Annual report 2009 - Handicap International

EditorialContentsxz Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3xz Worldwide action.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5xz Emergency response . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9xz Development .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13xz Landmines andcluster munitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-17xz Financial report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-29xz Acknowledgements .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Chairman: Pascal VanotEditor: Dominique Lê Van TruocCoordinator: Caroline ArlandisAssistant: Frédéric GruyerEditing: In medias resTranslation: Steven Durose, John Clube and Mandy DuretCorrection: Magenta CorrectionDesign: In medias res and Abdel BoureghdaCreation: Frédéric Escoffier / NJmcPictures: Læthicia LamottePrinting: Two PrintPhoto credit page 1:© B. Darrieux for Handicap InternationalPhoto credit page 4:© S. Bonnet for Handicap InternationalISSN: 1639-6421ISBN: 978-2-909064-50-5Handicap International, cofounder of the International Campaign toBan Landmines, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.2009: the year ofthe federationThe creation of the HandicapInternational Federation on 12September 2009 after four intensiveyears of collective effort marked amajor milestone in our organisation’shistory. Under our new rulesof governance, Handicap International’sassociations in seven countries(Canada, France, Germany, Luxembourg,Switzerland, the UK and theUS) each contribute according totheir means to this supranational body and, in return, enjoythe same rights and responsibilities.Every member of the Handicap International Federation is, bydefinition, a stakeholder in each of its programmes. Each nationalassociation is therefore able to capitalise on the actionsof the federation as a whole, giving it greater impact, visibilityand legitimacy to promote our values, extend our reach andobtain the resources needed to fund our joint actions.We are convinced that this new democratic system will increaseour cohesiveness, make us stronger and enable us todevelop our actions on behalf of those who need them. Thisis the sole aim of these structural changes.We were able to maintain a presence in sixty countriesin 2009, based on a programme of priorities focusing onspecific themes, regions and contexts for the period 2008 to2010. Handicap International’s development and emergencyresponse activities increased significantly over the year, whileits mine actions remained relatively stable.The entry into force of the International Convention on theRights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008 was a source ofgreat satisfaction for us. It demonstrates a growing globalawareness of disability-related issues, something HandicapInternational has helped to achieve. Our task now is to helpensure the Convention brings about real improvements inthe living conditions of people with disabilities throughout theworld and we will remain alert and committed to reachingthis goal in the years to come.Pascal VanotChairman of Handicap International France2 ı Annual report 2009