Challenges and Opportunities
for Accessible Global Governance:
Enhancing Participation
for Persons with Disabilities in UN Processes

Thursday, June 16, 2016
6:15pm - 8:00pm
United Nations Headquarters
Conference Room 11

Organizer: Institute on Disability and Public Policy, American University

Co-Sponsors: Permanent Mission of Ecuador, The Nippon Foundation, World Enabled, G3ICT, International Disability Alliance, and Disabled People’s International

Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Recording Link
Captions Transcript File
Side Event Recording via UN TV

Overview:
With the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, an historic confluence of UN initiatives is underway opening up tremendous opportunities for the inclusion of disability-specific contributions to these processes over the next decade. In addition to the SDGs and the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), there is the ongoing work of the CRPD, the WSIS+10 agenda, and the Internet Governance Forum, all open to a focus on accessibility, inclusion and the use of information and communication technologies for socio-economic development. However, our recent study has illustrated the tremendous problems with enabling “effective” participation for persons with disabilities in these UN processes, especially those beyond the CRPD. This Side Event at the 9th Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will focus on the challenges and opportunities of persons with disabilities’ participation in UN conferences, meetings, events and broader global governance processes. It will highlight findings from the first phase of an IDPP study on Accessibility in Global Governance: The Invisibility of Persons with Disabilities, which was supported by The Nippon Foundation, and will present the model of an accessible Disability Inclusive Development (DID) Collaboratory that supports inclusive global governance for the disability community. With the ultimate goal of enhancing the participation of persons with disabilities in the multiple and complex national, regional, and international processes of global governance, this policy collaboratory can enable capacity building and effective participation in a wide range of UN processes, including the COSP, HLPF, Habitat III, and beyond.

Program and Speakers:

Opening Remarks (5 minutes): Representative from the Permanent Mission of Ecuador

Moderator (5 minutes): Amb. Luis Gallegos, Chairman, G3ICT; Special Advisor, The Nippon Foundation

Keynote Address (15 minutes): Challenges and Opportunities of Accessible Global Governance: Operationalizing Findings and Recommendations from Phase One of a Global Study: Dr. Derrick L. Cogburn, Associate Professor and Director, IDPP, School of International Service, American University

Response 1 (5 minutes): Coordinating Policy Engagement: Dr. Orsolya Bartha,
Senior Advisor, International Disability Alliance

Response 2 (5 minutes): Integrating Local and International Voices in Global Disability Policy: Mr. Mohammed Ali Loutfy, Disabled People’s International

Response 3 (5 minutes): Knowledge Networks in Global Governance: Stimulating Substantive Disability-Inclusive Contributions to Habitat III: Dr. Victor Pineda, Founder and Executive Director, World Enabled

Response 4 (5 minutes): Making Information Accessible in the 3WCDRR: Mr. Hiroshi Kawamura, Vice President, Assistive Technology Development Organization and Former Coordinator, WSIS Civil Society Caucus on Persons with Disabilities

Audience Interaction and Questions (30 minutes): Dr. Filippo Trevisan, Assistant Professor, School of Communication and Deputy Director, IDPP, American University

Concluding Remarks and Responses (5 minutes): Amb. Luis Gallegos, Chairman, G3ICT and Special Advisor, The Nippon Foundation; and Dr. Derrick L. Cogburn, Associate Professor and Director, IDPP, School of International Service, American University