Optional Protocol (OP)
Samoa ratified the Convention on 24 September 2014
Guinea-Bissau ratified the Convention on 24 September 2014
Denmark ratified the Convention on 23 September 2014
Guyana ratified the Convention on 10 September 2014
Congo (Republic of the) ratified the Convention on 2 September 2014
Congo (Republic of the) ratified the Optional Protocol on 2 September 2014
Grenada ratified the Convention on 27 August 2014
Burundi ratified the Convention on 22 May 2014
Burundi ratified the Optional Protocol on 22 May 2014
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 organizations and events featured
Third Committee of the General Assembly meets on disability
The Third Committee of the 69th session of the General Assembly discussed disability issues this month
at UN Headquarters in New York. The Committee reviewed the Reports of the Secretary-General on a
disability-inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond (A/69/187) and the status of the
Convention (A/69/284). Member States presented their efforts to move forward on disability issues and
highlighted disability action in their respective national plans. States also highlighted the importance of a
disability-inclusive global development agenda, including in the areas of education, employment, social
protection, health, food security, peace, humanitarian responses and human security, statistics and data,
monitoring and evaluation and access to justice and human rights. Member States also expressed strong
support to the principles and implementation of the Outcome Document of the HLMDD. Delegates also
emphasized the importance of enhanced accessibility for persons with disabilities as both a means and a
goal of inclusive sustainable development. Currently, Member States are negotiating a draft resolution on
“Realizing the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals for
persons with disabilities towards 2015 and beyond”, which is expected to promote the mainstreaming of
disability in development, as well as in international cooperation, national development strategies and
official statistics.
Statements: http://papersmart.unmeetings.org/ga/third/69th-session/programme/
Disability reports: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=36
Live webcasts of General Assembly meetings: http://webtv.un.org.
Third Annual Asia-Pacific CBR Conference
From September 1-3, 2015, the Third Asia-Pacific CBR Conference will take place at the Keio Plaza Hotel
in Tokyo, Japan. The theme of the 2015 conference is “Poverty Reduction through Community-based
Inclusive Development (CBID) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. Learn more.
Disability inclusion in post-2015 disaster risk reduction strategies
The Preparatory Committee of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (3WCDRR) will
meet for its second session from 17 to 18 November 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland, to negotiate a zero
draft of the post-2015 disaster risk reduction strategy (HFA2). The Disability Risk Reduction Network that
has worked to ensure a disability-inclusive post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction process,
established “persons with disabilities” as a recognized stakeholder group. An update on the sessions of
the 3WCDRR is now available (www.wcdrr.org/resources/announcements) that includes the co-Chairs'
pre-zero draft. Earlier, in June 2014, the DESA Forum on Disability and Development included a roundtable
discussion on disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction and resilience that worked to take a stock of
progress in including disability in disaster risk reduction policy and practices and to discuss options to
better incorporate the perspectives and needs of persons with disabilities in HFA2.
(http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1619)
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Indigenous persons with disabilities at the first WCIP
For the first time, a high-level plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly known as the World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) was held at UN Headquarters from 22 to 23 September 2014.
The Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network (IPWDGN) represented indigenous persons
with disabilities and worked to include references to indigenous persons with disabilities in the outcome
document of the Conference. The action-oriented provisions of the Outcome Document are expected to
lead to sweeping changes for current and future generations.
(http://www.un.org/en/ga/69/meetings/indigenous/#&panel1-1 and
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2014/ga11558.doc.htm)
International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December 2014
The observance of this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on 3 December,
provides an opportunity to further raise awareness of disability as a cross-cutting development issue. The
theme of this year's commemoration, “Sustainable Development: The promise of technology” is timely,
as it marks the conclusion of the period of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) in 2015 and the
launch of a new development framework of sustainable development goals (SDGs). The 2014
commemoration of IDPD will work to harness the power of technology to promote inclusion and
accessibility to help realize the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society and shape
the future of sustainable development for all. Three sub-themes chosen will focus on the promise of
technology in: Disability-Inclusive Sustainable Development Goals; Disaster Risk Reduction and
Emergency Responses; and Creating Enabling Work Environments. At UN Headquarters a series of
commemorative events will be held to commemorate the Day, including the United Nations Enable Film
Festival (UNEFF). Film producers wishing to submit their films should do so by 20 November 2014.
Instructions for submission of films, as well as a detailed programme of the Day’s events are available at:
http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1620. Participants wishing to attend commemorative
events at UN Headquarters on 3 December should register at: http://bit.ly/idpd2014-register.
Essl Foundation and Zero Project: Monitoring CRPD Global Implementation
The Zero Project was initiated by the Essl Foundation in 2010. It is run in partnership with the World Future
Council and with the European Foundation Centre. The mission of the Zero Project is to work for a world
without barriers, according to the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD). It does so by researching Innovative Practices and Innovative Policies worldwide that
help to improve the lives of persons with disabilities, as well as researching Social Indicators that measure
the implementation of the UN CRPD and the current situation in all countries of the world. The Zero
Project team invites leading experts and organizations worldwide to contribute to their Indicator Research
on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Please access
the online questionnaire. The Zero Project is searching for disability community experts in the US and
elsewhere around the world. Your contribution is very important to map the implementation of the CRPD
and its underlying principles, values, and spirit in every country worldwide. Please complete the
questionnaire by 14 November 2014. For more information on the background of the questionnaire and
the Zero Project, please check the website or email Ms. Silvia Balmas at [email protected].
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UN DESA – Countdown to the launch of the African Disability Forum
The Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development with the support of DESA,
along with a consortium of African continental, sub-regional and national federations of organizations of
persons with disabilities are counting down the launch the African Disability Forum (ADF) in Addis Ababa
from 17 to 19 November 2014. The ADF will function as a consortium of DPOs in Africa with the purpose
of strengthening the capacity of its membership to promote disability rights and inclusion in economic
and social development in Africa. The Forum will seek to strengthen and amplify the voices of Africans
with disabilities via their representative organizations. The launch of the ADF will involve potential
member organizations and partners to discuss, review and approve ADF statutes and other foundational
documents to prepare for its formal membership and functioning as a regional Forum. The launch meeting
is being organized by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social
Development and UNDESA. Participants are invited from continental and sub-regional federations of
DPOs as well as from two national federations of DPOs from each of the 5 sub-regions. For more
information, please contact Miranda Fajerman ([email protected]) or Eric Zhang ([email protected])
Improving data and statistics for inclusive development
Ms. Catalina Devandas-Aguilar appointed Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with
disabilities
At its twenty-sixth session under agenda item 3, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution
(A/HRC/RES/26/20) and decided to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities.
In early November, it was announced that Ms. Catalina Devandas-Aguilar was chosen as the new Special
Rapporteur out of 22 applicants. In her role, Ms. Devandas-Aguilar will develop a regular dialogue with
Governments, UN agencies, NHRIs, persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, and
other stakeholders to identify, exchange and promote good practices relating to the realization of the
rights of persons with disabilities and their participation as equal members of society. Ms. Devandas-
Aguilar is a lawyer and a human rights advocate, working extensively on disability issues at the national,
regional and international levels.
13th Congress of European Forum for Research in Rehabilitation
European Forum for Research in Rehabilitation (EFRR) is organizing the 13th Congress of European Forum
for Research in Rehabilitation, which will be held in Marina Congress Center, Helsinki, Finland on 6-9 May
2015. The purpose of EFRR is to advance research and education in biopsychosocial aspects of
rehabilitation. The outcomes of such research are implemented and disseminated with the aim of
improving both the provision of social, vocational, health-care and rehabilitation services and the
standards of practice in these services, for the benefit of people with disabilities. The theme of the
congress is “Being, Doing, Participating” referring to WHO International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health. The congress is providing an arena with a wide spectrum of different fields in the
rehabilitation research. The congress will provide shared knowledge to be used in human health, new
scientific research, and for the improvement of educational efforts in rehabilitation. The abstract
submission will close on 8th of December. Learn more.
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Inspiration
RI Secretary General Venus Ilagan and RI President Jan Monsbakken pose with a banner promoting the 3rd AP CBR Congress
The RI General Assembly at the Sheraton Hotel in Warsaw, Poland on October 8
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RI’s Venus Ilagan with RI President Elect Haidi Zhang at a dinner held at the residence of the Ambassador of China to Poland
The RI Executive Committee at their meeting in Warsaw, Poland on October 4
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RI members watch a presentation about the 2016 RI World Congress at the General Assembly meeting in Warsaw, Poland
Dr. Jan Šiška, associate professor at Charles University, opens the DISCIT meeting in Prague
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RI President Jan Monsbakken poses with Dr. Woon Whan Na of KSRPD and the recently signed MoU
RI Secretary General Venus Ilagan sits with two representatives of PFRON, which organized the RI meetings in Warsaw
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RI President Jan Monsbakken congratulates new RI President Elect Ms. Zhang Haidi after her win is announced at the RI GA
