News from New York

Mr Markku Jokinen and Ms Deborah Oyuu Iyute, WFD President and Board Member, travelled to New York to take part in various International Disability Alliance (IDA) meetings, namely IDA CRPD Forum and IDA CRPD Forum Steering Committee.

The IDA CRPD Forum has been set up by the International Disability Alliance (IDA) to continue the work of the International Disability Caucus. It is a coalition of disabled peoples’ organizations and allied NGOs promoting the implementation of the CRPD.

These meetings are organized around the 1st Conference of States Parties that took place on October 31st and November 3rd. During the 1st meeting the states determined the Rules of Procedures according to which also non-governmental organizations were allowed to participate in the meetings. Thus IDA organizations were able to monitor this important event in the history of the CRPD.

An interactive panel with experts from World Bank (WB), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and IDA CRPD Forum took place on the 1st meeting day. At this occasion Mr Jokinen was proud to present an intervention on behalf of the IDA CRPD Forum in which the importance of CRPD as the superseding instrument with respect to all UN policies and programs, particularly with regard to UN Development Agenda, was highlighted. Other subjects discussed in the panel were the relationship between CRPD and the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the impact of the CRPD in national legislation as well as how to include the disability perspective in the international development co-operation.

On the second day of the Conference of States Parties taking place on November 3, the new Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in charge of monitoring the implementation of the CRPD, was elected. The Committee is composed of seven men and five women, of which nine are persons with disabilities.

IDA CRPD Forum is gradually taking shape and strengthening its activities with regard the CRPD. The composition of the Forum and the membership criteria as well as the incorporation of representatives from indigenous groups, women and children, was discussed in the meetings. Recently IDA CRPD Forum has contributed in a study launched by OHCHR to evaluate the legal measures to be taken into consideration by the states parties in order to fully implement the CRPD. WFD participated, as a member of IDA CRPD Forum Steering Committee, to this common endeavour and took up issues that are important for Deaf people. IDA will also continue co-operation with UN Special Rapporteurs and mainstream disability in their agendas.

One of the topics discussed in New York was the concern on the future funding of IDA and IDA CRPD Forum. Different funding possibilities will be investigated.

The next IDA meeting will be held in Athens and hosted by the European Disability Forum.