A World for All

Angela Bustamante/RIADIS in Action

The Pan-American Health Organization and the World Health Organization, in coordination with the CBR (community based rehabilitation) Network of the Americas and Caribbean, are preparing the second continental congress on CBR.

The important event, that will take place in Oaxaca, Mexico, from March 3 to 5, 2010, will be sponsored by the government of Mexico.

The mission that the organizers have defined for this continental congress is “to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities and to contribute in strengthening the CBR strategy in the Americas and Caribbean, through public policies and by mobilizing resources, technical cooperation and assistance”, as it has been expressed in the release sent by Ms. Flavia Anau, Piña Palmera’s Director.

Piña Palmera is a member of the National Committee in Mexico, responsible for preparing this event. It is an organization founded in Oaxaca, in 1984, as a response to the lack of rehabilitation options for children with disabilities, and the limited possibilities that their families had to cover their needs. In the present, Piña Palmera is a broad and recognized project, offering health, nutrition, physical and occupational therapy, learning, communications, early stimulation, and other programs.

Piña Palmera is part of RIADIS, as a full member organization since May, 2007, when it was accepted as one by the network’s third Conference.

Referential framework

CBR is a strategy to achieve social and community development. It has gone through a renewal process due to the recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities, to the creativity in the proposals, to the paradigm shift, and to the joint position (ILO, UNESCO and WHO, 2004).

Over two decades ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced CBR as a strategy for rehabilitation to reach the most remote communities. In these last years, CBR has aimed at achieving disabled persons’ social inclusion, by promoting their recognition, representation and participation in different community and social spheres.

In this sense, the non governmental and governmental organizations are involved in understanding and applying it according to the needs of the population. When all the efforts were added up, the results were the community based rehabilitation guides, that offer guidelines to all those interested in applying the strategy.

The CBR guides are a significant advancement in the joint struggle to promote CBR, to reduce poverty, and to foster disability rights advocacy efforts. The guides were prepared by CBR experts and practitioners from worldwide, including approximately 160 authors, 29 countries that participated in reviewing them, and and a broad collaboration of the WHO, ILO, UNESCO and civil society represented by international NGOs and DPOs. This will represent an opportunity to learn about and start applying them.

In the past thirty years, multiple CBR proposals have been generated in the Americas and Caribbean, by non governmental and governmental organisms. This increase in the number of CBR initiatives, demand that efforts be coordinated and establish communications vehicles in order to give more strength to the social and community development proposed by the strategy.

In 2006, WHO/PAHO implemented the first Continental Congress on CBR, held in Santiago, Chile, with the purpose of analyzing all these general topics and some concrete issues.

Goals and actors of the Continental Congress

According to the release sent by the Congress organizers, the broad goals are the following:

1)Eliminate barriers to create a world for all, and supporting the implementation of the UN CRPD, the UN Standard Rules for the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities, and the Plan of Action for the American Decade for the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities.

2)To ensure and guarantee the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities and their full social inclusion, in particular, to their right to enjoy the highest possible level of physical and mental health, and other related rights.

3)To show how CBR can contribute to inclusive development and become an allied strategy for poverty reduction in the countries of the region.

The second Continental Congress is inviting the participation of: persons with disabilities and their families, DPOs, CBR workers, community staff, indigenous leaders, post-graduate degree professors, teachers, health personel, decision makers in the social sector, planners, public officials, legislators, etc.

Contact info

For more info about the event, please contact the following email address: caippac@yahoo.com.mx

Photo Description: The Pictures were extracted from Piña Palmera’s website. They show persons and activities involved in the important project that is developed in Oaxaca, Mexico, location that will host the second Continental Congress on CBR. (1) Two children smiling; (2) A doctor working with his patient; and (3) A mother working with her daughter while other family members watch.