
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated annually on 3 December. This year, it coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. And as 2016 is also the first year of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the day highlights the role of these goals in building a more inclusive and equitable world for persons with disabilities.
On December 3rd, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we celebrate the invaluable contributions UN Online Volunteers with disabilities are making to the work of organizations in the areas of sustainable human development. In addition, organizations across the globe working for the rights of persons with disabilities engage UN Online Volunteers in their projects for a variety of tasks, from providing technical input to projects, editing and translating documents to researching donor organizations.
“We have found keen, dedicated and accountable professionals who have submitted high quality work that was really needed and appreciated in our organization,” says Martine Levesque, Programme Director for Handicap International in Bolivia. UN Online Volunteers translated a range of documents that Handicap International uses in its programmes, trainings and advocacy campaigns.
UN Online Volunteers have also helped to connect the Unique Light Foundation, a grassroots NGO supporting disadvantaged women and children in central Ghana, with a global network of volunteers, donors and partner organizations. They developed communication materials and a social media strategy, and provided strategic input to the organization’s work in inclusive education and the elimination of avoidable blindness.
In 2016, 156 persons with disabilities have volunteered their skills and time online through the UNV Online Volunteering service and collaborated with a range of organizations for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).