NEW YORK, 23 February 2023 - The UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UNPRPD MPTF) is pleased to announce that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has joined the partnership, becoming the 10th member.
By joining UNPRPD MPTF, ITU - the UN specialized agency for information and communication technology – now forms part of the only UN interagency funding mechanism dedicated to supporting the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and offering a ‘One UN’ approach to disability inclusion at national level.
The Fund brings together ten United Nations entities, members states, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), and broader civil society to implement the CRPD and disability inclusive SDGs through joint programming, capacity building, and knowledge sharing.
This newest partnership further strengthens international cooperation by addressing information and communication technologies ICTs/digital accessibility as a means to support counties’ efforts in ensuring that everyone has equal and equitable access to and use of ICTs in the digital world, and thus, advancing the disability inclusion agenda globally.
‘’We live in a world where more than 1 billion people have a disability – and 80 per cent live in developing countries,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “We cannot leave persons with disabilities behind. That’s why, together with our UNPRPD partners, ITU is committed to making digital technologies more available, inclusive, affordable, and accessible for all.”
“UNPRPD MPTF and ITU joining forces is an essential step in continuing our efforts to support disability inclusion. The Fund is a critical player in providing catalytic funding for evidence-based joint programming responding to country priorities and prioritizing low-income countries. This partnership will help advance mutual goals around tackling exclusion faced by persons with disabilities“– said Chair of UNPRPD, Nafissatou Jocelyne Diop, Chief of the Gender and Human Rights Branch at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
As an innovative pooled fund, UNPRPD MPTF has supported 93 joint UN programmes in 80 countries across the five regions, influencing government policies and impacting over 200 million persons with disabilities.
For further information, please contact:
ITU –David Hirsch, Senior Media Relations Officer, International Telecommunication Union
Press line: +41 22 509 2730
E-mail: pressinfo@itu.int
UNPRPD MPTF – Veronica Cuesta Alvarez, Communications Specialist, United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Multi-Partner Trust Fund
E-mail: veronica.cuesta.alvarez@undp.org