The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) has contacted all its Ordinary Members (132 national associations of the deaf) in December 2015 and encouraged the ones having no outstanding debts to the organisation, to make a nomination to the WFD Board. The nominated person has to come from an African country and currently live there. Moreover, the nominating WFD Ordinary Member needs to commit to financially support the nominee’s participation in WFD work.

As there are no nominations received so far, the WFD Board wishes to remind that any Ordinary Member (also outside Africa) which has no outstanding debts to the WFD may nominate a person from another Ordinary Member for the Board position, provided that it agrees to cover the nominee’s travel and other related costs.

The initiative of completing the WFD Board with a member from Africa is based on wishes expressed by several delegates during the XIX WFD General Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey. At present, there is no individual from an African country at the WFD Board.

The WFD Board highly respects the mandate given to it by the XIX WFD General Assembly and thus urges the WFD Ordinary Members, in Africa and elsewhere, to make nominations for the WFD Board. The closing date for nominations is Friday, 5 February 2016. If no nominations are received by the deadline, the WFD Board will continue in its current composition.

More information and to receive nominations instructions and forms, please contact the WFD Secretariat at phillipa.sandholm@wfd.fi