News
January 2009
Our ‘operational relations’ status with UNESCO
Dyslexia International has been in ‘operational relations’ with UNESCO since 2006.
Over 300 similar organizations are listed here.
This status was established by UNESCO wanting to have ‘a more active presence’ and ‘to achieve a flexible and dynamic partnership for the implementation of UNESCO’s programmes’.
According to UNESCO, non-governmental organisations admitted to this status are ‘valued partners’.
‘Membres de soutien’, or Friends of Dyslexia International across the world, who share our aims to bring together local parent groups, academic researchers and teacher-training decision makers to effect change in the way dyslexia is addressed, automatically share this status with us.
In practice this means that the service we offer is to represent the interests of people with dyslexia harmoniously and effectively at UNESCO on global platform. As with all large international organizations, the weight is on rhetoric and theory, whilst NGOs deal with face-to-face pressing, practical issues of making sure people with dyslexia are given equal opportunities in education.
Whilst the Dyslexia International office in Brussels encourages the many important initiatives in favour of people with dyslexia at local and national level, being at UNESCO involves contacts and invitations to attend UNESCO meetings in different parts of the world.
We count on our regional ambassadors, currently drawn from India, Africa, South America, Europe and the Middle East, our colleagues and associates to represent and wherever possible report back to the Brussels office so as to add momentum to our joint efforts.
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| Joy Tong | Petal Jaffrey |
Most recently, in Geneva, in a UNESCO International Conference on Education, 25–28 November, where Inclusion was the subject for 1500 delegates from around the world, Joy Tong of ‘All Special Kids’, based in Switzerland, and colleagues Gihan Brandt, Odile Frank and Petal Jaffrey represented us. The team networked and handed out publicity about the Forum.
The recommendations of the Conference can be found here.
The retention of ‘qualified teachers who are sensitive to different learning requirements’ was accorded a high priority. Changing the school to fit children’s diverse needs rather than considering that the child has to adapt to the school was also widely discussed.