In September 2011 Richard Rieser (CEO of World of Inclusion or WOI) was asked by the UK Disabled People’s Council (UKDPC) and funded by the Commonwealth Foundation to organise disability equality training around the implementation and ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) for the 8 Pacific Commonwealth island countries consisting of Kiribati, Nauru, Papa New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Situational analysis (see document 1) was carried out by Richard on the implementation of disability rights with the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF). The Forum then organised a workshop at which three representatives from each island were present (they consisted of a man, a woman and a youth activist). They were joined by two trainers from both the PDF (from Fiji) and WOI. The training lasted for six days.
The flavour of the training is given in the ten minute film available below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbbRsIDmEKo&feature=youtu.be
A full training package was developed and delivered over a 6 day period (see document 2) on Human Rights and Implementing the UNCRPD. This was backed up with a Power Point presentation.
A final report gives an assessment of the impact of training on these island nations as well as follow-up (see document 3).
The outcomes of the project were presented and reflected upon both at the Commonwealth Headquarters in London in May 2012 as well as at a fringe meeting at the Conference of State Parties in September 2012 in New York.
Document 1: Situational Analysis Pacific Islands
Document 2: Capacity building for Pacific Islands
Document 3: Final Report Pacific Islands
Category: Projects – International
