Table of contents

Welcome message by William Rowland

I take pleasure in welcoming all delegates, exhibitors, and other participants to the WBU Seventh General Assembly in Geneva. The gathering of our worldwide membership every four years is an opportunity to engage directly in the work of the WBU, meet blind and partially sighted people from every part of the globe, and build bridges of friendship. For me, this Assembly celebrates the renewal of the WBU over the past four years, as well as the coming into force of the UN Convention to which we contributed so very significantly. May your week in Geneva be a time of learning and good companionship.

William Rowland

WBU President

Welcome message by Christian Hugentobler

Willkommen in Genf, Bienvenue à Genève, Welcome to Geneva, Bienvenido en Ginebra

The Swiss Federation of the blind and visually impaired and its partners are happy and proud to welcome you to Switzerland. It is a great honour for us that the WBU's most important event is held in Geneva. The inspiring programme of the fourth Women's Forum not only includes meetings and workshops, but also provides room for enjoying the city and the landscape.

The conference theme "World Blind Union: Changing What It Means to Be Blind - Taking Our Place in the World” is both a request and a commitment that we must not cease struggling for the rights of blind and visually impaired people but that we must also continue to strive to improve our situation. The theme underlines the importance of worldwide international collaboration. The solutions to many problems are better, more complete, and more effective when achieved on an international level. The general assembly in Geneva gives us the opportunity to meet and to make contact with the international organizations which are present.

I wish you a great time in Geneva full of fruitful discussions.

Christian Hugentobler

SFB President

Welcome message by Liliane Maury Pasquier

Ladies, dear participants,

Welcome to the 4th Women's Forum of the WBU! On behalf of the Swiss Parliament, and especially of the Committee for Social Security and Health of the Council of States, I am delighted at your presence in Geneva and hope that you will have successful discussions and exchanges.

“Being blind in the world - equality and diversity” is one of the WBU's mottoes. It is diversity that gives humanity its flavour. From various countries, men or women, with or without a handicap, of all ages, of all opinions - our differences are so many spices. As the preamble of the Swiss Constitution affirms: we must “live together in our diversity with respect for the other and in fairness”.

For these spices must not become thorns: blind and visually impaired persons, in particular women - exposed to numerous forms of discrimination, as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Art. 6) reminds us - have a right to a better quality of life. Better still, they have a right to a life of quality. It is written in the Swiss Constitution: “no one must be subjected to any discrimination due especially (…) to their sex (…) or due to a physical handicap” (Art. 8). In Switzerland, this injunction requires us, in particular, to improve the integration of handicapped persons into the working world, which is what a recent revision of the federal law on disability insurance has set out to do.

One only sees well with the heart, said the French author Saint-Exupéry. It is thus with my whole heart that I bid you again “Welcome”!

Liliane Maury Pasquier

Member of the Council of States of Switzerland

Fourth Women's Forum Program

Theme

World Blind Union: Changing What It Means to Be Blind - Taking our Place in the World

Friday, August 15th

11:00 am - 11:30 am Press conference launching Women's Forum and General Assembly (ICCG)

11:30 am - 12:00 am Press aperitif (ICCG)

3:00 pm - 6:30 pm Registration for the Women's Forum and General Assembly at Convention Centre (ICCG)

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Reception with appetizers, first floor ICCG for registered people only

Saturday, August 16th

7:00 am - 8:15 am Registration (ICCG)

8:30 am - 9:30 am Women's Forum Opening Ceremony (plenary room)

Session chair: Birgitta Blokland (Netherlands)

Speakers: William Rowland, WBU President (South Africa)

Maryanne Diamond, WBU 1st Vice President (Australia)

Mrs Liliane Maury Pasquier, Member of the Council of States of Switzerland

Jane O'Connors, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Christina Fasser, representative from Swiss Federation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (SFB)

Announcements, housekeeping matters, etc.

List of participants: Read by Birgitta Blokland (Netherlands)

9:30 am - 10:00 am Tea Break

10:00 am - 12:00 am Women and their Human Rights (plenary room)

Session chair: Roseweter Mudarikwa (Zimbabwe)

10:00 am - 10:30 am Introduction of women's right in the CRPD and CEDAW, their relevance to blind and visually impaired women and how to work with these documents at the national level (plenary room)

Session speaker: Kicki Nordstrom, WBU immediate past president (Sweden)

10:30 am - 11:30 am Breakout discussion groups (plenary room, rooms 3 and 4)

Questions: How can we, locally and nationally, create awareness of women's rights and in particular women with disabilities and claim our rights?

11:30 am - 12:00 am Reports back to the plenary (plenary room)

Session chair: Roseweter Mudarikwa (Zimbabwe)

12:00 am - 1:30 pm Lunch

1:30 pm - 5:00 pm Employment and financial independence (plenary room)

Session chair: Gloria Peniza, WBU 2nd Vice President (Venezuela)

1:30 pm - 2:00 pm Financial independence through self employment access to micro loans and micro finances (plenary room)

Session speaker: Dr. Elly Macha (Kenya)

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Three concurrent workshops (plenary room, rooms 3 and 4)

How to create a business plan for duo-jobs, tele-jobs, part time jobs, home based enterprises and self employment?

Facilitator: Dr. Susan Spungin, WBU Treasurer (USA)

How can women get rehabilitation and vocational training skills for obtaining, gaining, and keeping a good job?

Facilitator: Manjula Rath (India)

How to create a financial plan, how to access resources, how to approach donors and foundations for self employment?

Facilitator: Dr. Penny Hartin, WBU Chief Executive Officer (Canada)

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Tea break

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Repeat concurrent workshops (plenary room, rooms 3 and 4)

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm Reports back to the plenary (plenary room)

Session chair: Gloria Peniza (Venezuela)

Sunday, August 17th

8:30 am - 10:30 am Access to health for women (plenary room)

Note: Session for women only

Session chair: Donatilla Kanimba (Rwanda)

8:30 am - 9:00 am The right to sexual and reproductive health, family planning and information on HIV/AIDS (plenary room)

Session speaker: Hendrietta Bogopane Zulu (South Africa)

9:00 am - 10:00 am Three concurrent workshops (plenary room, rooms 3 and 4)

How to get access to health care service concerning HIV/Aids information, knowledge, and programs and other women's health care programs? What help do we need from society? What kind of additional resources should be provided for us? Do we lack information? Why?

Facilitator: Unn Ljoner Hagen (Norway)

What do we mean with self determination, informed consent on any action concerning women's reproductive rights and health? How can we get information on fertility, right to parenthood, family planning information and contraceptives? What kind of support do we need as mothers?

Facilitator: Dr. Sheila Warembourg (France)

How can the educational system best provide information on sexual and reproductive rights and body functions to our adolescences? How could the information be presented in the best way? How can we get blind girls to become informed young women who can exercise their rights?

Facilitator: Alanna Armitage (Brasil)

10:00 am - 10:30 am Reports back to the plenary (plenary room)

Session chair: Donatilla Kanimba (Rwanda)

10:30 am - 11:00 am Tea Break

11:00 am - 1:00 pm Education for all visually impaired children

(plenary room)

Session chair: Ana Pelaez (Spain)

11:00 am - 11:30 am Right to Education for all blind and visually impaired persons, EFA-VI goals, including access to literacy skills for women and girls (plenary room)

Session speaker: Gertrude Fefoame (Ghana)

11:30 am - 12:30 pm Breakout discussion groups (plenary room, room 3 and 4)

Questions: How can we get acquainted with and make use of ongoing campaigns on literacy and education for all programs such as the EFA-VI Campaign, UN EFA Goals, the World Bank fast track, and UNESCO Flagship on the right to education towards inclusion of all persons with disabilities.

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm Reports back to the plenary (plenary room)

Session chair: Ana Pelaez (Spain)

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Lunch

2:30 pm - 4:30 pm Advocacy and empowerment (plenary room)

Session chair: Rina Prasarani (Indonesia)

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm Advocacy and capacity building of women create leadership and make women's voice heard in our organizations and in society (plenary room)

Session speaker: Lola Marson (Jamaica)

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Breakout discussion groups (plenary room, room 3 and 4)

Questions: How can we build capacity among women, on local, regional, and national level, and how to restart the Women's Committee in our regions or to replace it with something else that works? What should it be if not a committee?

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm Reports back to the plenary (plenary room)

Session chair: Rina Prasarani (Indonesia)

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Womens Forum Closing Session (plenary room)

Session chair: Maryanne Diamond (Australia)

Session speakers:

Women's Forum Resolutions - Birgitta Blokland, chair (Netherlands)

Summary of Forum - Robyn McKenzie (Australia)

`Where to from here?”- Maryanne Diamond (Australia)

Women's Choir or other closing activity - SFB

2:00 pm - 6:30 pm Registration WBU General Assembly (ICCG)

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Reception (standing dinner), first floor ICCG for registered people only

Committees

International organizing committee

Chair and link person: Maryanne Diamond

Members: Enrique Perez

Geoff Gibbs

Penny Hartin

Christian Hugentobler

Program committee

Chair: William Rowland

Members: Colin Low

Elly Macha

Penny Hartin

André Assimacopoulos

Women's Forum planning committee

Kicki Nordstrom

Birgitta Blokland

Elly Macha

Geoff Gibbs

Sponsorships committee

Chair: Philip Bam

Members: Susan Spungin

Penny Hartin

Arnt Holte

Christina Fasser

Local organizing committee

Swiss Federation of the blind and visually impaired (SFB)

Gutenbergstrasse 40b

CH-3011 Bern

In partnership with the Association of the Blind (SBb), the Swiss National Association of and for the Blind (SNAB), Retina Suisse and the Association pour le Bien des Aveugles et malvoyants ABA (Association for the Wellbeing of the Blind and Visually Impaired)

WBU Officers

President

Dr. William ROWLAND

Past Executive Director

South African National Council for the Blind

First Vice-President

Ms. Maryanne Diamond

c/o AFDO

Australia

Second Vice-President

Ms. Gloria PENIZA

President

Venezuela

Secretary general

Mr. Enrique Pérez

Spain

Treasurer

Dr. Susan Jay Spungin

Vice-president of International Programs and Special Projects

USA

Chief executive officer

Dr. Penny Hartin

Canada

Social Program of the Women's Forum (only open to registered people)

August 15th - Get together at ICCG

August 17th - Standing dinner reception at ICCG with Pari Zanganeh

General information

Various

The following information are handed separately, collected in a plastic bag inside the conference bag. Additional information are only available on the congress website.

Lunches and refreshments

Lunches and refreshments (except water) are not included in the registration fee. Participants must buy a lunch ticket to get access to the restaurant.

Coffee breaks and lunches

Coffee breaks will be served in the ICCG, next to the plenary room.

Lunches will be served in the main restaurant at the first floor of the CICG.

Name badge

Your name badge is your admission to the conference sessions and the coffee breaks. It should be worn at all times at the conference venue.

Language

The official languages of WBU 2008 are English, French and Spanish. Simultaneous translation will be available in the Assembly hall and some of the workshop rooms. English is widely spoken in Geneva, but the official language is (Swiss-) French.

Electricity

Geneva's electricity supply is 220V.

Insurance and cancellation policy

The organisers are not able to take any responsibility whatsoever for injury or damage involving people and property during the conference.

Conference contact

Kuoni Congress will take care of the conference registration, payment of fees, accommodation bookings and social events and will be present at the conference centre.

Currency, credit cards and banking information

The official currency is the Swiss Franc (CHF). Normal banking hours are from 09.00 to 16.00 on weekdays, but most exchange offices are open on Saturdays. Automatic tellers, which you can use with your VISA, Mastercard or most other major credit cards, are available all over the city. Most hotels and shops accept all major credit cards, as well as Euros (giving change in CHF).

Shopping

Shops mostly open from 09.00 to 19.00 on week days, 09.00 to 18.00 and few shops open on Sundays. Exceptions are as follow: at the airport, the Migros supermarket opens from 08.00-20.00 and at the railway station, the Aperto supermarket is open from 06.00-22.00.

Time zone

Geneva's time is Central European Summer Time (GMT+2), e.g. 1 hour ahead of UK and Ireland, 6 hours ahead of East coast USA, 9 hours ahead of West coast USA, and 7 hours behind Tokyo, Japan.

Tourist information

Tourist information, concerning the best restaurants, cafes, museums or events in Geneva and its surroundings, etc., can be found at: www.genevetourisme.ch. The tourist information office is:

Geneva Tourism,

Rue du Mont-Blanc 18,

PO Box 1602, CH 1211 Geneva 1,

Switzerland, Tel. +41 22 909 70 00.

Kuoni will be happy to advise you.

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