Enable 2010

A disability and development conference

    
December 3rd is the annual International Day for Persons wtih Disabilities, and in recognition of this year's theme of “Keeping the Promise: Mainstreaming Disability into the Millennium Development Goals”, cbm held an Enable Conference to further explore the MDGs and recent changes to make these inclusive.  The conference highlighted current inclusive development work going on around the world by other organisations.    

Participants will gained an understanding of how the frameworks of development policy are shifting to be inclusive and what this means for development practice.  The goal was to provide a place to learn more about the MDGs and inclusive development, and to hear first hand about current projects, best practices, lessons learnt, areas for future development, and ways forward to inclusiveness. 

The morning focused on providing a general overview of inclusive MDGs, the international disability movement encouraged by the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and keynote speech from Helen Leslie, Acting Deputy Director for the New Zealand Aid Programme's Multilateral Team.  Ms. Leslie currently oversees human rights issues and until early this year had been managing the New Zealand Aid Programme in Samoa.

The afternoon dove into the specific themes of the MDGs with guest speakers from Rehabilitation International, ChildFund and special guest Dr Allen Foster, President of cbm international who joined us from London. 

 Presenters:

• Anne Hawker, President of Rehabilitation International and Senior Disability Advisor for the Ministry of Social Development
• Sally Hewlett, Programmes Coordinator from Child Fund
• Prof Allen Foster, President of cbm international
• Ms. Helen Leslie, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Government

Attendees included public officials, members of DPOs, INGOs and NGOs, and independent practitioners.
 

Additional Information:
For more information on Inclusive MDG, the website www.includeeverybody.org is a good start.  You can also read more about cbm's efforts to make sure disability is included in the MDGs by clicking here to read the blog from our cbm representative at the World Summit in New York this past September. 

For more information on the International Day of Persons with Disability, you can check out the UN Enable website at http://www.un.org/disabilities/