Disabled Peoples' International

Disabled Peoples' International
Name	Disabled Peoples' International
Formation	1981
Type	International non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Region served	Global
Membership	National and regional Disabled Peoples' Organizations
Leader title	President

Contents

Disabled Peoples' International is an international non-governmental federation formed in 1981 to represent the collective interests of disabled people worldwide. It was created by activists and organizations from across continents including leaders associated with movements in United Nations, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and regions influenced by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the World Health Organization, and the International Labour Organization. The organization has engaged with instruments such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Vienna Declaration, and forums like the United Nations General Assembly and the Commission on the Status of Women.

History

The movement forming the organization drew on antecedents from the Independent Living Movement, campaigns linked to the 1976 Paralympic Games and advocacy spurred by activists who worked alongside figures at the World Health Organization and within networks associated with Leonard Cheshire Disability and Scope. Founding congresses gathered representatives from regions represented in bodies like Organization of African Unity, the European Union, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Early milestones mirrored policy shifts seen in the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons and were influenced by jurisprudence in courts such as the European Court of Human Rights and legal reforms in countries including Canada, India, South Africa, Japan and Brazil. Campaigns connected to events like the International Year of Disabled Persons (1981) helped propel the federation into consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and engagement with the United Nations Development Programme.

The federation established an executive system with elected officers and regional chairs drawn from member organizations similar in federative design to bodies such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Federation of Trade Unions, and the International Disability Alliance. Governance instruments referenced models used by the International Labour Organization and rules echoing practices in the Council of Europe. National affiliates operated in alignment with constitutions comparable to those of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch sections. Leadership transitions have occurred at world congresses held in cities like Toronto, Dublin, Kuala Lumpur, Nairobi and Buenos Aires with oversight mechanisms akin to those in Transparency International and Global Fund board arrangements.

Program work has tackled accessibility initiatives paralleling standards set by the International Organization for Standardization and building codes used in United Kingdom Building Regulations, campaigns for employment rights inspired by cases in the International Labour Organization and policy frameworks used by the European Commission. Advocacy efforts engaged with instruments such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities negotiation process, liaised with UN offices like the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and intersected with movements represented by Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Initiatives encompassed inclusive education projects interfacing with policies from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, vocational programs similar to those funded by the World Bank, and emergency response accessibility coordination comparable to protocols used by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Membership included constituent organizations in regions comparable to federations such as the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability, the European Disability Forum, and the African Disability Forum. National affiliates operated in countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States. These affiliates collaborated with institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, and regional human rights bodies like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

Major campaigns included global pushes for legal recognition inspired by precedents in the Americans with Disabilities Act, movements echoing policy wins in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (UK) and advocacy aligning with the negotiation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Milestones featured consultative status achievements with United Nations Economic and Social Council, participation in international summits such as the World Summit for Social Development and contributions to thematic debates at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992). The federation also organized world congresses that convened alongside events like the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and partnered in campaigns with organizations such as Save the Children, Plan International, and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Partnerships were formed with multilateral institutions including the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and regional development banks like the African Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Funding streams have come from philanthropic foundations comparable to the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, and program grants aligned with agencies such as Canadian International Development Agency and Department for International Development (UK). Collaborations also involved networks such as the International Disability Alliance, Global Partnership for Education, and civil society coalitions including Coalition for Disability Rights-style groupings that engaged national human rights institutions like the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Category:International disability organizations