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In 2021, UNICEF and the Government of Norway established a Partnership for disability inclusive programming at the global, regional and country level, focusing on the Eastern and Southern Africa region.

The Disability Inclusive Programming Framework for the Eastern and South Africa region is to implement inclusive social protection programming in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique and to implement cross-sectoral disability inclusive programming in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Madagascar, Mozambique and Lesotho. The cross-sectoral programming includes activities in the areas of inclusive education, water, sanitation and hygiene management, health, early childhood development, child protection, social protection, assistive technologies, communication for development, and data and research.

UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office has established a Disability Inclusion Team led by a Regional Disability Inclusion Specialist, Yetneberesh Nigussie Molla, supported by a Programme Officer on Children with Disabilities, Kristel Jüriloo. The role of the Regional Disability Inclusion Team is to provide quality assurance and oversight of the disability inclusive programming in the 7 UNICEF country offices implementing cross-sectoral disability inclusive programming, technical assistance to all UNICEF country offices in the region, evidence generation and establishing and strengthening partnerships with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities between UNICEF regional and country offices.

For example, in Rwanda, UNICEF continues to end stigma and discrimination by supporting children and young persons with disabilities to participate in the programme “Activate Talks”. On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Rwanda in 2020, six speakers bravely faced the camera during UNICEF’s ‘Activate Talks’ event and shook off the stigma to speak openly about their experiences with discrimination. In Mozambique, UNICEF is continuing its partnership with Light for the World to reach children with disabilities with inclusive response and recovery after the cyclone Idai. In Zimbabwe, UNICEF is supporting the adoption of a National Disability Policy which is based on recommendations from consultations with children and young persons with disabilities.

We encourage Organizations of Persons with Disabilities to engage with the Regional Disability Inclusion Team so we can inform you of the specific activities at the regional and country level and engage in close collaboration between UNICEF and the disability community. Every UNICEF country office has a focal point for disability inclusion and the Regional Disability Inclusion Team can put your organization in touch with them upon request.

Contact information:

Regional Disability Inclusion Specialist, Yetneberesh Nigussie Molla: ymolla@unicef.org

Programme Officer on Children with Disabilities, Kristel Jüriloo: kjuriloo@unicef.org

Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) are an important mechanism within the United Nations process for follow-up and review of Africa’s progress in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as set out in the 2015 Declaration (UN 2015). This country-led approach, as introduced in the Agenda 2030, is central to the implementation of the agenda, the remaining challenges and the policies required going forward. The framework is built around a voluntary process that tracks progress on goals, focus on people with particular attention to human rights and the people furthest behind (UN 2015, para 74).

In 2020, 14 African countries submitted VNRs to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) – Benin, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Uganda, and Zambia, along with 1 regional report produced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

Click here to access the complete analysis – Disability Inclusion in the 2020 VNR Reports of African Countries

This baseline report sheds light on the perceptions of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in Africa concerning their inclusion in development programs and policies. It presents results and draws conclusions from the first IDA Global Survey on OPD participation in development programs and policies, the first-ever global survey led by OPDs on their participation in decision-making.

Click here to access the full Baseline Report – Monitoring Participation of OPDs in Development Programmes and Policies

Pan African Network of Persons with Psychosocial Disabilities (PANPPD) is inviting applications from Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Togo and Ghana to submit requests for proposals for microgrants. The goal is to raise awareness on the social and economic challenges precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic for persons with psychosocial disabilities and to advocate for responses to COVID-19 and for “building back better” policies and programs that are inclusive, human rights- and community based, and that include psychosocial support and other alternatives to the medical model as a key component. Application deadline: 31 May 2021. Call for application can be found here. Please download the application form here.

The Centre for Disability Law and Policy (CDLP) are delighted to announce that registration is now open for the 12th International Disability Law Summer School 2021!

This year, summer school will take place entirely online, on the topic of Article 30 – Access to Culture, Recreation, Leisure and Sport for People with Disabilities. 

The impact of Covid19 has shown us, more than ever, the importance of culture in times of crisis – we turn to art, music, sport and play to find comfort and meaning in difficult times. This global pandemic has also highlighted new ways to make culture more accessible, for example, through live streaming of cultural events. Nevertheless, disabled people are still excluded from accessing culture in different forms and much work remains to ensure full and meaningful participation of disabled people in all forms of cultural life.

In its first-ever online incarnation, the summer school will take place over 5 weeks, from 31 May to 2 July. The programme has been designed to allow participants to dip in and out of the material based on their availability throughout these weeks, and contains a mixture of specially pre-recorded content, live panel discussions with opportunities for Q&A and interactive events (including comedy sets, a storytelling event, and a DJ’d dance party). Participants will receive an email each Monday with 2 hours of pre-recorded videos, live panel discussions will take place each Wednesday from 2-4pm Irish time, and the interactive and group activities will take place on Thursdays and Fridays (each lasting no more than 2 hours).

Each week will address a different theme, including Article 30 CRPD, voices of disabled people in media, disabled people as artists and creators, sport, leisure & play, and access to the arts. We are committed to making summer school as accessible as possible in this online format, so please let us know your access needs on registering, and we look forward to welcoming you (virtually) to the various home offices, bedrooms and living rooms of our speakers from around the world this year!

Registration is here or at this link: http://www.nuigalway.ie/centre-disability-law-policy/trainingandevents/2021summerschool/index.html

General Registration will remain open for a number of weeks.

The Centre for Disability Law & Policy (CDLP) has recently received scholarship funding from Irish Aid, we are in a position to offer a limited number of scholarships to delegates from the following countries (Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Vietnam, South Africa, Liberia) to attend the 12^th International Disability Law Summer School which will be taking place online from 31 May – 2 July.

The scholarship covers the registration fee for this online summer school.

Entry Requirements:

Please provide a statement including the following:

• A brief background summary about yourself (include the country you are from)
• How you think the conference will benefit you/your organisation
• How would you apply the knowledge gained following your participation at the summer school within your networks.

Please send your statement in word format to disabilitysummerscho@nuigalway.ie (Maximum word count is 500 words) by 5pm (GMT) Friday 21^st May 2021

Please note if you have already submitted a statement for scholarship and you are from above mentioned country your application will be transferred and considered within this call.

The successful delegates from this call will be informed by email on Wednesday 26^th May.

The African Disability Forum (ADF), the World Blind Union (WBU) and the entire International Disability Alliance (IDA) congratulate Esther Kyozira on her appointment as the new CEO of the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU).

In 2018, as the Programme Director of NUDIPU, she implemented the Bridge CRPD-SDGs Initiative in Uganda.

Her other career milestones include serving, in Uganda, as Programme Officer for Disability Rights Fund (DRF), having chaired the National Council for Disability and been coordinator of the Hi-Tech Project for the National Association of the Blind.

Esther has solid experience in programmes, partnerships, the use of UN Monitoring Mechanisms, legal harmonisation, and on rights-based approaches to persons with disabilities, in general, and women with disabilities, in particular.

At IDA and our members, we are very much looking forward to our continuous engagement with NUDIPU and DPOs in Uganda and we wish you all success in your upcoming endeavours!

Disability Inclusive Social Protection: In-Depth Workshop for Uganda DPOs

IDA’s innovative approach to facilitate meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities in development programmes