DAPD’S Executive Director elected to Commonwealth Disabled Peoples’ Forum

Executive Director of the Dominica Association of Persons with Disabilities (DAPD), Nathalie Murphy, is among 17 persons who have been elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Disabled Peoples’ Forum (CDPF).

Twenty-seven (27) representatives of the Commonwealth of Nations assembled at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday June 13 for the re-launch of the forum which had been inactive for almost eight years.

The purpose of CDPF is to bring all disabled people together from all countries of the Commonwealth, with a view to having one voice to advocate for promotion and equalization of opportunities for all disabled people and to engage and influence the structures and organs of the Commonwealth, especially the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the wider global human rights and disability rights movement.

Mrs. Murphy was elected as the Caribbean representative on the forum and will also serve as Dominica’s Country Focal Point.

The functions of the Country’s Focal Point shall include, among other things:

1. Recruitment of qualifying Disabled Persons Oragnizations (DPOs) as members of the Forum.
2. Providing information to DPOs about the Forum and promote the interests of the Forum in that country.
3. Ensuring that member DPOs discharge their responsibilities to the Forum.
4. Monitoring on behalf of the Forum the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and submit reports appropriately.
5. Submitting annual reports to the Board on the state of disabled persons in the country especially with regard to new innovative policies, legislation in the area of promoting inclusion and protection of rights, among others.
6. Undertaking any other tasks as may be assigned by the Board or the Chairman from time to time.

The Forum also reviewed and adopted the Constitution and Work Programme and at the end, produced a declaration in which the delegates recognized that much has still to be achieved to create equality for more than 450 disabled people throughout the 53 countries of Commonwealth and to achieve the standards set in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The 27 Commonwealth DPO delegates attending the CDPF re-launch also applauded the adoption of a constitution, work programme and newly elected Executive Committee on 13^th June 2019 in New York.

“We recognize, in particular,” the declaration stated, “our organisations and countries need core funding, human and technical resources to advise and pressure our governments to fulfill their obligations towards their disabled citizens.”

It added, “We call on the international community, bilateral and multilateral donors and our Governments to adequately fund us in carrying out our role as Representative DPOs in line with Article 4 and 33 of the UNCRPD. We are committed to improving the position of disabled people across the Commonwealth by adopting the following priorities.”

Priorities for the work of Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum (CDPF) 2019-2020 include:

1. The recruitment and active engagement of Disabled People’s Organisations across all Commonwealth Countries in the CDPF.

2. To continue to support the full ratification and implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other legally binding treaties in all Commonwealth Countries.

3. To challenge the continuing inequalities and exclusion that disabled people face throughout the Commonwealth in all areas of life. Specifically, by developing inclusive education, employment opportunities – economic empowerment and entrepreneurship, equality of livelihood, assistance in humanitarian situations, gender equality and the provision of assistive technology.

4. To challenge stigma, discrimination and other intersectional oppressions which lead to negative attitudes, stereotypes and inequality.

5. To develop the capacity of DPOs at local, regional and national levels in each country, to understand the principles of disability equality, the requirements of the UNCRPD and SDGs, the requirements and practices of running representative DPOs, and methods for effectively influencing Government policies for Disabled People, shadow reporting and monitoring.

6. To develop National Umbrella cross impairment organisations of Disabled People which are widely geographically based and inclusive of different impairments.

7. To support, develop and promote leadership amongst young disabled people.

In order to achieve those priorities, the CDPF will:

• Encourage and support North-South and South-South Collaboration of DPOs.
• Promote the Social Model and Human Rights Approach to Disability Equality, provide and facilitate training on these.
• Share good practice and information.
• Work with Governments, funders and donors to fund DPO projects to capacity build to implement the UNCRPD, Sustainable Development Goals and other initiatives.
• Capacity Building by developing strong representative National DPOs of cross impairment groups, which are gender responsive and reach disabled people in all areas, across each country.
• Develop the capability to gather data, research and monitor programmes and spread effective good practices.

• Encourage disabled women’s and girls’ self-organisation and to make our DPOs habitable to women.
• Work for the inclusion of disabled youth and other under-represented groups and people of all ages in our organisations.
• Encourage representation on global, regional and national bodies and work with UN Development organisations, other international agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations.

DAPD’s Treasurer, Michael Murphy also attended the first two days of the UN 12^th Conference of State Parties which was held from June 11^th– 13.