National Council on Disability
Federal Advisory Committee International Watch
Conference Call Minutes
May 3, 2007
12:00 P.M. EST

Present

Kathy Martinez
Joan Durocher
Stephanie Ortoleva
Eric Rosenthal
Bruce Curtis
Anne Hayes
Cappie Morgan
Rick Opstelsten
Alice Demichelis
Cindy Lewis
Yerker Andersson
Sarah Warren
Steve Estey
Nora Groce
Donna Robinson

I.          Roll Call and Welcome

II.        Amend/Approve the Agenda                  

III.       Update and overview of conference at American University "The New UN Disability Rights Convention: Building Support in the United States for Ratification and Implementation" (Eric Rosenthal)

Mr. Rosenthal reported on the outcomes of the April 9th conference on the Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD).  He stated that the conference's goal was to disseminate information to the United States disability community to help in raising awareness of the international treaty.  At the conference, there was a great deal of representation of the disability community; the international development community; international human rights community; and the United States government. 

Mr. Rosenthal said another goal of the conference was to look at ways to build support for the Administration to sign the treaty and Congress to ratify and even more broadly, to work on what the community could do to begin implementing the CRPD even before it=s signed and ratified because there are many provisions that have direct relevance to us even if the United States does not ratify it.  For example, Article 32 of the CRPD calls for all foreign assistance to comply with and promote the principles of the convention.  When the US provides technical assistance or foreign assistance abroad, we will have to comply with the CRPD in those countries that have ratified it.  It will be the law of the countries the US is working in.

Mr. Rosenthal added that for international development organizations, there are significant implications.  For example, community integration funds must be used in a way that does not violate international law - hence, development organizations need to learn how to structure programs to comply.

Mr. Sam Worthington, who is the head of InterAction (an alliance of US-based international development and humanitarian organizations) extended an invitation to set up an affinity group with InterAction to start educating development organizations about the CRPD.  It was agreed at the April 9 conference that everyone would work on information dissemination and sharing best practices, as well as build political support for the convention.

Ms. Ortoleva from the State Department asked whether it would be appropriate for the State Department to become a member of the affinity group, and Mr. Rosenthal indicated that from InterAction=s perspective, it should not present a problem.

Mr. Rosenthal added that Former Governor Richard Thornburgh gave the keynote address and he [Thornburgh] stated that the community needs to have a plan, a strategy, because the US Congress will not support the CRPD if they don=t see a strong showing from the disability community backing the CRPD.  There may need to be a short-range plan to work on getting support from the current Administration and a long-range plan for information dissemination to encourage support for the Convention within the US.

The organizers of the conference and host American University offered to have a follow-up conference in the Fall that could be a strategy session.  Part of the strategy would encourage broad based participation through information dissemination and developing a US strategy to support implementation.    

Further advice to NCD from the IW Committee to encourage broad-based participation in the process and are also suitable for immediate action include working with local communities in the United States to support the treaty. Three municipalities in the United States have already indicated support for the Convention via local ordinances and other statements of support.

Dr. Andersson added that it=s important to contact the governments of different countries around the world as well as people with disabilities to explain the importance of the CRPD.  He learned un-officially that the Swede government has already planned to set up funding to support the World Federation of the Deaf in its work in this area.  

IV.       Update from the US Department of State=s Disability Coordinator on the May 2 meeting of the State Department/USAID Federal Advisory Committee on Persons with Disabilities (Stephanie Ortoleva)              

Ms. Ortoleva started by stating that she is interested, and would like it if NCD could collaborate/coordinate,  in establishing a government-wide coalition or working group of individuals who work in various federal agencies that do international work on disability issues.

Ms. Ortoleva reported that the [State Department=s] advisory committee meeting was divided into three major sections.  The first section was a briefing by the Office of the Director of US Foreign Assistance at the Department of State. He discussed coordination between USAID and the Department in terms of ensuring that all federal assistance programs have some degree of consistency, and some degree of uniformity so as to be consistent with US foreign policy goals.  Some members of the committee expressed great concern that the US= foreign assistance work be more inclusive of people with disabilities.

Ms. Ortoleva stated that Lloyd Feinberg and Anne Hayes (both of USAID) presented an update on some of the work they are doing at USAID to expand their work and outreach.  Ms. Hayes is primarily meeting with individuals who are involved with grant-making and educating them on disability issues by explaining USAID's disability policy and also helping to develop mechanisms and toolkits for them to ensure that disability is included in terms of the mainstreaming requirements of the USAID disability policy.  They gave an update on grants that have gone out over the past year, and the current application process.

The next portion of the meeting was a panel discussion of ways in which corporate social responsibility groups and philanthropy organizations could work in coordination with government programs to further the interests of people with disabilities internationally.  Speakers included Dr. Aaron Chatterji from Duke University; Mila Rosenthal from Amnesty International; John Taylor from Wellspring Advisors; and Dr. Theresa Kane from the Polus Center for Social and Economic Development; and Susan Parker from ODEP/Department of Labor.

The afternoon was briefly spent reviewing what the responsibilities are of an advisory committee and how committees  need to operate.

Mr. Curtis inquired whether the State Department has followed USAID=s lead in developing training for their mission and staff on disability inclusion now that they are taking more direct funding action overseas, such as in the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

Ms. Ortoleva responded that she has conducted some training on the Country Reports for Human Rights Practices. The Department of State is mandated to issue human rights reports annually on the status of human rights internationally in individual countries.  She prepared detailed instruction materials to be incorporated into the general report about how to more effectively include disability in the reports.

Ms. Ortoleva stated that she is conducting a training this summer for human rights officers on issues of concern to persons with disabilities.  The DRL (Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor) direct funding for human rights issues has been cut so funds are somewhat limited.  The [advisory] committee has recommended that State Department develop a policy such as the one that USAID has ensuring that persons with disabilities are mainstreamed into all of the Department=s grant programs.

Ms. Ortoleva added that the Department is trying to increase the training of its foreign service officers.  She also stated that she has succeeded in introducing disability-specific paragraphs in a variety of resolutions of UN mechanisms, particularly with the Third Committee of the United Nations Civil and Political Rights Economic Social Council at the UN.  Resolutions are often brought before that body. She stated that a paragraph was incorporated regarding persons with disabilities in a North Korea situation, and with an embassy in Romania where the Department was vigorous in engaging with the government on the issues of concern to children in orphanages.  The mission in India has become engaged on international human rights issues and persons with disabilities as well.

Ms. Lewis stated that the State Department has funded technical assistance programs with the foreign exchange programs for the last seven years.

V.        New Business
Ms. Martinez stated that the Council voted to send a letter to the White House asking the President to sign the Convention. She also stated that she was rather heartened at the April 9 conference at the level of support for the Convention. Ms. Martinez queried members regarding next steps for NCD, and asked that they be sent to Ms. Durocher.

Ms. Durocher stated that Ms. Magar asked her to share that the Council should solicit testimony at its next meeting from the public regarding the Convention. 

VI.       Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 pm eastern time.