Citizens with Disability seeks to improve OPDs capacity of Organisations

An NGO, "Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD)'' on Wednesday in Abuja says there is the need to improve the capacity of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs). Executive Secretary of CCD, Mr David Anyaele, made the declaration at the end of a week-long training for 26 OPDs on shadow reporting, rights-based approach and impact tracking for OPDs. He said the improvement in the capacities of the OPDs would boost their capabilities for effective shadow reporting on UN Conventions on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

Anyaele said that the training provided the OPDs with in-depth knowledge of UN treaty monitoring mechanisms and alternative reporting. The training covered rights-based advocacy using Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) principles. He said that the training would serve as a prelude to the preparation of an alternative report to the CRPD Committee. It followed Nigeria's submission of its initial report in Spring 2021.

Supreme reports that the centre organised the training with support from the Disability Rights Fund (DRF), through its Technical Assistance Funding Programme. Anyaele said that the funding programme provided resources to beneficiaries for specialised advice and customised support. This, he noted, was to resolve specific problems and increase the capacity of OPDs and the larger disability movement in target countries.

The first three days of the workshop were used to train selected leaders of OPDs on alternative reporting so that participants understand the UN treaty system. Which was for the development of monitoring mechanisms and the major steps in writing an alternative report. The last two days of the training focused on rights-based advocacy and outcome tracking and harvesting with concentration on CRPD principles. Which was to ensure that grantees become more strategic in their advocacy and design projects that are result-oriented. Also to ensure that participants are able to produce reports that clearly identify outcomes of executed projects or activities.

In her remarks, Ms Katiya Sakala, Regional Head of Programmes, DRF said Fund was supporting the organisations to prepare them to submit an alternative report to the UN Committee on the Rights of PWDs. According to her, this is imperative as Nigeria has submitted its initial report on the rights of PWDs. Which is a requirement as provided for in Article 33 of the UN Convention on the Rights of PWDs. Sakala said that it is required that a government submits its report, Civil Society Organisations should submit parallel report.

On his part, Mr Theophilus Odaudu, Nigeria Programmes Officer, DRF, said the significance of the training is that when a country ratifies international treaties, it has obligations and also reporting obligation to the treaty bodies. When the report is been summited, it is expected that Civil Society Organisations will also be expected to bring an alternative report to show what is on ground. Odaudu said that this is to agree or disagree on what the government has reported.

The Lead Facilitator at the training, Mr Foluso Adegalu, said that rights-based advocacy was all about NGOs tracking their activities so that they could see the impact of work on ground. It gives the opportunity to re-assess and re-evaluate what is been done and if there is any reason, to modify your strategy. Rights-based advocacy as the words suggest is advocating for the rights of PWDs on the understanding that they are entitled to their rights. Adegalu said it is so not because it is a charitable option that is given to them by the state.

One of the participants, Mrs Patience Ogolo-Dickson, commended CCD and its partner, DRF, for organising the training on shadow reporting, rights-based advocacy and impact tracking. She learnt so much about outcome tracking from this training. As an NGO and OPD, that is one thing that was really missing in most works.

"It is a great opportunity for us and the invaluable gesture will improve our work and further strengthen our organisations,'' she said.