INCLUSIVE EDUCATION (SDG 4) - Ensuring People Living With Disbailities Are Not Left Behind
The International Disability Alliance, the Government of Norway, and the Government of Ghana will host the second Global Disability Summit on 16 and 17 February 2022 (GDS22). The Summit will be mainly virtual and interested parties wishing to attend may register here Global Disability Summit - Home. Other interested stakeholders are invited to register commitments at the following link by 26 January 2022 - Global Disability Summit - Submit or Update a Commitment.
With this in mind, the Global Disability Summit (GDS) : Inclusive Education Thematic Workshop took place on Thursday, January 20, 2022 between 9:00 am ET - 10:30 am ET. The Workshop's Objectives were to :
- Help build momentum and interest in inclusive education before the GDS in February 2022.
- Highlight governments and organizations who are preparing to make GDS commitments to inclusive education and early childhood education at the GDS, and advance efforts to advocate for full inclusion of learners with disabilities.
- Provide an opportunity for world leaders, policymakers, funders, international organizations, civil society organizations, and other important stakeholders to convene and discuss lessons learned, best practices moving forward, persisting gaps, and progress on inclusive education.
Academic Contribution:
Accessible Books Consortium: (wipo.int)
Genovesi, E., Jakobsson, C., Nugent, L., Hanlon, C., & Hoekstra, R. (2021, December 7). Stakeholder Experiences, Attitudes and Perspectives on Inclusive Education for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.
See PsyArXiv Preprints | Stakeholder Experiences, Attitudes and Perspectives on Inclusive Education for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies
Speakers
- Refaat Sabbah, President, Global Campaign for Education
- Sue Swenson, Board Treasurer, International Disability Alliance
- Linda Etim, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Development, Global Health, and Humanitarian Response, National Security Council, USA
- Josh Josa, Disability Inclusive Education Specialist, USAID
- Alexander Bankole Williams, Advocacy Chair, Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations
- Penny Innes, Head of Disability Inclusion Team; Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, UK
- Dr. Magreth Matonya, Director of Inclusive Education, Tanzania Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
- Alexandra Matei, World Vision Syria Response Advocacy and Communications Director
- Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, Global Disability Advisor, World Bank Group
- Khansa Maria, MPhil in Development Studies Candidate and Rhodes Scholar from Pakistan, University of Oxford
- Jaime Cruz Juscamaita, Self-Advocate (Peru), Inclusion International/Empower Us
- Dr. Ernestine NGO MELHA, Founder and Executive Director, Association d'Aide à l'Education de l'Enfant Handicapé (AAEEH)
- Dragana Ciric Milovanovic, Director, European Regional Office, Disability Rights International
- Jennifer Rigg, Executive Director, GCE-US and Co-Chair, Inclusive Education & Early Childhood Community of Practice
Global Partners and Co-Sponsors:
- Association d'Aide à l'Education de l'Enfant Handicapé (AAEEH)
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
- CBM
- Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA)
- Disability Rights Fund & Disability Rights Advocacy Fund
- Disability Rights International
- Education Cannot Wait
- Education for All Coalition
- Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD)
- Global Campaign for Education
- Global Campaign for Education-US
- Global Disability Summit
- Global Education Monitoring Report
- Humanity & Inclusion
- Inclusion International
- International Disability Alliance
- International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC)
- Keystone Human Services International
- Leonard Cheshire
- Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABP)
- Partnership for Early Childhood Development & Disability Rights (PECDDR)
- PDRC International
- Salzburg Global Seminar
- Save the Children
- The Action Foundation
- The World Bank
- UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning
- UNICEF
- USAID
- World Vision
Other Useful links
Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA) (7) Watch | Facebook
Disability Inclusion | World Vision (US site)
Contact Our Team | World Vision UK
Public Expenditure for Children with Disabilities | Save the Children’s Resource Centre
Home Page | Inclusive Education Initiative (inclusive-education-initiative.org)
CBM Inclusive Education Training Guide published by: CBM Christoffel-Blindenmission Christian Blind Mission e.V, Bensheim, Germany
Teachers are adult learners, not machines! – EENET
The Committee on The Rights of Persons with Disabilities, OHCHR | General Comments
The video recording of the event, social media toolkit (including messages that can be adapted for posting after the event), event program, speaker bios and slides, event summary, links and resources from the workshop, and event evaluation form can be found here on the event page.
Your participation in this workshop has helped to bolster engagement in the lead-up to the Global Disability Summit commitment deadline Wednesday, January 26, as we together encourage bold commitments and accelerated action towards inclusive education.
On 1 February 2022, the Global Campaign for Education-US coalition hosted discussion highlighting the importance of the human right to quality, inclusive education with Katie Malouf Bous, Dr. Priyadarshani Joshi, Jitu Brown, and Casey Recabarren. Please find the meeting notes, agenda and bios attached, with the full recording linked here.
To highlight a couple of action and follow-up points:
We'd also like to flag the following links and resources:
For further information you may contact Christa Giesecke | Inclusive Education Policy Officer (she/her)
Global Campaign for Education-US (GCE-US)
1201 16th St NW, Suite 521 | Washington, DC 20036
Support education for all: https://bit.ly/gce-us-give
Phone: +1 510 309 9063 | Email: cgiesecke@gce-us.org
Skype: christagiesecke
Twitter: @GCE_US
Instagram: @GCE_US
Facebook.com/campaignforeducationusa
Linkedin.com/showcase/gce-us
UN OHCHR Call for Inputs Addressing the Sale & Exploitation of Children
Background
Article 3.2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 asserts,
“State Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being, taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her, and, to this end, shall take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures” (OHCHR, 1989).
In that regard, UNICEF has identified three major potential secondary impacts on minors (children aged 17 and under) and their caregivers in terms of child protection, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic: i) neglect and lack of parental care; ii) mental health and psychosocial distress; and iii) increased exposure to violence, including sexual violence, physical and emotional abuse. Afrikan minors are more vulnerable to breaches of international human rights norms, as poverty rates have risen from 10% to 20% in some African Union (AU) countries. For example, reports allege the pandemic has disproportionately fuelled increased incidences of Afrikan child labour and child marriages as a result of poverty; and according to the Global March Against Child Labour, 92 million African minors were engaged in child labour in 2021. This written submission highlights these breaches of the Convention, in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with reference to the Abidjan Principles on the Right to Education 2019, for good practice and recommendations.
Towards a more Sustainable Future: What can Higher Education Leadership do to get there?
Through education, research, campus initiatives, community engagement activities and campaigns at a local, national, regional, and global level, universities are the key to healthier, greener, fairer, and more inclusive societies.
In March 2022, the International Association of Universities and HETL jointly organized a panel discussion with experts on the topic to foster engagement among higher education leadership and constructive cooperation for a sustainable way forward.