International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2015 Sports and Social Inclusion

To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities which is observed throughout the world on 3 December every year, the ICRC is supporting initiatives in many countries to raise awareness of disability.

Services continue to be inaccessible to people with disabilities. To a large extent, disabled people are unable to obtain health care, education, employment, transport, information or technology. In the countries where the ICRC is working, people with disabilities are often among those who suffer the greatest hardship.

The ICRC is addressing the special needs of people with disabilities through its Physical Rehabilitation Programme (PRP) and the Special Fund for the Disabled (SFD), which aim to help people with disabilities play an active role in every aspect of life – start a small business, do sports, and in general enjoy the same opportunities as other members of society.

All around the world, stories and events in the framework of the A Day for All campaign will help us raise awareness on people living with a disability:

Switzerland. In Geneva, the ICRC is organizing a public panel on Sport and Disability, with Jess Markt, coach for the Afghan men and women’s national wheelchair basketball teams and Ian Martin, head of disability cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board, on Thursday 3 December at 10 am. In the afternoon, the participants to the A Day for All campaign will unveil an artistic intervention to the “broken chair” monument, reminding that further joint commitment on the rights of persons with disabilities is needed.

South Sudan. In October 2015, British photographer Giles Duley travelled to South Sudan with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Himself a triple amputee – the result of an IED in Afghanistan – Giles visited the Physical Rehabilitation Reference Centre in Juba, which helps people with physical disabilities to rebuild their lives.

Afghanistan. After months of training, Afghanistan’s 12-man disabled basketball team flew to Japan for the Asia Oceania championship of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. For Afghanistan’s first-ever international competition, their expectations were modest, but they more than fulfilled them.

Vietnam. Three athletes from Viet Nam prepare for the 2015 Asean Para Games and test their new high-tech prostheses. These prostheses are more durable and lighter than conventional ones and allow them to run faster for longer. They are produced by Otto Bock, and are made available to the athletes thanks to a partnership with the prosthetic-orthotic school in Viet Nam (VIETCOT), and the ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled.

Pakistan. From 29 November to 5 December, the ICRC together with Pakistan Disabled Cricket Association (PDCA) is organizing ‘ICRC National Disabled T-20 Cricket Championship 2015’ for people with physical disabilities in Karachi. During the championship, the cricket players with disabilities will show the world that human will is stronger than any disease or disability.

Syria. Meet the patients in the ICRC supported rehabilitation center in Aleppo.

For further information on physical rehabilitation services, go to: www.icrc.org/en/disability

For further information on events planned around the world on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2015, please contact:

Afghanistan: Olivier Moeckli, (+93) 729 14 05 10, omoeckli@icrc.org
Bangladesh: Michael Kifle, (+88) 01 730 329 307, mikifle@icrc.org
Cambodia: Graziella Leite Piccoli, (+66) 81 950 12 70, gleitepiccolo@icrc.org
Colombia: Patricia Rey, (+57) 311 4 91 07 89, rpatricia@icrc.org
Democratic Republic of Congo: Patrick Megevand, (+243) 81 700 85 36, pmegevand@icrc.org
India: Adebayo Olowo-Ake, (+91) 97 113 09561, aolowoake@icrc.org
Iraq: Ralph El Hage, (+964) (0)790 191 6927, relhage@icrc.org
Madagascar: Narindra Rakotonanahary, (+ 27) 82 559 2046, nrakotonanahary@icrc.org
Mali: Valéry Mbaoh Nana, (+223) 76 99 63 75, vmbaohnana@icrc.org
Myanmar: Jean-Yves Clémenzo, (+95) 9 420 107 606, jclemenzo@icrc.org
Pakistan : Umar Phiri, (+92 300) 850 8138, uphiri@icrc.org
South Sudan: Yamila Castro Martinez, (+211) 923 158 196 or (+211) 912 36 00 38, ycastromartinez@icrc.org
Switzerland: Anastasia Isyuk, (+41) 22 730 30 23 or (+41) 79 251 93 02, aisyuk@icrc.org
Syrian Arab Republic: Pawel Krzysiek, (+963) 930 336 718, pkrzysiek@icrc.org
Thailand: Graziella Leite Piccoli, (+66) 81 950 12 70, gleitepiccolo@icrc.org
Uzbekistan: Pierre-Emmanuel Ducruet, (+998 93) 399 03 20, pducruet@icrc.org