International Updates

from the Past President

1. UNGASS, May 8-10, 2002

Representatives from 180 nations adopted a final document at the UN General Assembly Special Session on children in New York where 550 children and youth from around the world participated.

Website : www.un.org/ga/children

2. Seminar on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Accessibility for people with Disabilities : Bangkok, Thailand, June 21-22, 2002

The Seminar aimed at the formulation of model legislation / policy guidelines to promote equal access to ICT by people with disabilities and to raise awareness towards ICT development.

Contact : Monthian Buntan mbuntan@tab.or.th

3. Expert Group meeting to evaluate the Asian and Pacific decade of disabled persons : Bangkok, 25 – 28 June 2002

The UN-ESCAP high level intergovernmental meeting will be held in Otsu city, Japan, from October 24 – 28 to conclude the Asian and pacific decade of disabled persons and also to launch the new one 2003-2012.

Website : www.unescap.org

4. First Session for the Ad Hoc Committee on a comprehensive and integral International Convention on the Protection and promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities : New York, August 2002.

Major recommendations from the Ad Hoc Committee to the General Assembly included (a) decision to hold atleast one meeting in 2003 (b) encouragement to governments to contribute to the work of the Ad Hoc committee etc.,

Website : www.dpi.org/en/files/WM21-Annex8UnConvention.pdf

5. International Literacy Day Celebration 2002 : UNESCO HQ, September 9-10, 2002

The International Literacy Day (ILD) was held at the UNESCO Headquarters as a run up to the UN Literacy Decade (2003-2012) which is due to commence on January 1. The International Literacy Prize Award Ceremony and celebration was held on September 10.

Website : www.unesco.org/education/uie

6. “Realising Inclusive Education : Forwarding a Global Agenda”, September 27, 2002, Newcastle, U.K.

The Seminar aimed at to bring together key policy makers from a range of national contexts in a forum in which a number of emerging issues and dilemmas for all national education systems are reviewed and analysed.

Website : www.britishcouncil.org/networkevents/2000/024p.htm.

7. The commemorate the 150^th death anniversary of Louis Braille and to coincide with the official opening of CIDAT’s new premises an International Braille reading show was held in which participants from 14 countries took part.

Contact : “Zurita Fanjul, Pedro” PZF@once.es

8. American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Verizon Communication and the first blind athlete to scale Mount Everest, Erik Weihenmayer launched the National Campaign for Literacy on October 3, 2002.

Website : www.afb.org or e-mail : october3event@afb.net

9. Asia Pacific Blind Summit – Challenge of Blind People Twards the New Decade – 19-20 October 2002 (Osaka, Japan)

ICEVI and CBM International will be represented at the above conferences by the Secretary General and Regional Advisor respectively.

Website : www.lighthouse or jp/index2e.htm

10. The Royal National Institute of the Blind, London : Announcement of New Developments by Dr. John Gill, Chief Scientist, RNIB

A seminar on “Guidelines for the Accessibility of Information and Communication Technology Systems” is being held in London on 15^th November 2002.

Website : www.tiresias.org/phoneability/accessibility_flyer.htm

11. World Bank in Washington

World Bank Conference on Disability and Development in Washington. The event coincides with the UN International Day of Disabled Persons, December 3, 2002.

Contact : WbankDisability@aol.com or socialprotection@worldbank.org

12. CBMI / SSI Joint Policy Statement on services to children with Visual Impairment

As announced at the ICEVI 11^th World Conference, the Joint Policy Statement was endorsed by both CBM and SSI.

13. WBU-ICEVI terms of reference for a joint position paper on the Education of Blind and Low Vision Persons.

WBU and ICEVI have both agreed on the terms of reference and a working group is drawing up the joint position paper.

14. Textbooks go digital for students with visual impairments, learning disabilities.

Website : www.rfbd.org/ap.htm

15. The World Braille Press Foundation, Canada

The World Braille Press Foundation provides Braille, Braille equipment, Braille technology, teacher training and teaching materials, leadership training programmes and the tools for peer support to developing countries, consumer groups of blind persons and schools for the blind.

Website : <worldbraillepress.com> (and .net).

16. UNESCO Education Sector’s New Quarterly Newsletter : Education Today

Education Today, which replaces their previous publication, Countdown, is aimed at presenting a more-in-depth treatment of current education issues as well as UNESCO’s position on new trends.

Available online at : www.unesco.org/education

17. Annual Meeting of the Collective Consultation of NGOs (CCNGO) on Education for All (EFA) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, January 21-23, 2003 and the Reform Process

The next meeting of the CCNGO is to be held in Porto Alegre in January 2003. The occasion would provide an excellent opportunity to promote EFA and situate it in a larger context.

Website : www.unexco.org/general

18. International Association of Special Education (IASE) : 8^th Biennial International Conference, June 22-25, 2003, Hong Kong

The theme of the Conference is “Global Challenges, practices, and Trends”. The conference is a collaboration of efforts with IASE, and he University of North Texas.

Website : www.iase.org/conferences.html

19. World Summit on the Information Society

UNESCO is preparing a position paper on its possible policy, within its mandate, regarding ICTs and people with disabilities for the next years, in the preparation for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to be held in Geneva in December 2003.

Website : www.itu.int/wsis