الاخ الكريم الدكتور مهند العزة المحترمتحية طبة وبعد،بمزيد من الغبطة والسرور تلقينا نبأ فوزكم بهذه الجائزة القيّمة.ليس غريباً عليكم، بل الغريب كان عدم فوزكم لا سمح الله.فمن كان كما انتم يختزن هذا الكمّ من المعرفة والثقافة ويتمتع بهذا القدر من الجدية والمصداقية والشفافية والروح القيادية، يكون فوزه وفريقه امراً عادياً جداً، بل يكون بمثابة اعطاء القوس باريها.مبروك لكم ولنا جميعاً، والى المزيد من الانجازات المشرّفة .مع كل الاحترام والمودة والتقدير.خالد المهتاررئيس التأهيل الدولي - الإقليم العربيرئيس المركز الوطني للتنمية والتأهيل
----- Original Message -----From: Muhannad AlazzehSent: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 9:39 PMSubject: [Deaf Arab] Fw: FHI360 award for the Disability rights component in CSP program Jordan--الزميلات والزملاء العزيزات والأعزاءلقد فاز قسم حقوق الأشخاص ذوي الإعاقة الذي أتشرف برئاسته في برنامج تطوير وتعزيز المجتمع المدني تحت قيادة السيدة فرانسيس أبو زيد في الأردن بجائزة دولية من منظمة FHI360 التي تنفذ مئات البرامج حول العالم ومن بينها برنامجنا، وقد نافسنا مع 32 برنامج حول العالم ووفقنا بحمد الله وفريقي بنيل الجائزة. وهذه هي رسالة الترشيح وتبرير منح الجائزة من اللجنة، للأسف لا تتوفر باللغة العربية.مع تحياتي.Dear ColleaguesI would like to share with you the good news about the Disability Rights component which I'm honored to lead in the Civil Society program under supervision and leadership of Ms. Frances Abu Zeid, this program is funded by USAID in Jordan, my conponent was awarded the international award by FHI360 organization for the radical achievement the team could accomplished within the last 3 years. while I'm leaving this program within 3 months, I'm so proud about what we achieved in Jordan and still achieving these days as we are revising the national legislation to be in conformity with the CRPD. I would like to express my deep gratitude to Ms. Judith Humann for her support through her two vists isits to Jordan as these ese visits had left a great impression on everybody. I'm putting the nomination and the award letter as it explains some of our work which all my team members are part of it.The Jordan Civil Society Program (CSP) is a five-year USAID-funded initiative (2008-13) which aims at cultivating a strong and vibrant civil society through a supportive enabling environment and an engaged citizenry. CSP works together with civil society organizations (CSOs), government, business, and media to contribute to the strengthening and sustainability of Jordan's civil society through consultative research, capacity building, small grants and improved civil society-government communications.
We are nominating CSP's disability rights team for going beyond expectations and creating a model for rights-based advocacy programming that has empowered activists with disabilities to fight for their rights across the Kingdom of Jordan. Under the leadership of Dr. Muhannad Al Azzeh, disability rights team leader, CSP has created a model of technical assistance, capacity building and grant-making that can be replicated with activists with disabilities in any of the 154 countries that is a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to ensure that rights are advanced.
By anticipating beneficiaries' needs in the area of disability advocacy and designing capacity building interventions as well as providing financial and technical support, CSP has led the emergence of a disability rights movement in Jordan which, in just two years, has succeeded in revising legislation and moving the policy debate on human rights forward. In addition, the USAID/Jordan mission recognizes CSP's unique programmatic initiatives for being relevant, innovative and inclusive and relies on the CSP team for its expertise in the field of advocacy and disability rights.
USAID AOTR, Tine Knott, who oversaw the first three years of the CSP commented: "Prior to AED [FHI] starting the CSP here, the Mission was very worried about whether this was going to be a successful effort or not due to the political/operating environment. Within weeks of AED [CSP] starting the program, we totally stopped worrying about this. The quality of the work that we have received under the program is some of the best work that I have seen in any sector during my more than 15 years with USAID. Their team -- both here and in Washington -- are top notch and have put together a much more dynamic and much more effective program that I ever expected. The program continues to evolve and get even more interesting over time because AED [CSP] is exceptional at identifying openings and opportunities and then operationalizing responses to them. I have managed a lot of partners and contractors over the years and AED [CSP] is my absolute favorite to work with. They are such terrific collaborators, in the good sense, and are always open to idea and suggestions from us. They also are amazing at working with our other DG partners which has helped to strengthen our entire DG portfolio (and we have some difficult partners which is what makes this exceptionally notable). "
Through a team of 24 staff, CSP implements projects under three major program components: Advocacy, Capacity Building and Enabling Environment. As part of its Advocacy component, CSP has developed a broad Disability Rights portfolio which supports the advancement of disability rights at the governmental and non-governmental levels and among international donors, including USAID implementing partners. Through a cost-extension in 2009, USAID recognized the opportunity to build on CSP's disability rights programming and provided additional resources to expand the program, including:
· Working with the Higher Council for Affairs of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) on ensuring civil society participation in the implementation of Jordan's national disability strategy;
· Supporting NGOs and disabled persons' organizations to develop the first shadow report on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in Jordan (and the first in the Middle East);
· Supporting a group of 19 activists with disabilities to form the TAKAFO' coalition for disability rights to advocate for amendments to the Election law and the Constitution;
· Building the institutional capacities of Disabled Persons Organizations (NGOs managed by people with disabilities) to operate more effectively;
· Providing small grants that advocate for disability rights;
· Coordinating with USAID implementers on inclusive development programs;
· Creating the Youth and Disability Advocacy Network to support the next generation of leadership in the disability rights movement;
· Launching the Women and Disability Rights Program to build the capacity of women with disabilities and women's rights activists on gender and disability;
· Designing an Arabic-language disability rights Training of Trainers toolkit
Through these initiatives CSP has achieved some of the program's biggest impacts to date, most notably through two major initiatives which have brought disability rights advocacy to the forefront of national debate as well as mobilized stakeholders on a grassroots level.
Launched in 2010, CSP brought together 19 activists with disabilities in the TAKAFO' ("Equality") coalition to successfully advocate for reasonable accommodation and accessibility to polling stations and ensure privacy for voters with disabilities through the personal assistant of their choice. Building on the initial success during the 2010 Parliamentary Elections, TAKAFO' continued its advocacy efforts to integrate these procedural changes into an amended Elections Law that was subsequently approved in mid-2012. Parallel to these efforts, TAKAFO' advocated with the Parliament, the Royal Constitutional Commission and the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities to include a reference to persons with disabilities in the Constitution which was amended in 2011. (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXEBMOUZ7PQ).
The second most notable initiative is the development and release of the first Civil Society Report on the Status of Implementation on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in Jordan of which the Government of Jordan is a signatory. The project designed to promote the inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in society and to advance the use of international human rights law to ensure that rights of persons with disabilities are respected and enforced. CSP provided 18 disabled persons organizations (DPOs) and NGOs, and 40 activists with the knowledge and skills to develop the Report which analyzes Jordan's compliance with the CRPD.
The Report marked a turning point for disability rights activism not only in Jordan but the entire Middle East, with the Report serving as a model and reference for others. The Report has been presented during international conferences in Tunisia, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Responses from these events have acknowledged how the Jordan CRPD monitoring process can be an example for activists throughout the MENA region to learn from and replicate.
At a press conference for the Report, Shaman Al Majali, spokesperson for the CRPD coalition explained that "Even in this short period since the report release, it is clear how important a tool this is and how it empowers activists and ordinary people alike to push for their rights... We know that the report is controversial, but we hope that all will agree that action needs to be taken to improve the policies, procedures and services for persons with disabilities. Reform does not rest on the shoulders of the Government or the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities alone, but requires a coordinated effort by all stakeholders to tackle the gaps in legislation and service provision."
CSP has provided the necessary financial, human resources and technical assistance to support these initiatives, including advocacy and campaign planning, legal analysis and legal drafting, research, media outreach, community mobilization, and support for www.TAKAFO.org and www.crpdjordan.org.
In addition to these more visible initiatives, CSP has also worked behind the scenes to advance disability rights in Jordan through engaging other USAID-implementing partners to be inclusive of persons with disabilities. Also, both USAID and the US Embassy's political and public affairs sections seek CSP's guidance when designing interventions related to disability rights.
In 2010 and 2012, CSP co-hosted the visits of Judith E. Heumann, Special Advisor, International Disability Rights, US Department of State, with the US Embassy. During both visits, Ms. Heumann served as the keynote for events that brought together more than 200 stakeholders from across the Kingdom to engage in dialogue with the Government of Jordan on advancing the rights of people with disabilities in Jordan. Ms. Heumann has expressed interest in taking the "Jordan model" regionally to other countries in the Middle East.
Justification
The CSP deserves this IMPACT award as it meets all of FHI 360's organizational values:
· Innovation – Through a combination of technical assistance, capacity building, and grant support, CSP has designed innovative approaches to advancing disability rights by empowering activists with disabilities to lead the change they seek, in ways that were previously unexpected in Jordan.
· Mutual Respect – Advocating for disability rights in a country where discrimination prevails in legislation and practice requires one to be a model that others seek to emulate. The CSP team is a model for others working to breakdown stereotypes, change behavior and advance rights, not only in Jordan but throughout the Middle East.
· Passion – Fighting for rights is not a job, but a passion and is one which Muhannad, as a leader from within the disability rights movement, has infused across CSP's entire team. His leadership skills, clarity of mission, and commitment to the cause have positioned CSP as a resource for advice and support.
· Accountability – Through nation-wide consultation sessions with hundreds of stakeholders, CSP's initiatives are taken directly to the people who are affected by the issues it is trying to tackle. Through ongoing media outreach and follow-up efforts with beneficiaries, CSP demonstrates a collaborative effort in rights-based advocacy that highlights successes and challenges, leading others to become involved and fight for rights.
· Commitment to Excellence – The core of CSP's rights-based programs is the International Declaration of Human Rights and the many international conventions to which the Government of Jordan is a signatory. Using these as the framework for its program interventions ensures that CSP designs and implements programs to the highest international standards and is accountable to stakeholders at all levels.
· Teamwork – The CSP team is recognized as a leader in disability rights advocacy and is considered a partner by donors, local organizations and activists. The spirit of teamwork distinguishes the CSP team from others and is highlighted by its efforts to take programmatic risks and design new initiatives to engage people in making change. Through creative and collaborative problem-solving, CSP invests in people to advocate for the rights they did not know they had.
CSP Disability Rights Legacy
In these three years, CSP has not only created a momentum for disability rights advocacy among persons with disabilities, but has created tools, strategies and models for replication in Jordan and beyond, as well as across FHI 360 itself. By investing in a new generation of activists (university youth with disabilities as well as women with disabilities) as well as enhancing the capacities of disabled persons' organizations, and equipping international organizations and implementing partners with the knowledge to design inclusive development programs, CSP leaves behind a legacy that will live beyond its existence. This effort exemplifies what the FHI 360 Impact Award stands for!
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