International Watch Members (Present)
Kathleen Martinez, IW Chairperson and NCD Board Member
Yerker Andersson
Jerry Mindes
Don Galloway
Eric Rosenthal
Robert Shuckahosee
William K. Smith
Judy Heumann
Janet Lord
Judi Chamberlin
Susan Sygall
Silvia Yee

NCD Staff (Present)
Joan Durocher

NCD Consultants (Present)
Joelle Balfe

Guests (Present)
Janet Allem
Rosemary Ciotti
Karen Hinneki Mosco

Call to Order

Ms. Durocher called the meeting to order at 12:00 noon.

Amend/Approve Agenda

Ms. Martinez welcomed everybody to the call. Ms. Martinez then completed the roll call.

The content of the agenda was approved, with recognition that the order would be flexible to accommodate availability of certain members who would not be present for the entire call.

Foreign Assistance Update

Ms. Durocher gave a brief overview of the "Foreign Policy and Disability" paper NCD is working on, co-authored by International Watch members, Eric Rosenthal and Arlene Kanter. The paper will discuss the rights of people with disabilities to be included in foreign assistance programs and policies. It will discuss the history of efforts to ensure inclusion, the applicability of current foreign assistance legislation regarding human rights and recommend amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act to include people with disabilities.

Mr. Rosenthal reported that work on the paper was underway and that a meeting had been held at NCD on December 6 with experts on disability in development and experts from other communities (such as the women's rights movement) who have had success in promoting their issues through legislative initiatives. One of the key objectives of the meeting had been to ascertain whether NCD should structure its message to communicate that anything less than full inclusion is unacceptable, or is it acceptable to consider set-aside or targeted programs as options - which will most likely be easier to get. Representatives from the women's movement advised a multi-faceted approach that prioritizes full inclusion, not to the exclusion of other measures that, though not ideal, would still represent progress. It was also noted that engagement by the women's rights community had been necessary to breathe life into the proposed legislation. In fact, the mobilization of the community around the Percy Amendment was, in some ways, more important than the amendment itself. Therefore, the disability community will need to develop a strategy to rally around this issue and any legislative proposals that emerge as a result.

Mr. Rosenthal provided an overview of the content of the paper being developed, which will include background and history of efforts to promote inclusion, current foreign assistance legislation - both general and issue specific, current civil rights protections and their extraterritorial application, and a set of recommendations for concrete action.

Mr. Mindes pointed out that there is an opportunity (or, an opportunity should be created by the disability community) to influence how the new "Millennium Challenge Account", proposed by the President, is structured to include disability as a factor in selecting recipients.

International Convention Update

Ms. Balfe reported that Senator Harkin's office had convened a working group to focus on international disability issues. Staff from the offices of Congressman Langevin, Co-Chair of the Disability Caucus, and Congressman Lantos, Co-Chair of the Human Rights Caucus, are also participating. International Watch members will be kept informed about the activities and initiatives of this working group.

Ms. Balfe also informed the Committee that the UN had established June 16-27, 2003 as the dates for the next Ad Hoc Committee meeting in New York. There is a regional meeting being planned in Quito, Ecuador, although it is not yet clear whether this will be a Latin American regional meeting or an Inter-American meeting to include the US and Canada.

Other Activities and Initiatives

Dr. Smith informed the Committee that his organization, the Center for International Rehabilitation, is spearheading a long-term project to develop a publication to monitor disability rights globally. The project will begin with a regional report on the Americas, with a projected time line of 18 months. There will be two meetings in the coming year - the first in Quito to coincide with the regional meeting mentioned above and the second in New York to coincide with the Ad Hoc Committee meeting. The report will cover legal frameworks and specific issues such as the built environment, education, transportation, etc. Each country will be given a "report card" in the publication. A call for researchers had been issued, with applications and an established selection process. A progress report will be issued in June.

Judy Heumann reported that the World Bank had held an event on December 3 on Disability in Development that had been very well attended by the community and by World Bank staff and leadership. She has received very good feedback about the meeting. Of particular note was the support shown by World Bank President, Jim Wolfensohn, and by the key staff member in charge of NGO relations who spent nearly two hours talking with participants.

Ms. Heumann conveyed that progress is being made on disability throughout the World Bank. Working groups are being established in the regions to look at disability inclusion. Two consultants have been hired to do an internal review of the procurement process to ensure accessibility of construction. Hiring practices are being carefully examined: there is information about this on the World Bank website.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.