Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign is calling for better representation of women, as well as people with learning disabilities and people from developing countries, on the United Nations disability committee.

The committee, which monitors how countries are meeting the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), is currently made up of six women and 12 men. Elections for nine positions on the committee will be held in June 2020 at the 13th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD at UN headquarters in New York.

Tessa Murphy, Sightsavers’ campaign manager, says: “Sightsavers previously called for better representation of women with disabilities in 2018. At that time there was only one woman on the committee, who was due to step down, but following global support on the issue, six women were elected.

“While this was a great improvement, there’s still a way to go to achieve gender equality on the committee. In this year’s election, our Equal World campaign is calling for diversity of representation on the committee, so that it can adequately represent people with disabilities, including women, people with varying disabilities and people from developing countries.”

Nominations for the committee are open until April, and there are currently six women on the list of nominees.

Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign is calling for better representation of women, as well as people with learning disabilities and people from developing countries, on the United Nations disability committee.

The committee, which monitors how countries are meeting the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), is currently made up of six women and 12 men. Elections for nine positions on the committee will be held in June 2020 at the 13th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD at UN headquarters in New York.

Tessa Murphy, Sightsavers’ campaign manager, says: “Sightsavers previously called for better representation of women with disabilities in 2018. At that time there was only one woman on the committee, who was due to step down, but following global support on the issue, six women were elected.

“While this was a great improvement, there’s still a way to go to achieve gender equality on the committee. In this year’s election, our Equal World campaign is calling for diversity of representation on the committee, so that it can adequately represent people with disabilities, including women, people with varying disabilities and people from developing countries.”

Nominations for the committee are open until April, and there are currently six women on the list of nominees.

Sightsavers has been awarded Disability Confident Employer Level 3 accreditation for our work promoting disability inclusion in the workplace.

The status is the highest level an organisation can achieve and is handed out to a select group of employers who have shown themselves to be leaders in this field.

The accolade is given out by Disability Confident, which aims to change attitudes towards people with disabilities in the workplace, encouraging organisations to take action to recruit, train and develop staff with disabilities or long-term health conditions.

The scheme, run by the UK government, aims to make workplaces more inclusive and develop the potential of all their staff members.

7.9 million people of working age in the UK have a disability, so the scheme also encourages employers to draw candidates from the widest pool of talent and gives people with disabilities around the country better opportunities to find employment.

Sightsavers CEO Dr Caroline Harper said: “I am very proud that we have received the highest level of this award, which encourages employers to think differently about disability.

“It is so important to be inclusive in the workplace, and take action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop the potential of people with disabilities. This is an area close to our hearts, given our mission to promote disability inclusion. We are living our mission and practising what we preach.”

Sightsavers’ internal Social Inclusion Working Group, established to help reach diversity goals in the workplace, was also recently nominated for a Bond Diversity Award.

Sightsavers has been awarded Disability Confident Employer Level 3 accreditation for our work promoting disability inclusion in the workplace.

The status is the highest level an organisation can achieve and is handed out to a select group of employers who have shown themselves to be leaders in this field.

The accolade is given out by Disability Confident, which aims to change attitudes towards people with disabilities in the workplace, encouraging organisations to take action to recruit, train and develop staff with disabilities or long-term health conditions.

The scheme, run by the UK government, aims to make workplaces more inclusive and develop the potential of all their staff members.

7.9 million people of working age in the UK have a disability, so the scheme also encourages employers to draw candidates from the widest pool of talent and gives people with disabilities around the country better opportunities to find employment.

Sightsavers CEO Dr Caroline Harper said: “I am very proud that we have received the highest level of this award, which encourages employers to think differently about disability.

“It is so important to be inclusive in the workplace, and take action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop the potential of people with disabilities. This is an area close to our hearts, given our mission to promote disability inclusion. We are living our mission and practising what we preach.”

Sightsavers’ internal Social Inclusion Working Group, established to help reach diversity goals in the workplace, was also recently nominated for a Bond Diversity Award.

In Sierra Leone, you’re helping to give visually impaired children like Abdul the chance to gain an education.

Last year we revisited our Education for All project in the Bombali district, Sierra Leone, and met 13-year-old Abdul.

Abdul is one of many children who has benefited from a Sightsavers project that aims to give all children with disabilities access to better quality education.

In Sierra Leone, you’re helping to give visually impaired children like Abdul the chance to gain an education.

Last year Pádraic Mannion visited our Education for All project in the Bombali district, Sierra Leone, and met 13-year-old Abdul.

Abdul is one of many children who has benefited from a Sightsavers project that aims to give all children with disabilities access to better quality education.

In Sierra Leone, you’re helping to give visually impaired children like Abdul the chance to gain an education.

Last year we revisited our Education for All project in the Bombali district, Sierra Leone, and met 13-year-old Abdul.

Abdul is one of many children who has benefited from a Sightsavers project that aims to give all children with disabilities access to better quality education.

Sadly, in Sierra Leone and many other countries, children with disabilities can often be considered not worth educating. Even if families do decide to send their visually impaired children to school, teachers can lack the skills and resources to accommodate the children’s needs.

Children who miss out on a quality education can then become trapped in a cycle of poverty and dependence. Accessing housing, medical facilities and even food are all huge challenges for a person with disabilities who has not been to school or learned a particular skill.

Thanks to your fantastic support, Sightsavers is training teachers in 45 mainstream schools in Sierra Leone. They are receiving training on how to assist and include children with visual impairments and other disabilities and allow them to reach their full potential.

Kadie Moore, head teacher at Abdul’s school in Bombali, Sierra Leone, is one of 89 head and deputy head teachers trained in inclusive and special needs education. Kadie is now better equipped with a range of skills to help identify and address her students’ needs and has implemented seemingly small changes in her school that can make a huge difference for a child with disabilities.

“We learned that if a student has a problem with their eyes, if you seat them at the back they will not see,” explains Kadie. “When you place them at the front of the classroom before the blackboard, they will be able to see properly.”

To promote a positive message about including children with disabilities in education, parents and students are also being appointed as ‘disability champions’.

Abdul is a prime example of a disability champion in his school. Born with cataracts, Abdul could easily have missed out on an education. As part of the project, Abdul received Sightsavers-supported surgery and had his sight restored.

Dressed in his smart uniform, Abdul told us how he loves going to school and that his favourite subject is maths. He also enjoys PE and particularly enjoys playing football, something he could not do before.

Sightsavers has joined campaign groups in Pakistan to welcome a new law that will make it illegal to discriminate or exclude people on the basis of disability.

The Disability Rights Act, approved on 10 January, will provide a comprehensive legal framework to protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities in Pakistan.

This ground-breaking legislation comes after more than 5,200 Pakistanis signed a petition that was handed to parliament in December last year. The petition was part of the Equal World campaign, launched in Pakistan by Sightsavers, the National Forum of Women with Disabilities and the Community Based Inclusion Development Network (CBIDN).

“The introduction of this law represents a historic step for our country and we thank the government for making this happen,” said Sightsavers’ Pakistan country director Munazza Gilliani. “Every day, thousands of people are excluded from public life simply because they have a disability. This new law will allow us to challenge incidents involving this kind of discrimination through the legal system. It gives individuals legal recourse in all areas of life including education, employment and healthcare.”

Asim Zafar, secretariat coordinator of the CBIDN, said: “We thank the government for taking action on this issue and look forward to working with them to ensure its fullest realisation.”

Sightsavers has joined campaign groups in Pakistan to welcome a new law that will make it illegal to discriminate or exclude people on the basis of disability.

The Disability Rights Act, approved on 10 January, will provide a comprehensive legal framework to protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities in Pakistan.

This ground-breaking legislation comes after more than 5,200 Pakistanis signed a petition that was handed to parliament in December last year. The petition was part of the Equal World campaign, launched in Pakistan by Sightsavers, the National Forum of Women with Disabilities and the Community Based Inclusion Development Network (CBIDN).

“The introduction of this law represents a historic step for our country and we thank the government for making this happen,” said Sightsavers’ Pakistan country director Munazza Gilliani. “Every day, thousands of people are excluded from public life simply because they have a disability. This new law will allow us to challenge incidents involving this kind of discrimination through the legal system. It gives individuals legal recourse in all areas of life including education, employment and healthcare.”

Asim Zafar, secretariat coordinator of the CBIDN, said: “We thank the government for taking action on this issue and look forward to working with them to ensure its fullest realisation.”

In February 2019, Sightsavers Ireland launched its Put Us in the Picture disability rights campaign.

It called on the Irish government to prioritise people with disabilities in its global development policy, A Better World, as well as calling on leaders to use Ireland’s influence as a member state of the United Nations to uphold the rights of people with disabilities.

In June, we launched our campaign petition to the Irish government as a national-level call under our global petition to the UN. We also had national calls in 13 other countries, pushing for progress on the passing and implementation of disability legislation. We collected signatures online and at festivals and events such as Electric Picnic, but also wanted to make sure people in developing countries who might not have access to the internet could take part. To achieve this, Sightsavers’ technical team developed an innovative app that allowed campaigners to gather signatures using mobile devices. This made a huge difference in reaching people who would ordinarily be excluded from participating in this type of campaigning.

Campaigning in Ireland successfully led to a commitment from the tánaiste to make Ireland’s A Better World development policy disability-inclusive. The petition, which was signed by 5,000 people, was handed in to Maureen O’Sullivan TD on behalf of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence. Sightsavers Ireland also helped to secure Statements in Seanad Éireann to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December), during which our campaign was highlighted by Senator Lynn Ruane.

On the same day in New York at the UN headquarters, the global petition with 50,455 signatures was handed in to UN under-secretary-general Ana Maria Menéndez.

Here’s a roundup of other activity around the world, and some of the impact it’s had so far.

In February 2019, Sightsavers Ireland launched its Put Us in the Picture disability rights campaign.

It called on the Irish government to prioritise people with disabilities in its global development policy, A Better World, as well as calling on leaders to use Ireland’s influence as a member state of the United Nations to uphold the rights of people with disabilities.

In June, we launched our campaign petition to the Irish government as a national-level call under our global petition to the UN. We also had national calls in 13 other countries, pushing for progress on the passing and implementation of disability legislation. We collected signatures online and at festivals and events such as Electric Picnic, but also wanted to make sure people in developing countries who might not have access to the internet could take part. To achieve this, Sightsavers’ technical team developed an innovative app that allowed campaigners to gather signatures using mobile devices. This made a huge difference in reaching people who would ordinarily be excluded from participating in this type of campaigning.

Campaigning in Ireland successfully led to a commitment from the tánaiste to make Ireland’s A Better World development policy disability-inclusive. The petition, which was signed by 5,000 people, was handed in to Maureen O’Sullivan TD on behalf of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence. Sightsavers Ireland also helped to secure Statements in Seanad Éireann to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December), during which our campaign was highlighted by Senator Lynn Ruane.

On the same day in New York at the UN headquarters, the global petition with 50,455 signatures was handed in to UN under-secretary-general Ana Maria Menéndez.

Here’s a roundup of other activity around the world, and some of the impact it’s had so far.

In 2018, the government of Guinea agreed a decree to protect people with disabilities, but progress on putting it into action has been slow, and many people with disabilities in the country have yet to see it make a difference in their lives. We called on the government to implement the law on the protection of people with disabilities, and 4,233 people signed the petition. Campaigners in Guinea also took part in a global day of action for equality.

More about the Guinea campaign

In Uganda, nearly 7,000 people signed a national petition for the government to implement disability planning guidelines. The minister of state for gender and culture,  Peace Mutuuzo, promised to set up a meeting between the country’s president and national disability groups. She also committed to follow up the rollout of the implementation of the planning guidelines.

More about the Uganda campaign

In Nigeria, 3,595 people signed a national petition for implementation of the national disability bill. After receiving the petition at the hand-in event, the minister for humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development (the coordinating ministry on disability) made a public commitment to set up a national disability commission in the next six months.

More about the Nigeria campaign

In Pakistan, we campaigned for the national disability bill to be approved. During his speech at the hand-in event, the honourable speaker made a series of commitments, including: making the country’s parliament house fully accessible by the end of 2020, reviewing the 2% employment quote for people with disabilities, making the national assembly website accessible, translating the constitution into braille and setting up a group to review disability legislation.

More about the Pakistan campaign

In Malawi, Sightsavers called for disability rights to be upheld through implementation of the country’s 2018 national action plan. We worked with APAM, the association of people with albinism in Malawi, and our petition – which gained 3,196 signatures – was handed in to the minister for gender, children, disability and social welfare. The minister acknowledged receipt of the petition and ensured the request would be presented to the president, and that it would be implemented.

More about the Malawi campaign

In Bangladesh, we called on the government to put its national disability action plan into effect. The plan highlights the key strategic priorities to be undertaken, and its timely and effective implementation has the potential to transform society and have a positive impact on the lives of millions of people with disabilities in Bangladesh.

There was considerable coverage of the campaign in national news outlets across the country. More than 2,600 people signed the petition.

More about the Bangladesh campaign

We campaigned for the government to ratify the African Disability Protocol in Ghana. This is essential to address disability discrimination and inequality across the country, and to ensure employment policies promote equal and accessible opportunities for people with disabilities throughout the African continent. In Ghana, 2,718 people signed the petition.

More about the Ghana campaign

In India, we called for all public places to be made fully accessible by 2025. The petition was signed by 3,114 people.

More about the India campaign

Our petition, calling on the Senegalese government to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty, was signed by 3,788 people. If the government ratifies the treaty, which aims to make reading material more widely available in accessible formats including braille, audio and large print, it will have a huge impact in the lives of people with disabilities and bring an end to the ‘book famine’ experienced by people with print disabilities living in Senegal.

More about the Senegal campaign

In Sierra Leone, we called on the government to approve and implement the National Inclusive Education Policy to ensure meaningful participation and equal opportunities for all children, regardless of their needs. Almost 2,000 people signed the petition.

More about the Sierra Leone campaign

In Cameroon, we campaigned for the government to fully implement the national law on the protection and promotion of persons with disabilities and its decree.

More about the Cameroon campaign

In March 2019, following five years of successful disability rights campaigning in the UK, Sightsavers launched its Equal World campaign.

This global campaign calls for the UN and its member states to ensure the rights of all people with disabilities are upheld.

In June, we launched our Equal World petition. Alongside its global call, it had national-level calls in 14 countries, pushing for progress on the passing and implementation of disability legislation. We collected signatures online, but also wanted to make sure people who might not have access to the internet could take part. To achieve this, Sightsavers’ technical team developed an innovative app that allowed campaigners to gather signatures using mobile devices, which could then be transmitted to our head office once the collector was back online. This made a huge difference in reaching people who would ordinarily be excluded from participating in this type of campaigning.

The global petition gained more than 50,000 signatures, and in December it was handed in to UN under-secretary-general Ana Maria Menéndez.

We campaigned for disability rights in 14 countries around the world. Here’s a roundup of the activity around the world, and some of the impact it’s had so far.

In March 2019, following five years of successful disability rights campaigning in the UK, Sightsavers launched its Equal World campaign.

This global campaign calls for the UN and its member states to ensure the rights of all people with disabilities are upheld.

In June, we launched our Equal World petition. Alongside its global call, it had national-level calls in 14 countries, pushing for progress on the passing and implementation of disability legislation. We collected signatures online, but also wanted to make sure people who might not have access to the internet could take part. To achieve this, Sightsavers’ technical team developed an innovative app that allowed campaigners to gather signatures using mobile devices, which could then be transmitted to our head office once the collector was back online. This made a huge difference in reaching people who would ordinarily be excluded from participating in this type of campaigning.

The global petition gained more than 50,000 signatures, and in December it was handed in to UN under-secretary-general Ana Maria Menéndez.

We campaigned for disability rights in 14 countries around the world. Here’s a roundup of the activity around the world, and some of the impact it’s had so far.

In 2018, the government of Guinea agreed a decree to protect people with disabilities, but progress on putting it into action has been slow, and many people with disabilities in the country have yet to see it make a difference in their lives. We called on the government to implement the law on the protection of people with disabilities, and 4,233 people signed the petition. Campaigners in Guinea also took part in a global day of action for equality.

More about the Guinea campaign

In Uganda, nearly 7,000 people signed a national petition for the government to implement disability planning guidelines. The minister of state for gender and culture, Peace Mutuuzo, promised to set up a meeting between the country’s president and national disability groups. She also committed to follow up the roll-out of the implementation of the planning guidelines.

More about the Uganda campaign

In Nigeria, 3,595 people signed a national petition for implementation of the national disability bill. After receiving the petition at the hand-in event, the minister for humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development (the coordinating ministry on disability) made a public commitment to set up a national disability commission in the next six months.

More about the Nigeria campaign

In Pakistan, we campaigned for the national disability bill to be approved. During his speech at the hand-in event, the honourable speaker made a series of commitments, including: making the country’s parliament house fully accessible by the end of 2020, reviewing the 2% employment quote for people with disabilities, making the national assembly website accessible, translating the constitution into braille and setting up a group to review disability legislation.

More about the Pakistan campaign

In Malawi, Sightsavers called for disability rights to be upheld through implementation of the country’s 2018 national action plan. We worked with APAM, the association of people with albinism in Malawi, and our petition – which gained 3,196 signatures – was handed in to the minister for gender, children, disability and social welfare. The minister acknowledged receipt of the petition and ensured the request would be presented to the president, and that it would be implemented.

More about the Malawi campaign

In Bangladesh, we called on the government to put its national disability action plan into effect. The plan highlights the key strategic priorities to be undertaken, and its timely and effective implementation has the potential to transform society and have a positive impact on the lives of millions of people with disabilities in Bangladesh.

There was considerable coverage of the campaign in national news outlets across the country. More than 2,600 people signed the petition.

More about the Bangladesh campaign

We campaigned for the government to ratify the African Disability Protocol in Ghana. This is essential to address disability discrimination and inequality across the country, and to ensure employment policies promote equal and accessible opportunities for people with disabilities throughout the African continent. In Ghana, 2,718 people signed the petition.

More about the Ghana campaign

In Ireland, we called on the Irish government to prioritise people with disabilities in its global development policy. Campaigning in the country successfully led to a commitment from the tánaiste and minister for foreign affairs and trade, Simon Coveney, to make Ireland’s A Better World development policy disability-inclusive. Five thousand people signed the petition, and it was handed in to Maureen O’Sullivan TD on behalf of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence. Sightsavers Ireland also helped to secure Statements in the Seanad Éireann (the senate of the Irish parliament) to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, during which our campaign was highlighted.

In India, we called for all public places to be made fully accessible by 2025. The petition was signed by 3,114 people.

More about the India campaign

Our petition, calling on the Senegalese government to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty, was signed by 3,788 people. If the government ratifies the treaty, which aims to make reading material more widely available in accessible formats including braille, audio and large print, it will have a huge impact in the lives of people with disabilities and bring an end to the ‘book famine’ experienced by people with print disabilities living in Senegal.

More about the Senegal campaign

In Sierra Leone, we called on the government to approve and implement the National Inclusive Education Policy to ensure meaningful participation and equal opportunities for all children, regardless of their needs. Almost 2,000 people signed the petition.

More about the Sierra Leone campaign

Sightsavers has handed in its Equal World disability rights petition, signed by 50,455 people, to a representative of the United Nations Secretary-General’s office in New York.

The petition is part of Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign, which fights for an end to disability discrimination and inequality.

The petition consists of a global call for the UN and its member states to uphold the rights of people with disabilities, as well as national-level calls in 14 countries for action on disability legislation and policies (the national petitions are being handed in to the relevant governments).

As well as the online petition form, an innovative app was used to collect offline signatures by campaigners working in the field. People in remote areas could sign with their finger on a mobile device, and the signature collectors could then upload the information when they returned to an area with an internet connection.

The global petition was received by Ana Maria Menéndez, who is Under-Secretary-General and the UN Secretary-General’s senior adviser on policy. It was handed in by Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, Sightsavers’ advocacy adviser for social inclusion and member of the committee that monitors the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, along with Juliet Milgate, Head of Policy, and Natasha Kennedy, Head of Multilaterals and Campaigns.

Speaking after the hand-in event, Natasha Kennedy said: “We were very proud to hand in our global petition to the UN today, while around the world our colleagues have been handing in their national petitions to their leaders. We’ve seen amazing support from all our campaigning countries, showing that people worldwide support our call for the rights of people with disabilities to be upheld. We’ll keep fighting for disability rights and for an end to discrimination – this is essential if the Global Goals set by the UN in 2015 are ever to be achieved.”

More about the Equal World campaign

Sightsavers has handed in its Equal World disability rights petition, signed by 50,455 people, to a representative of the United Nations Secretary-General’s office in New York.

The petition is part of Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign, which fights for an end to disability discrimination and inequality.

The petition consists of a global call for the UN and its member states to uphold the rights of people with disabilities, as well as national-level calls in 14 countries for action on disability legislation and policies (the national petitions are being handed in to the relevant governments).

As well as the online petition form, an innovative app was used to collect offline signatures by campaigners working in the field. People in remote areas could sign with their finger on a mobile device, and the signature collectors could then upload the information when they returned to an area with an internet connection.

The global petition was received by Ana Maria Menéndez, who is Under-Secretary-General and the UN Secretary-General’s senior adviser on policy. It was handed in by Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, Sightsavers’ advocacy adviser for social inclusion and member of the committee that monitors the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, along with Juliet Milgate, Head of Policy, and Natasha Kennedy, Head of Multilaterals and Campaigns.

Speaking after the hand-in event, Natasha Kennedy said: “We were very proud to hand in our global petition to the UN today, while around the world our colleagues have been handing in their national petitions to their leaders. We’ve seen amazing support from all our campaigning countries, showing that people worldwide support our call for the rights of people with disabilities to be upheld. We’ll keep fighting for disability rights and for an end to discrimination – this is essential if the Global Goals set by the UN in 2015 are ever to be achieved.”

More about the Equal World campaign

Sightsavers Ireland has handed in its petition calling for the Irish government to prioritise people with disabilities in its global development policy.

The petition, which attracted more than 5,000 signatures, was received by Maureen O’Sullivan TD on behalf of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence. The national petition call was also linked to a wider global call for the UN to uphold disability rights – this gained more than 50,000 signatures worldwide and is being handed in to the UN Under-Secretary-General Ana Maria Menéndez.

Throughout 2019, Sightsavers has used its Put Us in the Picture disability campaign to ask political leaders to ensure people with disabilities aren’t left behind in global aid. The campaign, and the petition, have successfully led to a commitment from the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to make Ireland’s A Better World development policy disability-inclusive.

The campaigning work of Put Us in the Picture also resulted in Sightsavers’ Regional Director from West Africa presenting evidence to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence, which led to a commitment made by the Committee to host an annual meeting on disability inclusion and to track the Irish government’s progress on inclusive development.

More about the campaign

Sightsavers Ireland has handed in its petition calling for the Irish government to prioritise people with disabilities in its global development policy.

The petition, which attracted more than 5,000 signatures, was received by Maureen O’Sullivan TD on behalf of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence. The national petition call was also linked to a wider global call for the UN to uphold disability rights – this gained more than 50,000 signatures worldwide and is being handed in to the UN Under-Secretary-General Ana Maria Menéndez.

Throughout 2019, Sightsavers has used its Put Us in the Picture disability campaign to ask political leaders to ensure people with disabilities aren’t left behind in global aid. The campaign, and the petition, have successfully led to a commitment from the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to make Ireland’s A Better World development policy disability-inclusive.

The campaigning work of Put Us in the Picture also resulted in Sightsavers’ Regional Director from West Africa presenting evidence to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence, which led to a commitment made by the Committee to host an annual meeting on disability inclusion and to track the Irish government’s progress on inclusive development.

More about the campaign

Sightsavers’ Equal World disability rights campaign is celebrating International Day of People with Disabilities by asking supporters to take part in a ‘hands up’ activity on social media.

Campaign supporters are sharing photos of their hands with an equals symbol drawn on their palm and a message of support for Sightsavers’ campaign, which calls on the United Nations and its member states to uphold the rights of people with disabilities worldwide.

The activity also coincides with the end of Sightsavers’ global Equal World petition, which has gathered signatures from around the world. It will be handed in to a representative of the UN Secretary-General’s office at UN headquarters in New York.

Hands up for an #EqualWorld! I’m calling on the @UN to champion the rights of people with disabilities
@Sightsavers_Pol @Sightsavers #IDPWD https://t.co/wUjFqECt2i pic.twitter.com/tbbiBAue2U

— Sumrana Yasmin (@SumranaYasmin) December 3, 2019

Find out more about the Equal World campaign.

Sightsavers’ Equal World disability rights campaign is celebrating International Day of People with Disabilities by asking supporters to take part in a ‘hands up’ activity on social media.

Campaign supporters are sharing photos of their hands with an equals symbol drawn on their palm and a message of support for Sightsavers’ campaign, which calls on the United Nations and its member states to uphold the rights of people with disabilities worldwide.

The activity also coincides with the end of Sightsavers’ global Equal World petition, which has gathered signatures from around the world. It will be handed in to a representative of the UN Secretary-General’s office at UN headquarters in New York.

Hands up for an #EqualWorld! I’m calling on the @UN to champion the rights of people with disabilities
@Sightsavers_Pol @Sightsavers #IDPWD https://t.co/wUjFqECt2i pic.twitter.com/tbbiBAue2U

— Sumrana Yasmin (@SumranaYasmin) December 3, 2019

Find out more about the Equal World campaign.

Here’s where we stand and what we want to see from whoever is leading the country after the UK general election on 12 December.

We’re calling on the next UK government to:

• tackle inequality and marginalisation
• make UK aid inclusive of people with disabilities
• leave no one behind in plans to fight global poverty
• keep working to eliminate neglected tropical diseases
• support strong global health systems and affordable, accessible healthcare

2020 is a crucial year for the UK and countries around the world. It marks a ten-year countdown to achieve the Global Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 goals, which were agreed by world leaders in 2015, set out a global commitment to end poverty and put the world on a path to inclusive development by 2030.

The goals will help bring about a more equitable world for everyone, including one billion people with disabilities worldwide, 800 million of whom live in developing countries. Many people with disabilities currently experience significant barriers in claiming their right to education, healthcare and employment, and to participate fully in political life.

It’s vital that the next UK government – whichever party or parties it includes – is ready to meet the country’s commitment, made at the 2018 Global Disability Summit, to become a global leader on disability, and support others to become more disability-inclusive. By doing this, the UK can help make sure that real change is delivered for the world’s poorest and most marginalised people.

Here’s where we stand and what we want to see from whoever is leading the country after the UK general election on 12 December.

We’re calling on the next UK government to:

• tackle inequality and marginalisation
• make UK aid inclusive of people with disabilities
• leave no one behind in plans to fight global poverty
• keep working to eliminate neglected tropical diseases
• support strong global health systems and affordable, accessible healthcare

2020 is a crucial year for the UK and countries around the world. It marks a ten-year countdown to achieve the Global Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 goals, which were agreed by world leaders in 2015, set out a global commitment to end poverty and put the world on a path to inclusive development by 2030.

The goals will help bring about a more equitable world for everyone, including one billion people with disabilities worldwide, 800 million of whom live in developing countries. Many people with disabilities currently experience significant barriers in claiming their right to education, healthcare and employment, and to participate fully in political life.

It’s vital that the next UK government – whichever party or parties it includes – is ready to meet the country’s commitment, made at the 2018 Global Disability Summit, to become a global leader on disability, and support others to become more disability-inclusive. By doing this, the UK can help make sure that real change is delivered for the world’s poorest and most marginalised people.

A survey of civil society and international organisations, co-edited by Sightsavers, has been published this week during the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) summit at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The perceptions survey, titled Commitments and challenges: stakeholder participation in follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals, was conducted by Together 2030 and Newcastle University. It has a particular focus on the Voluntary National Review (VNR) process, where countries report on their progress towards the achievement of the SDGs.

The report focuses on three main issues: the amount of awareness of, and participation in, the process of VNRs; how responders are involved in review and implementation processes; and what, if any, progress has been seen on SDG implementation since 2015?

The 2019 report finds that there has been progress on increasing civil society awareness of (and participation in) VNRs – but also that there is no evidence that this awareness and engagement have made the VNRs more rigorous or effective in boosting SDG implementation. Most respondents report that they have seen little progress in their countries after VNRs.

The report also finds that VNR processes continue to exclude or leave behind marginalised groups, and that VNR processes have not always consistent with the United Nations guidelines and handbook for VNRs.

Report co-editor and Sightsavers’ Advocacy Adviser, Aissata Ndiaye, has written a blog about challenges that must be addressed following the survey, most notably the need “to see governments making more effort to ensure marginalised people are not just included, but included in a meaningful way. Because if marginalised groups are not meaningfully included, our efforts to implement the ‘leave no one behind’ principle – the essence of the SDGs – will fail.”

The full report is available on the Together 2030 website.

A survey of civil society and international organisations, co-edited by Sightsavers, has been published this week during the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) summit at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The perceptions survey, titled Commitments and challenges: stakeholder participation in follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals, was conducted by Together 2030 and Newcastle University. It has a particular focus on the Voluntary National Review (VNR) process, where countries report on their progress towards the achievement of the SDGs.

The report focuses on three main issues: the amount of awareness of, and participation in, the process of VNRs; how responders are involved in review and implementation processes; and what, if any, progress has been seen on SDG implementation since 2015?

The 2019 report finds that there has been progress on increasing civil society awareness of (and participation in) VNRs – but also that there is no evidence that this awareness and engagement have made the VNRs more rigorous or effective in boosting SDG implementation. Most respondents report that they have seen little progress in their countries after VNRs.

The report also finds that VNR processes continue to exclude or leave behind marginalised groups, and that VNR processes have not always consistent with the United Nations guidelines and handbook for VNRs.

Report co-editor and Sightsavers’ Advocacy Adviser, Aissata Ndiaye, has written a blog about challenges that must be addressed following the survey, most notably the need “to see governments making more effort to ensure marginalised people are not just included, but included in a meaningful way. Because if marginalised groups are not meaningfully included, our efforts to implement the ‘leave no one behind’ principle – the essence of the SDGs – will fail.”

The full report is available on the Together 2030 website.

Tanzania has become the latest country to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty, which aims to make books more widely available in accessible formats such as braille.

The treaty was ratified in Tanzania’s parliament on 11 September 2019, paving the way for more books to be published for people with visual impairments.

It means Tanzania will allow exceptions to standard copyright laws, to enable published works to be reproduced and distributed in accessible formats. The aim is to combat the ‘book famine’ that has meant people with visual impairments have been unable to read many books because of copyright limitations.

The treaty also ensures that accessible books and publications can be shared across international borders.

Tanzania’s minister for industry and trade Innocent Bashungwa, who tabled the treaty, said: “There’s a real need to endorse the treaty, taking into account that the majority of people with visual impairments or other disabilities live in developing countries.” He added that the treaty aims to give people with disabilities a choice, reinforces their right to education and enables them to carry out research.

The treaty was originally adopted on 27 June 2013 and has already been ratified by more than 85 countries, including all 28 member states of the EU.

Read about Sightsavers’ work in Tanzania