Federal Advisory Committee
International Watch
Quarterly Report
National Council on Disability
July 25, 2006
Washington, DC
Liaison: Kathleen Martinez

The charter for NCD’s Federal Advisory Committee International Watch expires on September 30 of this year.  The membership of International Watch has drafted a memorandum to the Council requesting that it be renewed. 

The 8th Ad Hoc Committee Meeting on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention (treaty) on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities is meeting in New York from August 14 through August 25.  The National Council on Disability will be hosting a lunch-time side event at the meeting on August 22. The side event is entitled, “Practical Discussions on Implementation in the United States and Other Countries” and will include a panel of international disability experts and provide a platform of diverse representation including a developing world perspective; a non-discrimination perspective; a DPO perspective; a national human rights perspective; and a monitoring perspective. A short report will follow from this event describing the discussion as well as future steps in the treaty process.  Kathleen Martinez will moderate the panel discussion.  An update on the 7th Ad Hoc Committee meeting can be found at: http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2006/un_convention.htm

Since the last council meeting in March, there have been two International Watch Federal Advisory Committee conference calls on May 4 and July 6.  On May 4, discussion included the State Department’s Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities, which met for the third time on May 1; an update on the World Bank’s activities; and an update from the United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD).  On July 6, discussion including plans for the upcoming 8th Ad Hoc Committee meeting in New York and a discussion about outcomes flowing from the 2005 foreign operations legislation.  The next International Watch conference call is on September 7. 

NCD staff continues to follow-up on outcomes flowing from NCD’s Foreign Policy and Disability report with regular meetings with the State Department and USAID, especially the new disability advisor at USAID, Lloyd Feinberg, and his staff.  NCD has also requested a meeting with the President of the World Bank to discuss its disability work: http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/correspondence/2006/wolfowitz_03-24-06.htm and continues to meet with ngos’ familiar with USAID’s work overseas such as MercyCorps, to discuss implementation of USAID’s disability policy.  The State Department held the 3rd meeting of its Advisory Committee on Persons with Disabilities on May 1.  The charter for that Committee has expired.  NCD sent a letter to Secretary Rice regarding this: http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/correspondence/2006/rice_06-01-06.htm