The Rapporteur was in Addis Ababa to attend UNECA's disability seminar and the Interim Working Group Meeting of the African Disability Forum. The trip and the latter meeting was funded by Abilis Foundation of Finland.
10 Interim Working Group Meeting members who are leaders of DPOs in Africa with regional, gender, disability and age balance participated in this meeting held between 13th and 15th December 2013. The Meeting affirmed to establish the African Disability Forum.
Annie Robb, who was one of the Interim Working Group members, wrote an e-mail announcement to a variety of global disability movement actors to announce this news by stating,
"The IWG is now making preparations for the formal launching of the ADF in 2014 and invites all continental, sub-regional and national federations of DPOs to consider becoming members. The ADF, once established, will seek recognition by the African Union, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the International Disability Alliance (IDA), and will also seek to develop a close working relationship with the Secretariat of the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities, which provides technical guidance and support to African Governments for the implementation of the Continental Plan of Action for the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2010-2019."
If you would need more information about the African Disability Forum, please get in touch with the current UN Special Rapporteur, chalklenshuaib68 (at ) gmail.com
