"Crisis, Conflict and Disability: Ensuring Equality"

For a more detailed overview of the the topics discussed during the three days of the Shafallah Forum, please find our compiled daily newsletters through the link below.

Shafallah Forum Newsletters

Day 1 – Sunday, January 22, 2012

10:30AM: Opening Remarks
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

• Welcome Address by Hassan Ali bin Ali, Chairman of the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs
• Opening Remarks by Ron McCallum, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

10:40AM: Refugees with Disabilities
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

• Introduction by Louise Aubin, Deputy Director of the Division of International Protection for the UNHCR

This panel will examining the conditions in refugee camps, evaluate the systems and resources required to promote a more inclusive environment and equal opportunities, as well as reintegration into mainstream life.

• Moderated by Teymoor Nabili, Senior Anchor for Al Jazeera English

Panelists – Part 1

• Francesca Bonelli, Senior Community Services Officer for the UNHCR
• Scholastica Nasinyama, Executive Director of InterAID
• Yusrah Nagujjah, PWDs Officer for the Refugee Law Project
• Sarah Costa, Executive Director of the Women’s Refugee Commission

Panelists – Part 2

• Rana Al Zawawi, Chief of Social Services Division for UNRWA
• Maggie Preston, Child Health Consultant for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
• Hasan Husein, Disability Program Officer for UNRWA
• Osama Abu Safer, Deir Al Balah Community Based Rehabilitation Centre

12:00PM: Formal Luncheon
Location: Banquet Hall in Shafallah Center

• Introductory Remarks by Cherie Blair, Co-Chair of the Shafallah Forum
• Keynote Address provided by Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

1:30PM: Disability in Conflict
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

This panel will examine the conditions the disabled face during times of conflict through the firsthand accounts of those who work in conflict situations throughout Africa and the Middle East.

• Moderated by Bob Woodruff, Correspondent for ABC News

Panelists

• Aireomiye Melchizedek Olamide James, National Director for Prothese DEEP Services
• Margaret Arech Orech, Goodwill Ambassador for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
• Nawaf Kabbara, Chair of the Arab Regional Monitoring Unit for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Brad Blauser, Founder of Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids

2:45PM: Afternoon Tea Break

3:00PM: Disability in Disaster
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

This panel will examine why persons with disabilities are often overlooked during natural disasters and how disaster planners can better prepare for identifying, evacuating and accommodating the disabled.

• Moderated by Steve Clemons, Washington Bureau Chief of The Atlantic

Panelists

• Badaoui Rouhban, Director of the Section for Disaster Reduction at UNESCO
• Akiko Ito, Chief of the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and UN Focal Point on Disability
• Nagase Osamu, Associate Professor for Disability Studies at the University of Toyko
• Janet Njelesani, Disability and Rehabilitation Consultant for the University of Toronto

4:00PM: Disability in Crisis: Ensuring Community Equality at a Policy Level
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

This panel will examine the inequality and challenges refugees with disabilities face due to poorly established policies and implementation of the UNCRPD. Speakers will present how policies directly affect their work and identify opportunities for improvement.

• Moderated by Cherie Blair, Co-Chair of the Shafallah Forum

Panelists

• Ron McCallum, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Mary Crock, Professor at the University of Sydney
• Dale Buscher, Senior Director for Programs with the Women’s Refugee Commission
• Celia Brandon, Professional Lead for Social Work with New Zealand’s Refugee Services

5:15PM: Session closes

Day 2 - Monday, January 23, 2012

9:30AM: Panel Breakout Sessions

Disability in Crisis: Ensuring Community Equality at a Local Level
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

Panelists

• Rooshey Hasnain, Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor with the University of Illinois at Chicago
• Devon Cone, Protection Officer for UNHCR/Refugee Point
• Diana Braun, Self-Advocate with the Illinois Department of Human Services
• Nazmul Bari, Director of the Center for Disability in Development (CDD)

Four Contrasting Countries’ Responses to Armed Conflict, Humanitarian Emergencies and the Occurrence of Natural Disasters
Location: Music Department Lecture Hall

Panelists

• David Mitchell, Professor with the University of Canterbury Christchurch
• Jayne Brady, Consultant with UNESCO-IBE Research Fellowship Alumni
• Jill Mitchell, Honorary Fellow at the University of Waikato
  
• Sigamoney Naicker, Chief Director of Western Cape Dept. of Education
• Marja Matero, Advisor for the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Ethiopia
  

10:30AM: Morning Tea Break

10:45AM: Panel Breakout Sessions

Women and Children in Crisis Situations
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

Panelists

• Andrea Canepa, Staff Writer with the Columbia University
• Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan, Resource Mobilization Officer for UNICEF Haiti
• Florence Nightingale Mukasa, Uganda National Association of the Deaf

Lessons Learned by PWDs from Crises and Conflicts in Pakistan
Location: Music Department Lecture Hall

Panelists

• Muhammad Shahnawaz Munami, Al-Rehman Medical Welfare Society
• Ghulam Nabi Nizamani, CEO, Pakistan Disabled Peoples’ Organization
• Abia Akram, Women Coordinator of DPI-Pakistan and Chairperson National Forum of Women with Disabilities

12:00PM: Lunch and Tours of the Shafallah Center

2:00PM: Panel Breakout Sessions

Recovery and Rebuilding after Disasters and Conflicts: Supporting Inclusion in Education and Livelihoods
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

Panelists

• Tanya Barron, International Director for Leonard Cheshire Disability
  
• Maria Kett, Assistant Director for Leonard Cheshire Disability
• Imtiaz Mohammed, Head of Programmes for Leonard Cheshire Disability
• Osman Bah, Regional Programme Representative in West Africa for Leonard Cheshire Disability

The World Report on Disabilities
Location: Music Department Lecture Hall

Panelists

• Aleksandra Posarac, Lead Economist for the World Bank and Executive Editor of the World Report on Disability

Reaching Persons with Disabilities in Conflict Situations
Location: Genetics Center Lecture Hall

Panelists

• Brigitte Rohwerder, MA Post-War Recovery Studies, University of York
• Carson Harte, Executive Director, The Cambodian Trust
• Tun Channareth, Goodwill Ambassador, International Campaign to Ban Landmines

3:30PM: Panel Breakout Sessions

Improving Emergency Education
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

Panelists

• Louise Aubin, Deputy Director of the Division of International Protection for UNHCR
• Charlotte Balfour-Pooles, Education in Emergencies Adviser for Save the Children UK
• Annelies Ollieuz, Educational Specialist for NORCAP (Norwegian Capacity)
  
• Peter Transburg, Coordinator for Knowledge Management and Partnerships with the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

Don’t leave us Behind: Giving Voice to the Disabled in Humanitarian Crisis, Response and Resettlement
Location: Music Department Lecture Hall

Panelists

• Javed Abidi, Chairperson for Disabled People’s International
• Michael Fraser, Deputy Chairperson for Human Rights, Disabled Peoples’ International
• Rachel Kachaje, Deputy Chairperson for Development and Under-Represented Groups, Disabled Peoples’ International
• Elizabeth da Silva, Executive Director, Disabled Peoples’ International

Disabled Women Activists: Leading the Way toward Inclusive Emergency Response
Location: Genetics Center Lecture Hall

Panelists

• Beatriz Satizabal, International Consultant on Disability and Displacement, Norwegian Refugee Council
• Susan Sygall, CEO & Co-founder, Mobility International USA (MIUSA)
• Susan Dunn, Disability and Development Project Specialist, Mobility International USA (MIUSA)

7:00PM: Gala Dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel
Keynote Addresses Provided by:

• HE Prince Mirad Al Hussein of Jordan
• Rima Salah, the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF

Day 3 – Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

9:30AM: Then and Now – Disability and Disasters
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

This panel will review lessons learned from past disasters by assessing the system changes needed to efficiently respond to people with disabilities’ needs in evacuation, sheltering, relief, and recovery.

• Moderated by Sara Sidner, International Correspondent for CNN International

Panelists

• Marcie Roth, Director of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination with the US Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Elizabeth Sherwood, Program Coordinator for the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation
• Priya Maloni, Rehabilitation Coordinator for the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation

11:30AM: Inclusive Planning – Checks & Balances
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center
This panel will review lessons learned from past disasters by assessing the system changes needed to efficiently respond to people with disabilities’ needs in evacuation, sheltering, relief, and recovery.

• Moderated by Tania Bryer, Correspondent for CNBC

Panelists

• Valerie Scherrer, Emergency Response Unit Senior Manager for the Christian Blind Mission
• Armando Vasquez, Regional Disability and Rehabilitation Consultant for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
• Profulla Chandra Barman, Senior Program Manager for BRAC
• Rosangela Berman-Bieler, Senior Adviser on Children with Disabilities with UNICEF

1:00PM: Lunch

2:00PM: Recovery and Rebuilding
Location: Theater in Shafallah Center

This panel will discuss ways international organizations can ensure that persons with disabilities fully participate in the decision-making process regarding social and economic reconstruction following a disaster, consistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

• Moderated by Tsunenari Yamasaki, Program Director for the Tokyo Broadcasting System

Panelists

• Alonzo Fulgham, Vice President of International Relief and Development
• Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, Coordinator of the Office for Disability and Inclusive Development with USAID
• Shantha Rau Barriga, Disability Rights Researcher/Advocate with Human Rights Watch
• Gerald Oriol, Jr., Secretary of State for the Integration of PErsons with Disabilities for the Government of Haiti

3:00PM: Closing Remarks

• Closing Remarks provided by Hassan Ali bin Ali, the Chairman of the Shafallah Center