This week in Addis Ababa at the #FfD3 Conference

The Third International Conference on Financing for Development starts today with an intense program of (behind the scenes) final negotiations (since agreement could not be reached in New York), closed plenary sessions, not too easy to access round tables, and hundreds of interesting side events.

I have been working over the past year on behalf of Light for the World, the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) to ensure that persons with disabilities are included in the outcome document of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. In the latest draft of the document we have seven solid references despite the fact that the text at present is not considered such a breakthrough from “business as usual”. There is still some hope that these final negotiations will change some of the most controversial issues, including the need for a tax body.

This week in Addis Ababa, IDA and IDDC will continue to raise awareness about the importance of the inclusion of persons with disabilities in financing for development.

IDA and IDDC are co-sponsoring a number of side events in which we have joined efforts with other NGOs on important issues such as people’s participation, employment, the private sector and the need for safeguards. Here is the list of IDA IDDC side events:

Tuesday 14 July

Title: How can the private sector have a positive impact on sustainable development? – The Addis Ababa Summit & beyond (co-sponsored only by IDDC- see attached flyer) (3.30pm – 6.00pm Elily Hotel, Mars Room)

Wednesday 15 July

The following two side events will feature respectively IDA IDDC speakers: Light for the World Ambassador Yetnebersh Nigussie and Melaku Tekle, both working at the Ethiopian Center for Disabiity and Development:

Title: Investing in Youth & Ensuring Decent Jobs to Harness the Demographic Dividend on the Occasion of the First-Ever World Youth Skills Day (1:15 pm– 2:45 pm, Elilly Unison Hall)

Title: Unlocking People’s Capacity as a Means of Implementation: The Human Face of Financing for Development (3:30 pm- 5:00 pm,Elilly Board Room)

Also, at 1:15 IDDC and IDA are co-hosting together with Beyond2015 and other NGos  the side event Follow up and Accountability. Strengthening Follow-up and Accountability: what options for FFD’s future? (1:15pm- 2:45 pm– I know, too many events at the same time! Ellily, Classic Room)

Finally, on Wednesday evening IDDC and IDA are co-hosting the Addis Ababa CSO Coordinating group presenting the CSO Declaration. The title of the event is: Advancing the Monterrey Consensus: CSO Recommendations for the Addis Ababa Accord and the Future of Financing for Development (6:15 pm to 7:45 pm, ECA Africa Hall)

All in all, an exciting and busy week ahead!