Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities, UNICEF

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR)PO 2500, Geneva 2, CH 1211, SwitzerlandTel: +41 22739 8111Website: www.unhcr.orgThe Office of the United Nations High Commissionerfor Refugees was established by the United NationsGeneral Assembly in 1950. The agency is mandatedto lead and coordinate international action to protectrefugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide.Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights andwell-being of refugees. It strives to ensure thateveryone can exercise the right to seek asylum andfind safe refuge in another State, with the option toreturn home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettlein a third country. UNHCR has worked to ensure theinclusion of children with disabilities in its fieldworkand has published detailed training materials on thissubject for local facilitators.World Health Organization (WHO)CH 1211 Geneva 27, SwitzerlandTel: +41 22 791 2111; Fax: +41 22 791 3111Email: info@who.org; Website: www.who.orgDAR webpage: www.who.int/ncd/disability/programme.htmWHO provides worldwide guidance in the healthfield, sets global standards for health, cooperateswith governments to strengthen health programmesand develops appropriate health technology,information and standards. Its programme onDisability and Rehabilitation (DAR) aims to enhancethe quality of life and equality of opportunities forall persons with disabilities by promoting equalaccess to health and medical care, social servicesand rehabilitation services that can reduce limits onactivity. DAR provides a forum for the internationalexchange of information and experiences, with theaim of identifying new ideas, successful countrymodels and useful strategies, and to discusstheir application in other settings. WHO hasalso developed an International Classification ofFunctioning, Disability and Health (ICF) – see the sitelisted above.OTHER INTERNATIONAL AGENCIESWorld BankDisability and Development Team, 1818 H Street,NW, Washington D.C., 20433, USAWebsite: www.worldbank.org/disabilityThe World Bank’s mission is to fight poverty withpassion and professionalism for lasting results.In the area of disability, it is working to ensurefull participation of persons with disabilities in itsdevelopment work, and gives special attention topersons with disabilities in this section. This resourceprovides a wealth of data for statistics, policies, andpublications with specific concentration on children inspecific areas.INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONALNON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONSAND NETWORKSAction on Disability and DevelopmentVallis House, 57 Vallis Road, Frome,Somerset BA11 3EG, UKWebsite: www.add.org.ukADD works with a variety of groups, someestablished as cross-disability organizations andothers who come together due to the experienceof a common impairment or shared experience,for instance, people who are deaf, or womenwith disabilities. The organizations range fromsmall groups at village or local level, to larger,representational national federations or unions,which are also linked into regional and internationalnetworks of people with disabilities. ADD supportsgroups of people with disabilities by buildingup their confidence in their own worth, abilitiesand rights; helping them take control of theirlives; campaigning, advocating and lobbying forequal rights; helping them run more sustainable,democratic, efficient and inclusive organizations;supporting them to set up self-help initiatives toimprove their standards of living.AIFO (Associazone Italiana Amici di Raoul Follerau)Via Borselli 4, I 40135 Bologna, ItalyTel: +39 051 433402; Fax: +39 051 434046Websites: www.aifo.it/English; www.aifo.itThe activities of AIFO are focused on supportingpersons affected by leprosy and persons withdisabilities through integrated development projects,with particular attention to the poorest and mostvulnerable groups. AIFO also promotes developmenteducation in Europe for a better understanding of thecauses underlying poverty and underdevelopment inconnection with the North–South relationship. Thisorganization provides various resources on childrenwith disabilities and leprosy in some of the leastdeveloped areas of the world.45 Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities Innocenti Digest No. 13