AFDO is a member of Pacific Development Forum and Lesley Hall attended the Women’s meeting and PDF members meeting recently held in April. In addition Samantha French and Sonia Price-Kelly from People with Disability Australia, Lester and Maureen Bostock from the Aboriginal Disability Network, Kevin Murfitt from the World Blind Union Pacific Region, Christine Walton from Australian Disability and Development Consortium, Robyn James, Deborah Rhodes and Daniel Stubbs from Australia Pacific Islands Disability Support (APIDS) as well as a number of other Australians representing Aid and Development Organisations. Now if I’ve forgotten anyone it’s probably because I had one too many drinks with you.

It was terrific to catch up with people from the Pacific over the three days. Below is a report from Seteraki Macanawai.

Article by: Setareki S. Macanawai

The Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) 2010 series of meetings concluded on Friday 26th March 2010. Even though Hurricane Thomas forced the postponement of the Pacific DPO Fund Committee meeting from Wednesday, 17 March 2010 to Sunday, 21 March 2010, the other meetings and training programmes went ahead smoothly as scheduled.

First, the PDF Governance Meeting attended by the PDF Executive Committee members and Secretariat staff focused on improving the governance structure and operation of this young regional organisation. A two-day Reflection and Planning Meeting on the Initial Capacity Development for DPOs in the Pacific took place on Friday and Saturday, 19-20 March 2010. The four national DPOs involved in this AusAID funded project teamed up with the Project Steering Group made up of PDF member DPOs to review progress and challenges to date, and plan for the coming 12 months of this project beginning July 2010.

On Monday, 22nd March 2010 saw PDF working with the Fiji Disabled People's Association to organise a one-day National Forum for Women with Disabilities, attended by about 20 women with disabilities from Fiji and their sisters with disabilities from 8 other Pacific Island countries and territory. FDPA was able to review its National Action Plan on Women with Disabilities, and PDF received valuable input from the participants on the development of its next Strategic Plan, 2012-2016 especially the objective relating to women and girls with disabilities.

On Tuesday, about 50 participants representing 14 Pacific Island countries and territory attended workshop sessions on the Pacific DPO Fund, monitoring and evaluation as well as strategic planning. A Donor/Development Partners Forum was held on Wednesday, 24 March 2010 where the participants engaged with representatives from AusAID, NZAID, Disability Rights Fund, UNESCAP, PIFS, ADDC and APIDS. Issues addressed included how Pacific DPOs could access financial, technical and other support from these donor and development partners, and how such assistance targeting disability development in the Pacific could be better coordinated. The participants also received first-hand information on the capacity development initiative by PDF on targeted DPOs in the Pacific utilising funds made available by AusAID for this project. PDF in partnership with Australia Pacific Islands Disability Support (APIDS) shared their research project on "Capacity Development for Effective and Efficient DPOs in Pacific Island Countries" which the participants found both interesting and relevant.

The actual 2010 PDF Council Meeting was held on Wednesday afternoon, 24th March 2010 which was attended by 21 out of 22 Full Members from all 13 member countries and 1 territory (New Caledonia). The members approved the 2008-09 audited financial report, received annual reports from the Executive Committee and CEO, as well as endorsed the 2010-2011 annual work plan and budget. Three new organisations were received as Associate Members of PDF - Fusi Alofa Association Tuvalu, National Disability Resource and Advocacy Centre (PNG) and the Tonga Red Cross Society which now brings the total membership of PDF to 22 Full Members and 16 Associate Members.

The final training session was held over two days, Thursday and Friday, 25-26 March focused on specific training needs of the 4 national DPOs involved in the Capacity Development project - DPA Vanuatu, Fiji Disabled People's Association, FAA Tuvalu and PWD Solomon Islands. A first ever Convening meeting was later organised by Disability Rights Fund (DRF) for its 5 grantees from the Pacific and held from 27-28 March 2010.

PDF wishes to acknowledge the financial support of NZAID and AusAID which enabled the PDF family to come together in the past week and a half to do what we do best ... Review our progress, discuss our challenges, identify possible solutions, agree on the way forward and negotiate with our partners on mutually agreed processes.

The PDF canoe is navigating itself safely in the Pacific waters with those of us on board, and we look forward to working with our brothers and sisters in Niue, Palau, Marshall Islands as well as the French and US territories in the Pacific to join us in this journey towards a disability inclusive Pacific.

We are the PDF family and look forward to meeting you all in 2011!

"A Partnership of Pacific Organizations of/for People with Disabilities"
Source: Setareki S. Macanawai. CEO, PDF.