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The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) is an international
non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
that acts as a
peak body A peak organisation or peak body is an Australian term for an advocacy group or trade association, an association of industries or groups with allied interests. They are generally established for the purposes of developing standards and processes, ...
for national associations of Deaf people, with a focus on Deaf people who use sign language and their family and friends. WFD aims to promote the Human Rights of Deaf people worldwide, by working closely with the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
(with which it has consultative status) and various UN agencies such as the
International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
(ILO) and the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
(WHO). WFD is also a member of the
International Disability Alliance The International Disability Alliance (IDA), created in 1999, is an umbrella organization focused on improving awareness and rights for individuals with disabilities around the globe. The IDA works with Non Governmental Organizations (NGO's), supr ...
(IDA). The current 11 board members are all deaf. The offices are located in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
.


History

The WFD was established in September 1951 in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, Italy, at the first World Deaf Congress, under the auspices of ''Ente Nazionale Sordomuti'' (ENS), the Italian Deaf Association. The first president of WFD was Professor Vittorio Ieralla, who was also, at that time, president of the ENS. The congress was attended by representatives from 25 countries. Dr. Cesare Magarotto was one of the founders of World Federation of the Deaf and its first General Secretary (1951-1987) along with Vittorio Ieralla who was elected as the President from 1951 to 1955. Ieralla and Magarotto successfully convinced the Italian government to support their efforts to establish a WFD General Secretariat in Rome, in 1951. With continued support from the Italian government and later with the ENS, the WFD General Secretariat was able to establish informative and advocacy networks, with national federations of the Deaf around the world. Decades later, the WFD General Secretariat relocated to Finland (1987), with support from the Finnish government and the Finnish national of the Deaf led by the former WFD General Secretary Dr. Liisa Kauppinen (WFD President Emeritius).


Status

WFD has B-category status with the United Nations and is represented on the following groups': * Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) *Regional Commissions *
Economic Commission for Africa The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA or ECA; french: link=no, Commission économique pour l'Afrique, CEA) was established in 1958 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to encourage economic cooperation among its ...
(ECA) * Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) *
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, known as ECLAC, UNECLAC or in Spanish and Portuguese CEPAL, is a United Nations regional commission to encourage economic cooperation. ECLAC includes 46 member States (2 ...
(ECLAC) * Economic Commission and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) * Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) *Panel of Experts on the UN Standard Rules for the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities * Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) *
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
(UNESCO) *
International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
(ILO) *
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
(WHO) *
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inter ...
*
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it has 46 member states, with a p ...
WFD provides expert advice on Deaf issues in its relationship with other international organizations and professional groups. The legal seat of WFD is in Helsinki, Finland.


Aims and objectives

At present, emphasis is placed on the following areas: #Improve the status of national sign languages, #Better education for Deaf people, #Improve access to information and services #Improve human rights for Deaf people in developing countries #Promote the establishment of Deaf organisations where none currently exist


Constituency

The WFD claims to represent 70 million deaf people worldwide, of which more than 80 percent live in
developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agree ...
. This is done mainly through membership of national deaf organisations, where such organisations exist. , 130 national associations are members. Associate members, international members and individual members also make up WFD's membership base. List of member associations (as of June 2021):


World Congress

The World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf has been held every four years since 1951. Organised by the WFD and the host country, this event is attended by thousands of Deaf people from all over the world. As well as convening the General Assembly (the highest decision-making body of the WFD) and forming the guidelines for the next four years of its work, the congress holds a large cultural program including theatre performances, cinema, exhibitions, performing arts, visits to local places of interest. During the 14th Congress the
World Association of Sign Language Interpreters The World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) is an international organization aimed at the promotion of the profession of sign language interpretation. WASLI was established 23 July 2003 during the 14th World Congress of the World F ...
(WASLI) was established.History of WASLI
Retrieved 7 January 2019.


Presidents

*1951-1955 : Vittorio Ieralla *1955-1983 : Dragoljub Vukotić *1983-1995 : Yerker Andersson(1929-2016 aged:87) *1995-2003 : Liisa Kauppinen *2003-2011 : Markku Jokinen *2011-2019 : Colin Allen (WFD President) *2019- : Joseph Murray


See also

* International Day of Sign Languages *
International Sign International Sign (IS) is a pidgin sign language which is used in a variety of different contexts, particularly at international meetings such as the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) congress, in some European Union settings, and at some UN ...
* List of sign languages * European Union of the Deaf *
National Association of the Deaf (United States) The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is an organization for the promotion of the rights of deaf people in the United States. NAD was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1880 as a non-profit organization run by Deaf people to advocate for deaf ri ...
* National Association of the Deaf (Italy) * European Union of the Deaf Young *
World Association of Sign Language Interpreters The World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) is an international organization aimed at the promotion of the profession of sign language interpretation. WASLI was established 23 July 2003 during the 14th World Congress of the World F ...
* World Federation of the Deaf Young Section


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:World Federation Of The Deaf Deaf culture Deafness rights organizations Disability rights organizations Organizations established in 1951 1951 establishments in Italy International organisations based in Finland