International Advocacy

Deaf people are rarely given the opportunity to partake in governance and decision-making, even when it affects them directly. We’re working to change this.

Promoting the principles of the CRPD and 2030 Agenda, the WFD advocates that the right to sign language enables equality in all spheres of life. WFD often advocates on many human rights of the deaf to break down barriers to make the world a more equal place for all deaf people.

We do this by:

1. Participating in meetings and events to represent the WFD and/or the whole disability field.
2. Collaborating with the United Nations, other international agencies, governments, members, and partners to ensure that the CRPD is understood, respected, implemented and appropriately monitored.
3. Promoting, in particular, the acceptance and use of sign language, which is a fundamental aspect of deaf people’s human rights. With sign language, deaf people:
   • Can use their natural language to express themselves and communicate
   • Have a full, complete cultural and linguistic identity as a deaf person
   • Are able to equally participate in society as whole, healthy, and confident human beings
4. Making submissions to, appearing before, and meeting with the CRPD committee to advocate on human rights issues with the intention of supporting our member organisations to better monitor and respond to deaf issues around the world. We also aim at ensuring the Committee’s comments and recommendations include the Deaf perspective.
5. Developing and disseminating statements, position papers, and other documents to highlight the WFD’s views on various issues.