This year, the Global Disability Summit (GDS) took place from 16 - 17 February 2022. We Are Able! has contributed to the event on both days, as a guest speaker during the WeThe15 roundtable as well as during its own side-event We are Able! – Are YOU able too? discussing the role of local government to endorse a  more inclusive society.

WeThe15 Roundtable

We were invited as a panelist during the WeThe15 Roundtable, representing Local Government Authorities. On its course to become the world’s biggest coalition ever, WeThe15 is a combined effort of international organizations from across disciplines to raise awareness that 15% of the world’s population are people with disabilities. Despite making up a large percentage of the global population, people with disabilities are often excluded from equal and fair participation in society. We Are Able! was present at the roundtable to point out the necessity of local authorities to develop apt policy and actions to turn awareness into action. Moreover, we stressed the importance of knowledge exchange amongst peers, as the local level, as well as at the national and international level to learn from each other’s lessons, strengths and experiences.

We are Able! – Are YOU able too?

During our own session, the topic of co-creating inclusive governance for access to basic resources that leaves no-one behind was treated more extensively. Through this webinar the panelists from the African Disability Forum, the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda - NUDIPU, the Sud-Kivu Provincial Health authority of DRC, the UN World Food Program, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared insight on their learned lessons. The session treated topics such as:

• The design of rights-based approach for inclusive food security;
• Challenges and finding innovative interventions with combined efforts and resources to strengthen voices of People with Disabilities to secure the rights of Food security for Persons with a Disability at community level;
• Roles and responsibilities of Organizations of Persons with a Disability and (local) Authorities in creating synergies;
• Investing in an inclusive food security situation for Persons with a Disability.

The recorded session is now available online and includes simultaneous sign language translation. You can watch the session here.

More information

We Are Able! website