A number of people representing ILEP Members and also IDEA were among the participants at the recent 4^th CBR Africa Conference which was held in  Abuja, Nigeria from 26^th – 29^th October 2010.  The theme of the conference was “Linking CBR with Disability and Rehabilitation”.

Organised by the CBR Africa Network (CAN) the conference is held every two years and this year’s Conference attracted over 400 participants representing 52 countries.

 

The Conference consisted of plenary and parallel sessions all related to the theme. Many of the presentations were made by disabled people who also chaired many of the discussion sessions.

 

Recommendations from the 4^th CBR Africa Conference

 

1. CBR Guidelines:  

The Guidelines provide a framework for development of CBR and should be used in a way that fits the local context.

 

2. CBR Matrix:  

We should not build walls around the boxes of the CBR Matrix but reach out and partner with people involved with other components.

 

3. Research:           

A research network should be set up in the region to promote evidence based practices and develop an evidence base for CBR.

 

4. Training:  

There is need to include CBR in mainstream training of workers across sectors, e.g.  agriculture, education, law.

 

5. Training:  

People with disabilities should be put in the centre of any training initiative.

 

6. Families:  

The family needs to be at the heart of CBR planning and practice.

 

7. Activism:

The expertise of people with disabilities is the core of any CBR programme.

 

8. Activism:

Children with disabilities should be supported to advocate for themselves.

 

9. Policies:   

We should put disability on the mainstream development agenda through the UN Development Assistance Framework-UNDAF (including MDGs, PRSPs).

 

New CBR Guidelines:

The Conference was chosen as the occasion for the global launch of the CBR Guidelines. Each participant was given a copy after the first Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Goodluck, received the first copy. The guidelines, under development since 2004, were produced by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Office (ILO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), in close consultation with other key stakeholders on disability and development globally. ILEP Member the Associazione Italiana Amici di Raoul Follereau (AIFO) has played a leading role in IDDC’s input into the Guidelines. The supplementary chapter of the Guidelines includes a section on CBR and leprosy.

 

The Guidelines, which resulted from the joint efforts of four UN and international organisations, are expected to impact on millions of people with disabilities, many of whom now live in poverty and exclusion. They

• provide guidelines on how to develop and strengthen CBR programmes;
• promote CBR as a strategy for community-based inclusive development;
• support stakeholders to meet the basic needs and enhance the quality of life of disabled people and their families; and
• encourage the empowerment of disabled people and their families.

The guidelines are available online at: http://www.who.int/disabilities/cbr/guidelines/en/index.html

 

CAN Executive Director, Ms Joan Okune said “The new CBR Guidelines will make a fundamental difference to the up to 80 million people with disabilities in Africa, lifting them out of poverty, in a process that involves them centrally.”

 

Speaking on behalf of the ILO, Ms Barbara Murray said “the Guidelines will be an essential part of the campaign to keep the promise of the Millennium Development Goals for people with disabilities who represent more than a one in ten of the world’s population.”

 

 

Next steps:

Prior to the conference, WHO’s Disability and Rehabilitation team hosted a meeting of stakeholders looking at the next steps.

 

Translation: the Guidelines are only available in English for now, but the French translation should be available from March 2011. Work has started on the Chinese translation and discussions are underway for the Arabic translations. The plan is to have the Guidelines available in all six UN languages (English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic and Russian) when funds are available. The Guidelines are also available in DAISY format for people with visual impairments. Contact Diane Mulligan at Sightsavers for the DAISY format DMulligan@sighstavers.org

 

Promotion:

Following the global launch, there are plans for regional and national launches.

 

ILEP Members are encouraged to promote the use of the Guidelines in their own CBR projects, both among their own staff and among partners. Sunil Deepak (sunil.deepak@aifo.it) and Jannine Ebenso (janninee@tlmint.org) can be contacted for more information.

 

The IDDC CBR task group will be following up the CBR Guidelines in the coming weeks and months, starting with the European launch in Copenhagen and plans for a UK launch in 2011 (planning meeting 10th December at the UN Association building in London). Contact janninee@tlmint.org for more details.)

 

CBR database

ILEP Members and partners are encouraged to register their CBR projects on the WHO CBR Global Database at:     

http://www.who.int/disabilities/cbr/global_database_form/en/index.html

 

The database itself can be viewed by country at: http://www.who.int/disabilities/cbr/global_database/en/index.html

 

Global CBR Network

There are currently four regional CBR networks in Africa, South Asia, Asia-Pacific and America and the Caribbean. Chapal Khasnabis of the WHO’s Disability and Rehabilitation team has proposed the development of a global CBR Network. More details will be given in due course.

 

 

 

 

Jannine Ebenso

Global Disability Adviser for The Leprosy Mission International

E-mail:  janninee@tlmint.org

 

Categories: International Collaboration, Technical information