Following the “First Regional Conference for the Advancement of the Arab Disability Movement” held in Beirut from December 12 to 14, 2013, at the invitation of the Lebanese Handicapped Union, with the participation of nine Arab countries, under the title “Towards Strategies of Partnership, Empowerment and Inclusion – Comprehensive Development”, the “Arab WAW” publication was launched to include the results of the first activities that led to the establishment of the Arab Forum for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has expanded to represent 13 Arab countries.
“Arab WAW” is a periodic publication issued by the “Economic and Social Inclusion Project” implemented by the Lebanese Handicapped Union from Beirut and The East Jerusalem Young Men’s Christian Association (EJ-YMCA), in cooperation with the Arab office of Handicap International.
Issues
First Issue
The first issue of “Arab WAW” was published in January 2014, including an editorial on the importance of advancing an Arab movement that represents people with disabilities and is their voice for inclusion and respect for diversity in Arab societies. The work included the work of the “First Regional Conference to Advance the Arab Disability Movement,” leading up to the establishment of the Arab office at Disabled People’s International Organization (DPI).
The issue included articles on the reality of disability in the Arab world, joint work strategies among representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities, and the interventions of conference participants. It also presented the workshops, which varied from working on a national level, the organizational frameworks of the desired office, monitoring mechanisms and information exchange between members, and included the final statement of the conference. The issue introduced the participating organizations from Palestine, Algeria, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Lebanon and Mauritania. The issue was supervised by Sylvana Lakkis, edited by Imadeddin Raef, and designed by Fouad Al-Meqdad.
Second Issue
The second issue of “Arab WAW” was published in July 2014, coinciding with the second conference to advance the Arab disability movement, held in New York on the sidelines of the Seventh Conference of States Parties to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on June 12, 2014, under the title “A New Vision for Partnership on Disability and Development in the Arab World”.
In its introduction, the issue deals with the work of the conference and how to activate the Arab office in the International Disability Organization, and raises the issue of inclusive design that respects the abilities and needs of disabled citizens. The issue presented strategic planning among members and its importance, the priorities at the national level for each Arab member, joint work on building strategies and the distinction between the welfare and human rights approaches, as well as issues of poverty and corruption. In the end, the conference elected the administrative body of the Arab Bureau. The issue also included articles from Yemen, Palestine, Mauritania and Iraq. The issue was supervised by Sylvana Lakkis, edited by Imadeddin Raef, and designed by Fouad Al-Meqdad.
Third Issue
The third issue of “Arab WAW” was published in May 2015, presenting the steps for inclusive development beyond 2015 according to the UN agenda. The issue included the proceedings of the conference “Towards Decent Work for All – Beyond 2015”, which was held in Beirut as part of a regional workshop organized by the Arab Regional Office of Handicap International in cooperation with the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of the Arab Countries.
The issue presented the main interventions in the regional workshop, which came from the Federation of Arab Chambers of Commerce, The East Jerusalem Young Men’s Christian Association (EJ-YMCA), the Arab Regional Office of Handicap International, the Standards and Metrology Foundation – Libnor, and the sponsor of the Beirut Chamber of Commerce. Then a presentation of the workshop sessions: Diversity standards, the reality of people with disabilities, equipment and adaptation, social responsibility and recommendations. The issue was supervised by Sylvana Lakkis, edited by Imadeddin Raef, and designed by Fouad Al-Meqdad.