National Council on Disability
International Watch
Federal Advisory Committee
Quarterly  Report
April 17, 2007

In December, 2006 at its 61st Session, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which marked the end of a five-year long negotiation process that was unprecedented in its inclusion of non-governmental organizations made up of people with disabilities.

The treaty opened for signature on March 30, 2007 in a ceremony at the United Nations.    NCD sent a letter to the White House encouraging the United States to sign the Convention  http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/correspondence/2007/president_03-05-07.htm  The Opening for Signature Ceremony included statements by the President of the UN General Assembly; the Deputy Secretary-General; the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Mexico; Ecuador; New Zealand; and a civil society representative.  On the same day, a dialogue was held “From Vision to Action:  the Road to Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities” with an opening address by the High Commissioner for Human Rights and member state cross-regional representatives.  Kathy Martinez and Joan Durocher attended the opening ceremony. The treaty will enter into force after it has been ratified by 20 countries.

NCD’s Federal Advisory Committee International Watch held a conference call on March 1.  The agenda included updates from the State Department and USAID on their current disability inclusion work and a discussion on assisting refugees who have disabilities from the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.  NCD staff continues to have regular follow-up with USAID and the State Department to keep apprised of their disability inclusion efforts.  The State Department is currently working on collaborative efforts between agencies working on international disability issues and were recently detailed a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of Civil Rights, Special Emphasis Program for People with Disabilities, who is tasked with developing a strong foundation for future work on disability issues. USAID’s current work includes announcing an RFA for US based disability groups to develop capacity-building and advocacy-related activities for DPOs (disabled people’s organizations). USAID is also funding several USAID field missions to support qualified ngos (US, non-US, as well as local) through existing and new assistance mechanisms.

NCD staff met with a delegation from Ukraine on March 13 to discuss the Convention and NCD’s current disability and policy work.

The next International Watch Federal Advisory Committee call will be on May 3, 2007.