Join USICD on December 2! |
The U.S. International Council on Disabilities (USICD) will host its second annual gala on December 2, the Eve of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. At its gala, USICD will honor leaders of the disability rights movement whose impact has been felt on the international stage-an American policymaker is recipient of the Dole-Harkin Award, for distinction in public service to the global disability community, and an overseas disability rights advocate is honored for his/her outstanding work in advancing the rights, opportunities, and dignity of persons with disabilities.
USICD will also recognize and honor corporations that have demonstrated leadership by instilling the best practices of the Americans with Disabilities Act throughout their companies' values, operations, and hiring practices. The annual USICD gala brings together disability rights advocates, legislative leaders, new and long-term donors, business and philanthropic leaders, and other friends of the disability rights movement.
Please note: Social media conversations about USICD's Gala will use the hashtag #USICDGala
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USICD Membership Elects Board Members, Convenes in National Teleconference
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USICD's Annual Meeting was open to all members and held on 8 October, 2015. The membership received an overview of USICD's activities and a copy of the Annual Report. This year, for the first time, the annual meeting was conducted entirely via teleconference which helped allowed us to include those members from outside the Washington, D.C, area.
USICD Board Members and staff acknowledged the many years of hard work and commitment completed by retiring board members Jeff Rosen, David Oaks, and Tom Zampieri. New incoming USICD board members include: Daniel Fisher, Janet Lord, Jerry McCloskey, Faith McCormick, Sheila Newman, and Susan Parker.
Follow this link to our bio page to reach about USICD's new board members!
Returning board members include Jill Houghton, David Hutt (Treasurer), Axel Leblois, Barbara LeRoy, Susan Mazuri, Stephanie Ortoleva, Diana Samarasan, and Glen White (Secretary).
The Annual Meeting was very productive and resulted in over 15 action items for the Board and staff to pursue in 2016. Updates to members will be provided in future convenings and through the USICD newsletter.
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Call for Applicants: Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs |
The summer 2016 Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs internship program is
now
open for applications until January 12, 2016.
USICD's internship program focuses on youth with disabilities from across the U.S. who intend to pursue careers in international development or foreign affairs.
The summer 2016 internship program will bring a group of talented graduate students, recent graduates, and rising juniors and seniors with disabilities to Washington, D.C., for nine weeks. This will include a one-week training and orientation program followed by an eight-week internship at an international organization in the Washington, D.C., area. USICD will cover the cost of accessible housing during the program, reimburse travel expenses to and from D.C., and provide a limited stipend.
To learn more about the Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs internship program, eligibility criteria, anticipated dates, and the application process, please visit http://usicd.org/template/page.cfm?id=257.
Application deadline for USICD's summer 2016 internship program is January 12, 2016.
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Film Premiere of "No One Left Behind" |
You are invited to an evening with Disability Rights International at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C., for a reception and viewing of the PBS documentary:
"No One Left Behind" Film premiere with Sam Waterson (part 2)
Wednesday, November 4, 6-8 PM
Busboys and Poets at 2021 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
6 PM-Refreshments and welcome; 6:30 PM-30 minute film showing; 7 PM-Q&A with DRI staff
Admission is free but seating is limited. Please RSVP to Rachel Arnold at (202) 296-0800 ext. 654 or RSVP@DRIadvocacy.org
Documentary is captioned and sign language interpretation is available.
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Global Community Adopts Disability-Inclusive Sustainable Development Goals |
For 15 years, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) helped guide hundreds of international donors and dozens of country governments toward meeting targets for reducing global poverty and improving access to education and healthcare. Targets for the MDGs were to be met by the end of 2015, although many have been met with strong success, others were missed. But even in areas where targets were missed, some experts believe that the effort may have spurred more action than would have occurred otherwise.
On September 25, the United Nations agreed to adopt a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), that will replace the MDGs at the start of 2016. The deadline to meet the SDGs will be 2030. Unlike the MDGs, the new SDGs mention disability several times in the targets. Work is still ongoing to campaign for integrating disability into the indicators that will measure success toward meeting the targets.
Some articles that provide an overview on the SDGs, how they were developed, what the 17 goals are, and how they will be met:
Some articles that take a closer look at disability inclusion in the SDGs:
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UN launches Global Network on Monitoring and Evaluation for Disability-Inclusive Development |
The UN DESA Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD/DSPD/DESA) has been mandated by the UN General Assembly to produce an UN flagship report assessing progress towards internationally agreed development goals, including SDGs. (UN GA resolution A/RES/69/142).
A prototype report "Global Report on Disability and Development" is expected to be released by the end of 2015.
The first edition of the UN flagship report on disability-inclusive implementation of the SDG is planned for 2018.
As part of the preparatory process, it is urgent to identify data to inform any progress towards disability-inclusive implementation of the SDGs and other development goals, and to coordinate the analysis of such issues, data and trends.
As the focal point on disability of the UN system, SCRPD is creating a Global Network on Monitoring and Evaluation for Disability-Inclusive Development, for experts from the UN system, non-governmental organizations, in particular, disabled persons organizations, researchers and entities working on (1) data, statistics, monitoring and evaluation for disability-inclusive development, as well as (2) data analysis for policy making.
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Events and Opportunities
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Apply by January 12, 2016
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