Text-only version of the
WHO/DAR Newsletter
THE WHO NEWSLETTER ON DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION, Issue No.
2, August 2007
This is the second issue of a new WHO newsletter dedicated to
disability and rehabilitation and aimed to keep you abreast of
WHO's activities in this area. It will be produced three times
a year and distributed via e-mail. Subscription/unsubscription
requests should be sent to WHO's Disability and Rehabilitation
Team at the following e-mail address: pedersenr@who.int
IN THIS ISSUE
* World report on disability and rehabilitation
* CBR Africa Network Conference
* 12th World Congress of the International Society for Prosthetics
and Orthotics
* CBR regional Strategy for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region
Announcements
Resources
Upcoming events
Convention Barometer
WELCOME
Alana Officer, Coordinator Disability and Rehabilitation
Working together
An underlying principal of WHO's work in disability and rehabilitation is the building of partnerships to support disability, rehabilitation and inclusion efforts. This is evinced by the broad range of stakeholders actively involved in our activities. Working together is the key to engendering real change. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an excellent example of how by working together we can show the world that persons with disabilities have the right to be recognized on an equal basis with others. We now have before us a great opportunity. The Convention is far reaching and significantly advances the process to change attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities as objectives of charity, medical treatment and social protection to individuals capable of claiming their rights and making decisions for their lives. I want to pay tribute to the substantial and substantive role that people with disabilities and their organizations have had in transforming and up scaling the movement for equality and justice. It is by working together with a broad range of stakeholders including Member States, persons with disabilities and their organizations, development organizations, professional bodies and other UN agencies that we will ensure effective implementation of the Convention. As a first step WHO will convene a meeting of key partners in September to share information on the progress of activities and recent developments related to WHO's work on disability and rehabilitation and receive suggestions on how WHO can best support the implementation of the Convention. As the new coordinator for the WHO Disability and Rehabilitation Team, I look forward to working with you to transform our shared engagement to the Convention to practical measures with measurable outcomes for persons with disabilities.
FEATURES
World report on disability and rehabilitation
Produced jointly by WHO and the World Bank in cooperation with
organizations of persons with disabilities, professional associations,
nongovernmental organizations, experts and other UN agencies.
On 18-19 June, WHO held the second meeting of the Editorial Committee
for the World report on disability and rehabilitation at WHO headquarters
in Geneva. The world report is being produced at the request of
WHA Resolution 58.23 (May 2005) for launch in 2009. The Editorial
Committee, which includes nine external experts from different
regions of the world, oversees the report's development. This
second meeting enabled the Editorial Committee, the lead authors
for the first two chapters and staff at WHO headquarters to review
the chapter outlines and define the next steps in the process
of chapter development. Over the next five months all the lead
authors will work with their chapter teams which include people
with disabilities, academics and professionals with broad interdisciplinary
and geographic orientation to write the chapters.
The first draft of the report is expected in November 2007. Following
a review by the Editorial Committee, the second iteration will
be reviewed by the Advisory Committee which comprises of representatives
from organizations of persons with disabilities, professional
associations, nongovernmental organizations, experts and various
United Nations agencies. Four regional consultations, based on
WHO regional divisions, will also take place in 2008. The objectives
of the regional
consultations are to:
* Present a draft of each chapter of the report to regional stakeholders
* Review and comment on each of the draft chapters
* Provide an opportunity for local stakeholders to provide their
perspectives (including additional data and information) for consideration
* Brief participants about the expected timeline for production,
next steps in the process, and the global launch of the report.
* Provide an opportunity for local stakeholders to reflect on
how the report can be used locally
* Discuss plans for other regional and country level events related
to the launching and implementation of the report
For further information, please contact Ms Alana Officer at officera@who.int
CBR Africa Network Conference
A joint initiative of CAN and WHO promoting CBR in Africa
The CBR Africa Network (CAN) is an information and knowledge sharing
network for CBR workers in Africa. Established in 2002, the objective
of CAN is to support CBR initiatives through the documentation
of good practices. CAN was the first nongovernmental organization
in Africa to systematically collect and disseminate information
to support CBR initiatives. To further the process of exchange
and dissemination, CAN hosts a conference every three years. The
next CAN Conference will be held in Birchwood Centre, Johannesburg,
South Africa from 30 October - 2 November 2007. The objectives
of the Conference are to:
* Facilitate the participation of people from all levels and dimensions
of CBR programmes in Africa
* Promote sharing of experiences on policy development relating
to CBR in Africa
* Facilitate communication and understanding between key groups
in order to enhance multi-sectoral partnerships
* Generate a knowledge base on CBR, inclusive policy and its implementation
in different African countries
* Expand CAN to make it an "All African CBR Network"
* Link up CBR and the African Decade of Disabled Persons (2000-2009)
Professor Sally Hartley, a member of the CAN Secretariat and a
Professor of Communication and Health at the University of East
Anglia, talks about the special features of this years CAN conference
"There are two special features to this year's CAN Conference.
Firstly, WHO's participation this year has meant that we were
able to reach countries in Africa which had not yet benefited
to date from the network, in particular many francophone African
countries. As the lack of access to rehabilitation services is
more acute in francophone African countries as compared to others
in the region, this is an important development. Secondly, for
the first time, access to information will be improved for participants
with hearing impairments through the provision of sign language
and for participants with visual impairments through the provision
of conference materials in Braille. As a result it is expected
that around 400 people will participate in the conference: a two-fold
increase on the last conference held in Malawi in 2004. This increased
level of participation highlights the interest and importance
of CBR to countries in Africa."
Photo of Members of the
CAN committee: Barbara Batesaki
(Treasurer) , Daniel Tsengu (CBM) and Sally Hartley
For further information about the CAN Conference, please visit:
http://www.afri-can.org/saconference.html
International Society for
Prosthetics and Orthotics
A report from the 12th World Congress
The 12th World Congress of the International Society for Prosthetics
and Orthotics (ISPO) was held from 29 July - 3 August 2007 in
Vancouver, Canada. This global event for multidisciplinary prosthetic
and orthotic care was opened by Dr Etienne Krug, Director of WHO's
Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability. With
the theme "Moving Beyond Disabilities", the Congress
succeeded in bringing together 1933 people from 61 countries who
work to improve prosthetic, orthotic and wheelchair services on
a global scale. The 2007 organizing committee recognized the
essential contribution users of prosthetics and orthotics made
in the Congress. Over 170 users attended the conference and half
a day was dedicated to exchanges
of experiences and information.
Over the six days, delegates could choose from 116 scientific
programme sessions, which included free papers, posters, basic
and advanced instructional courses, symposia, and manufacturer
workshops. These sessions were classified into discipline streams
that allowed delegates to follow a topic of interest throughout
the day across a number of different session types. Keynote lectures
from users of assistive devices and leaders in the field were
held each day. WHO was responsible for a series of symposium on
prosthetics/orthotics, including wheelchair service provision,
the training of rehabilitation personnel and linking CBR with
programmes related to mobility devices. The high quality of the
scientific programme confirms that the science and innovation
supporting prosthetic and orthotic practice has improved over
the last few years.
CBR Regional Strategy for
the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region
It is estimated that there are about 40 million people with disabilities
in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. CBR is considered an
effective strategy for the region to activate and build capacity
of communities to equalize access to community assets and deliver
services that are accessible to persons with disabilities.
Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office
for the Eastern Mediterranean, stressed the need to further promote
CBR in the region and to foster greater partnership between CBR
and other community-based initiatives. As an initial step a workshop
inaugurated by Mr Muhammad Nasir Khan, Honourable Federal Health
Minister of Pakistan, was held in Bhurbhan, Pakistan from 16-18
July. Ministries of Health from 10 countries in the region were
represented. After several theme presentations, focused group
and plenary discussions, consensus was reached on a proposed CBR
strategy for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region including vision,
goal, objectives, key activities and indicators. This strategy
will contribute to the implementation of CBR in line with the
principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Photo of Mr Muhammad Nasir Khan, Honourable Federal Health Minister
of Pakistan, opening the workshop.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ms Noriko Saito left her position as Technical Officer on 31 July
to work with JICA on creating barrier free environments in the
rural area of the Philippines. Noriko is warmly thanked for her
contributions to the advocacy work of the DAR team and her unfailing
support and commitment.
A new position for a Technical Officer (Vacancy Number HQ/07/VIP/TA363)
is current being advertised. The person selected will contribute
to WHO's work on the implementation of the UN Convention and the
World Report on Disability and Rehabilitation. The closing date
is 26 September. For further information please visit WHO's e-Recruitment
website at: www.who.int/employment.
RESOURCES
A special issue of the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine has
been released on human functioning and rehabilitation research
under the title "The ICF: A unifying model for the conceptualization,
organization and development of human functioning and rehabilitation
research." Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2007;39(4):277-342.
All articles of the special issue are open access and can be
downloaded from the website of the Journal of Rehabilitation
Medicine at
http://jrm.medicaljournals.se/issue/39/4
The authors are interested in your feedback.
UPCOMING EVENTS
5-8 September 2007
DPI's 7th World Assembly in Seoul, South Korea
More information at http://www.dpiwa.net
30 October - 2 November 2007
CBR Africa Network Conference
Johannesburg, South Africa
Jointly organized by CBR Africa Network and the WHO Regional Office
for Africa
Contact: Olive Kobusingye KobusingyeO@zw.afro.who.int
3 December
International Day of Disabled Persons
More information at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disiddp.htm
Convention Barometer
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and
its Optional Protocol was opened for signature on 30 March 2007.
Total number of Signatories: 102
Total Number of Ratifications: 5
Croatia (15 August 2007) *
Cuba (6 September 2007)
Hungary (20 May 2007)*
Jamaica (30 March 2007)
Panama (7 August 2007)*
* Denotes Signature of both Convention and
Optional Protocol
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The WHO Disability and Rehabilitation Team gratefully acknowledges
the generous financial contributions received from the following:
the Government of Italy; the Government of New Zealand; the Government
of Norway; the Government of Sweden; the United States Agency
for International Development (Leahy War Victims Fund); CBM; the
Italian Association of Friends of Raoul Follereau (AIFO); the
World Bank
For further information please contact: Disability and Rehabilitation
Team
Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention and Disabilities
, WHO
20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
E-mail: pedersenr@who.int or visit our web site: http://www.who.int/disabilities