WORLD BLIND UNIONChanging What It Means to be Blind

ANNUAL REPORT2018

www.worldblindunion.org www.wbu.ngo

Message from the President

2018 has been an outstanding year for the World Blind Union. Our presence and influence on the international stage continue to grow.

Through the efforts of the United Nations Ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda, Dr. Aubrey Webson, the UN has officially designated January 4 as World Braille Day. World Braille Day gives us the opportunity to spread our message that blind

children and adults have the right to full literacy, and using braille, they can learn and work as others.

It is important to begin making your plans to attend the 2020 General Assembly. Our very capable member organization in Spain, ONCE, will host the 2020 General Assembly in Madrid. As with the last two General Assemblies, the assembly will be conducted jointly with the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI). The joint assembly will run from 19 through 24 June 2020.

Other achievements during 2018 include transitioning from our first and very capable CEO, Dr. Penny Hartin to our new CEO, Mr. Jose Viera. Jose is off to a strong start and is leading a number of new and promising initiatives.

Last fall, Jose was designated as a permanent representative of the United Nations Stakeholder group of persons with disabilities. In his new role, Jose will be able to contribute to the broader disability agenda while raising the visibility of the World Blind Union and the needs of blind and partially sighted people.

On 3 December 2018, The World Blind Union joined The Global Compact for inclusive Smart cities titled: “accessibility in smart cities and urban settlements.” The initiative will help planners to address accessibility at the earliest design stages.

Another way we work to insure that blind and partially sighted individuals are represented is through our participation in the International Disability

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Alliance (IDA). In April, 2018, I was elected Second Vice Chair of IDA. Participation in the IDA helps insure that our voice is heard and that we speak for ourselves in matters of international programs and policy.

We know that we must work to expand opportunities for blind and partially sighted people everywhere, and that means actively supporting our members. In 2018 we initiated projects in Pakistan and Rwanda to implement and monitor the sustainable development goals; Ms Jessica Jacoby has been designated as the human rights officer for the Caribbean region; and we completed the transfer of the world braille foundation to the World Blind Union and will continue granting scholarships to support blind and partially sighted people in developing countries.

As you read our 2018 annual report, you will gain a fuller understanding of the challenges blind and partially sighted children and adults face and a deeper understanding of our collective efforts. As you read, please look for ways to contribute your efforts to the global movement of blind people toward full and equal participation. Together we can change the future.

Thank you for all you do.

Dr. Fredric K. SchroederPresident, World Blind Union

Our Work

Following the process established after the 6th WBU General Assembly in 2004, a few months after the 2016 General Assembly held in Orlando USA, in November 2016, the newly elected WBU Officers, supported by several resource persons, met to develop the Strategic Plan that would govern the work of the Union for the 2017 to 2020 period. This strategic plan was then operationalized through the development of a detailed work plan which articulated objectives, initiatives and action plans for each of the five priority areas. The achievement of this work plan formed the basis of the agenda for each

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Officers meeting held in 2018 and forms the basis of this Annual Report for 2018.

Group photo: Officers meeting held in Guatemala, November 2018

The following pages provide an overview of the priorities that were identified and our work in advancing those priorities so far in the quadrennial. And while some of the work is still getting underway, there is still nevertheless a good deal to report on progress to date. While this report focuses primarily on initiatives undertaken at the global level it is important to recognize the significant contributions of our Regional Unions in achieving our objectives and advancing our work.

Although 2018 was the first time in the history of WBU to experience transition between retired CEO and the new CEO, the process was smooth and daily operations of the organization continued as planned

We thank our members and partners for their continued support especially during the transition period

At the same time, we continued to increase the presence of WBU in international forums as well as supporting national members in their advocacy work.

Our VisionThe WBU has a pyramid Vision structure which reflects our Vision of what we would hope to achieve within a twenty-year timeframe as well as our Vision for this strategic planning cycle of four years. Our long-term Vision is:

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A world in which we, as blind or partially sighted people, can participate fully in any aspect of life we choose

Our short term, four-year Vision, has four ladders that together move us towards the realization of our long-term vision. These four Vision ladders are:

1. That WBU is recognized as the authentic voice representing blind and partially sighted persons at the international level

2. That our members at all levels have the capacity and capability to deliver their programs

3. That blind and partially sighted persons live in a world that is increasingly accessible to us

4. That the WBU is recognized as an international source of information in matters related to vision impairment

Here then is a summary of what we have achieved so far within our four strategic priority areas of: Representation and Human Rights, Capacity Building, Accessibility and Information Sharing and Collaboration, as well as in our Enabling Priority of having an Effective Organization.

Strategic Priority 1: Representation & Human Rights

Strategic Priority Leader: Fernando Riaño, WBU 1st Vice President“Promoting full participation, equal opportunities, and protecting the human rights of blind and partially sighted persons in all aspects of social, economic, political and cultural life and ensuring that our voice is heard at the global, regional and national levels in all matters affecting our lives.”

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Our first Strategic Priority reflects the important role the WBU plays in representing the needs and views of blind and partially sighted people within the international arena, particularly the UN system, as well as the important role we play in advocating for the human rights of blind and partially sighted persons.

Strategic Objectives:

Representing Blind and Partially Sighted Persons at the United Nations and relevant UN Agencies and Treaty bodies at the global and regional levels

The WBU continues to take an active role in representing blind and partially sighted people to the UN and relevant agencies. Where appropriate, we have joined our voice with the International Disability Alliance (IDA), the International Disability & Development Consortium (IDDC) and other Vision Alliance members on those areas of mutual interest. However, we also make our own statements when we consider it important to highlight unique issues facing blind and partially sighted people.

Some significant undertakings since the beginning of the year include the following:

Participation at the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), including support to members whose countries are making reports and being part of panel presentations.

We made contributions to the CRPD committee on General comments 4.3 and 33.

We also submitted written contributions to several UN treaty bodies such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) where, along with ICEVI (International Council on Education of People with Visual Impairment), we urged state parties to establish appropriate

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mechanisms for children Human Rights Defenders to defend and track progress of the implementation of children’s rights.

We contributed a report to WHO, focusing on the agreed areas of collaboration

United Nations adoption of world braille day marked a significant advancement in the recognition of braille as a fundamental means of communication for our community

Our regional unions have also taken an active role in UN representation with some of the unions being actively involved in regional dialogues around the SDGs, Sendai Framework and other relevant human rights instruments

We have been very active in promoting international days of relevance to us. In particular, we have been developing messages for: World Braille Day, International Women's Day, World Book and Copyright Day, International Guide Dogs Day, World Sight Day, White Cane Safety Day, International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Human Rights Day.

Ensuring that the WBU and its members are actively engaged in the implementation and monitoring of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at both the international and national levels.

The focus of this work is to inform WBU members about the CRPD and how they can utilize it to support their own advocacy efforts. Through the engagement of our WBU Human Rights Policy Advisor, a position supported by CBM, we have been able to undertake a number of initiatives. These include:

We conducted several online webinars for members to deepen their understanding of CRPD; and members were reminded of and encouraged to use the CRPD FAQ sheets and CRPD toolkit developed by WBU.

We identified countries that are scheduled for review by the CRPD Committee; offered assistance to those countries in developing alternative reports and supporting their advocacy

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efforts with other Disabled Persons' Organizations (DPOs) in their countries.

The Human Rights Policy Advisor and other WBU leaders participated in a special training on CRPD implementation and monitoring organized by IDA (The International Disability Alliance) and UN agencies. This will certainly enable our organization to better provide technical advice to our membership ensuring that the CRPD helps improve the life of our community.

This year WBU has continued its engagement in international discussions around data collection for persons with disabilities as well as other key issues such as access to social protection programs, employment and inclusive education. In this line, different WBU representatives along with WBU national members' leaders have taken part in trainings and debates where the voice of blind and partially sighted persons was raised. Some of these events include: WBU participation in the UN world data forum held in Dubai, meetings held with UNICEF officials; etc.

Ensuring that the WBU and its members understand the implications and opportunities provided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and proactively engage in their implementation and monitoring process at all levels

The agreement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) has opened up additional opportunities for inclusive development for people with disabilities. While the CRPD is the overarching framework to address some of the current areas of discrimination that face people with disabilities, the SDG’s represent concrete commitments and actions for governments to take that will, if implemented, help to improve the situation for people with disabilities in certain areas. A key aspect of our work in this area has involved informing members about the SDG’s and the 2030 agenda and how these interact with the CRPD. Some specific initiatives have included:

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We continued providing technical support to WBU members in their advocacy work towards the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs

We conducted online and face-to-face trainings to WBU members on SDGs and related development issues

The CEO represented WBU in several high level meetings where issues around SDGs, data collection and financing for development were discussed

The CEO was appointed as the new Permanent Representative of the UN Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities in December. This group serves as a platform through which persons with disabilities and their representative organizations can address issues related to the sustainable development agenda with the UN SDGs units

The CEO participated in different international events organized by UN agencies and global development agencies such as a workshop organized by SightSavers to design a project on employment for persons with disabilities in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Bangladesh.

The CEO attended the 2018 HLPF forum where he delivered different speeches addressing the needs of blind and partially sighted persons in the context of Agenda 2030.

WBU submitted a contribution to the SDGs report produced by the UN Secretary General. The contribution aimed at promoting the incorporation of issues such as technology, education, employment etc. in the dialogue of sustainable development.

Advocating for and promoting the human rights of blind and partially sighted personsOur initiatives focus on strategies to strengthen WBU’s role in the areas of human rights and advocacy, including the provision of advocacy support in situations of serious human rights abuses or where blind persons are particularly vulnerable. Some of the specific work underway includes:

Working with members whose countries are scheduled for review under the Universal Periodic Review Process by the Human Rights Council. Many members have expressed interest in engaging in this process.

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The CEO held several meetings with different UN agencies such as UNICEF, UNDP etc. to explore opportunities for collaboration and to ensure that the specific needs of our community are heard. Although, there is a constant changing scenario in the field of interaction with UN agencies and major global organizations, WBU will continue to strengthen its relationships mainly with potential donors and partners.

From November 2018 and for 12 months, WBU has secured funding for a full time human rights fellowship staff who will mainly work in the Caribbean region to promote CRPD, SDGS and Marrakesh Treaty.

Engaging with members, other stakeholders and international development organizations to protect the rights of blind and partially sighted persons in situations of disaster, humanitarian emergency or conflict and to ensure that all services and programs are accessible to them.

We played an active role in an IDA project that is coordinated by CBM and Handicap International and is looking at strategies and best practices regarding humanitarian assistance and disaster risk reduction.

WBU continues its presence at international working forums related to employment, inclusive education, disability inclusive development etc. For example, we participated in the global Aid connect on employment; UK project on inclusive education etc.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2: Capacity Building

Priority Leader: Arnt Holte, WBU Immediate Past President

“Strengthening the capabilities and capacity of the WBU regional structures and member

organisations”

Strategic Objectives:

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Improving employment opportunities for blind and partially sighted persons

During 2018, approximately 30,400 people visited the Project Aspiro site to view approximately 53,000+ pages. Project Aspiro is WBU's career planning and employment resource website for blind or partially sighted persons.

Three-quarters of Project Aspiro visitors were from the following countries: United States (22%), France (14%), India (11%), Canada (9%), Philippines (5%), United Kingdom (3%), Nigeria (3%), South Africa (2%), Australia (2%), and Morocco (2%).

Five video success stories and news links were posted on the website.

Traffic to the Project Aspiro site has increased steadily since its inception. In this most recent period (2018), visitors increased by almost five percent over the previous year. We saw an increase of over 220% by comparison to 2013, the first full year we collected these statistics. One of the most encouraging signs of positive exposure is that individuals who are blind or partially sighted are beginning to reach out to tell their stories.

Work to ensure the sustainability of the WBU RegionsThe six WBU Regional Unions have different structures and funding models – three of the regions have functioning secretariat offices while the other three rely on the voluntary support of their elected officers, supportive members within their regions and so forth. And those regions that have full time offices face challenges to maintain and attract new funding to support their regional operations.

In 2018, the working group created to address this issue developed different ideas to identify main challenges and opportunities for all six WBU regional unions. The working group has established certain priorities and will commence its work in 2019.

Among urgent areas to be addressed include: role of regional DPOs; engagement of specific disability organizations with cross disability regional entities; involvement of our WBU regional unions in continental dialogues around SDGs and human rights instruments; challenges for our regional unions to secure funding

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for general operations; how best to serve both WBU global and its national members, etc.

Improving the capacity of our member organizations, including our International members, to engage with each other to facilitate interactions, resource sharing, and working collaboratively

The Development Committee has made it a priority to promote cooperation and partnerships between organizations involved in international development and the WBU. The Committee is also examining strategies to build on the good work from past terms with a focus on strengthening the overall capacity of our members. Some of the initiatives undertaken so far include:

A meeting held during the WBU Executive Committee in Ottawa, Canada on May 29th. The committee discussed ways of collaboration among members and how to serve the needs of regional unions better.

The development committee continues to provide information and different resources to WBU members through the e-bulletin and other specific publications.

A set of project proposals and concept notes have been developed and we will approach potential donors for funding.

With the support of the representative from DAB (Danish Association of the Blind), a report of good practices is being developed and it is expected to become a useful resource tool for our regional unions.

Meanwhile, our work on the research project titled "Disability-Specific vs. Cross-Disability Approach to Rehabilitation Services for the Blind and the Partially Sighted" is progressing well. A descriptive document about the project and a survey questionnaire was distributed to the regions. 59 organizations from 56 countries responded to the survey. Results were as follows:

o Asian Blind Union (ABU) - 8; o African Union of the Blind (AFUB) - 20; o European Blind Union (EBU) - 10; o WBU Asia Pacific (AP) - 9; o North America/Caribbean (NA/C) - 4; o Latin America (ULAC) - 8.

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Supporting our target populations for full inclusionThe WBU has had, as a priority for many years, the support of our diverse population groups to facilitate their inclusion within WBU and that their needs and views would be considered in programs and services. While in prior quadrennial periods, this work was undertaken within a larger diversity committee that sought to encompass all these target groups, we determined that this approach was not particularly effective and did not advance the situation for any of the target groups in a measurable way. Consequently, distinct committees or working groups have been established to consider the unique needs of blind and partially sighted women and girls, of youth, of older persons and of people with low vision. Here is a summary of some of the work these groups have undertaken so far:

Women’s Committee WBU is actively involved in the IDA (International Disability

Alliance) women flagship project which focusses on the challenge of mainstreaming the rights of women and girls with disabilities within the work of the UN. The network is promoting economic inclusion of people with disabilities, particularly women with disabilities by creating awareness and assisting to develop strategies and programmes that expand employment opportunities, develop skills and entrepreneurship, and expand access to social protection for people with disabilities in line with CRPD and SDGs by 2023.

Youth Committee The Youth Engagement and Leadership Committee has been

active. The current membership includes representation from five regions with two regions having two representatives. The following includes work completed by the Committee over the past year:

The Youth committee met with the WBU communications officer in March 2018 and recommended that youth and issues affecting them should be promoted through WBU's communications platforms. The committee is also committed to assist with implementing WBU's social media strategy that engages youth.

A video interview about youth and leadership was produced and shared on WBU YouTube channel.

A young lawyer and disability activist from Chennai, India was featured in October E-bulletin and WBU website in commemoration of international day of persons with disabilities.

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A blind UN youth from Bulgaria was interviewed and featured in October issue of E-bulletin and the website. He spoke about youth and leadership in high level political spheres.

On youth and employment, we featured the success story of a young assistant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cambodia, describing his job and how he reached this goal. This is featured in the E-bulletin and on WBU's Project Aspiro website

WBU continues to promote braille literacy for youth, encouraging young people to apply for braille literacy scholarships particularly in developing countries – the scholarships are advertised via e-bulletin and the website.

We are developing a youth leadership program that includes a strategy to continue the engagement of youth within WBU past the age of 30. This activity will be completed in conjunction with the leadership development and training committee.

The process to establish a youth scholarship fund to bring youth to the WBU General Assembly is underway.

Plans are underway to identify youth representatives from the regions to participate in the upcoming WBU General Assembly. Plans to conduct a youth summit during the general assembly are in progress.

The North America- Caribbean Region established a youth committee and will investigate the possibility of having a youth summit within the region.

Youth representatives have been identified for the Women's Committee, the Employment Committee, and the Leadership Development and Training Committee.

Elderly Persons Committee We continue to advocate for the specific needs of our elderly

people within the context of the UNCRPD. We compile and share information and data around the elderly

demographic with our members, including useful materials around rehabilitation; peer support; public awareness etc.

Low Vision Committee A survey was conducted among organizations of and for the blind

in order to assess these issues. Just under 50 countries responded to the surveys. The surveys are being analysed and a report will be ready in 2019.

A survey was also conducted among individuals with low vision to determine their perspective on inclusion and barriers they face.

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955 individual surveys were received from about 50 countries. These surveys are in the process of being analysed and a report will be available in 2019.

Improving access to rehabilitation services by blind and partially sighted persons

Access to appropriate habilitation and rehabilitation services is very important to blind and partially sighted persons to enhance independence and full participation.

We continue to advocate for access to rehabilitation services for our community.

We share latest updates on rehabilitation services and technologies with our members.

We are collaborating with WHO in ensuring that rehabilitation needs of blind and partially sighted persons are considered in their programmes.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3: Accessibility

Priority Leader: Ajai Kumar Mittal, WBU Secretary General

“Working towards a world that is increasingly accessible to blind and partially sighted persons”

Strategic Objectives:

Improving Access to Information for blind and partially sighted persons

The promotion and implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty has continued to be a major priority for us. Once the Treaty came into force in September 2016, we shifted our focus to appropriate implementation of the Treaty as well as securing as many ratifications as possible.

The European Union and 14 other countries ratified the Marrakesh Treaty in 2018. The countries include: Afghanistan,

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Azerbaijan, Belize, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Japan, Jordan, Lesotho, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uganda and the EU countries. There were a total of 48 ratifications by the end of 2018. Meanwhile the United States House of Representatives passed the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act in September. The more countries ratify the Treaty, the more accessible books become available for distribution.

WBU and NFB, Bookshare and the DAISY Consortium participated in a teleconference with the head of WIPO’s Accessible Book Consortium (ABC) and WIPO’s Copyright Law Division in effort to coordinate implementation of the Treaty worldwide. Other stakeholders will ultimately be included in these efforts such as libraries and rightsholders, the Treaty beneficiaries, key producers of accessible content and key international legal bodies.

It is critically important that WBU continue to lead the way in calling for and arranging a high level of international coordination to ensure that Marrakesh entities avoid duplication of their efforts.

The Marrakesh Ratification Campaign Committee sponsored training in May at the WBU Executive Meeting in Ottawa, Canada and another training in the Caribbean in July of 2018.

Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) continues to conduct capacity building projects all throughout the world, ensuring educational text books are being made accessible and accessible reading devices are being distributed. ABC aims to increase the number of books worldwide in accessible formats - such as braille, audio, e-text, large print – and to make them available to people who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print disabled. WBU continues to work with ABC on this important priority.

We also collaborate in the ABC Excellence Award which is bestowed each year at the London Book Fair. This highlights the importance of creating accessible books at one of the world’s most significant gatherings of publishers, authors, and consumers.

In addition, WBU collaborates with DAISY Consortium to promote its efforts to emphasize the publication of materials which are born accessible. DAISY is not only an effective advocate; it also has the technical expertise to teach entities how to create accessible works.

The Marrakesh Treaty Project was recognised as one of the

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world's leading innovative project on accessibility at Zero Project Conference on "Accessibility" held in Vienna, in February 2018.

Promoting access to low and high technology solutions for blind and partially sighted persons, including household and consumer goods

The Technology Committee is examining strategies to improve access for blind and partially sighted people to the full range of technology devices and services from autonomous vehicles and accessible computer software and mobile phones to accessible household appliances and self-serve kiosks. In a world where technology is changing rapidly and more and more services and devices being powered by these technological advances, it is critically important that we are aware of the developments and advocate for accessibility at every stage of development so that previously accessible tasks don’t become inaccessible for us.

Some of the initiatives undertaken to promote access to technology are:

We continue to engage vehicles manufacturers such as Audi, GM, etc. in the US regarding accessibility of autonomous vehicles. Similar conversations are happening in UK, Sweden, and Germany. We are working with law-makers to ensure that legislations do not exclude blind people from operating Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles. Example; Level 5 of autonomous driving requires no human attention. There is no need for pedals, brakes, or a steering wheel, as the autonomous vehicle system controls all critical tasks.

We continue to engage Microsoft to ensure accessibility of their products. Efforts are in progress, in collaboration with the DAISY Consortium, to have EPUB 3 format readily available through all Microsoft products.

We continue to engage Apple, Google and Amazon about accessibility within all their platforms and offer our resources where needed to ensure accessibility continues to be a priority.

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Promoting full access to the environment for blind and partially sighted persons including safe and independent travel and access to transportation

Our strategies for improving access to the environment include several aspects: continued advocacy related to silent/hybrid cars, improved access to air travel, barrier-free universal design and issues related to shared spaces. Here are some of the specific initiatives underway:

United Nations’ work on quiet electric and hybrid electric vehicles is on hold. After adopting a regulation under the 58 Agreement, the next step was to work toward a Global Technical Regulation. 58 Agreement covers approximately 50 countries, including nearly all of Europe. The advantage of a Global Technical Regulation is that it would allow all countries to adopt a uniform standard requiring quiet vehicles to emit an audible alert sound. Work on the Global Technical Regulation stalled because of the United States, one of the co-chairs of the GTR working group. The U.S. is in the process of evaluating responses to its national regulations, and the U.S. negotiators are unable to affirm policy positions until the U.S. has made final decisions on its national regulations. It is unknown when work on the Global Technical Regulation will resume; however, the longer it takes, the more likely it is that countries will look to the requirements established under the 58 Agreement as the accepted international standard.

Fact sheets from the European Blind Union (EBU) and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in the US, were presented at an international Universal Design Conference on 8 September in New Zealand on relevant progress on behalf of the WBU.

At the WBU Officers’ meeting, held in Guatemala, in November 2018, a recommendation was made to combine the work of the 2 working groups that are handling strategic goals 3.2 on technology and 3.3 on access to the environment and transport.

The working group is in the process of drafting a policy statement on guide dog access.

A presentation on accessibility to heritage and historical sites was made at the Turkey international City of Troy event in August and at the WBU-Asia Pacific Regional Assembly in September.

Based on the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Centre for Human Design in Boston, US, we continue to collaborate in the area of Audio description in museums and

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other historical venues. The WBU and American Council of the Blind (ACB) contacted a global survey on general areas of the use of audio description and those results were disseminated to members and are available on The WBU website.

The WBU shared space policy and progress was presented at the UDHEIT conference on universal Design and higher education in Transformation held in October in Dublin, Ireland.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4: Information Sharing and Collaboration

Priority Leader: Martine Abel-Williamson, WBU Treasurer

“Supporting and enhancing our advocacy, representation and capacity strengthening efforts through raising awareness and support for our campaigns and initiatives, providing

information and resources on matters important to blind and partially sighted persons and collaborating effectively with others.”

Strategic Objectives:

Developing and making available a variety of resources to our members and the public through a variety of communications channels

Several initiatives have been undertaken to strengthen WBU’s communication strategy. These include:

A power point presentation about the WBU Profile was developed. The presentation profiles WBU structure, strategic priorities and membership. It is a resource tool that members can use for information sharing, promotions and fundraising. The profile presentation is available in three formats: PowerPoint, word and PDF.

A concept note encouraging individuals, organizations and businesses to get involved as Friends of the WBU was developed.

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They can sign in through the Friends of WBU section on the website. The objective is to create an opportunity for individuals, groups and small businesses to support the WBU as non-members through donations or volunteer work.

We are in the process of developing a WBU app. The app will be a means to connect members, reinforce WBU's engagement with the members and individuals, and enable instant sharing of information, as well as easy means to donate to the WBU.

The WBU scholarships section on the website was revamped to include testimonials from the scholarships beneficiaries. The scholarships are promoted regularly through the E-bulletin and social media.

We produced statements stating WBU's position on themes of selected International days. These statements were circulated to members, alliances and are available on the website.

Traffic to our website and social media has increased notably this year. The total Number of Daily Unique Visitors increased to 181,387 compared to 52,078 in 2017. The total Number of Page Views increased to 790,695 compared to 159,213 in 2017. The most viewed pages were "our priorities", the CRPD and Marrakesh Treaty.

On Twitter, we had a total of 7,177 followers and 4,354 Page Likes by the end of the year. The most popular tweets were about new technologies and new apps.

We had 1,329 Facebook page followers. Majority are based in the US and India.

We produced several short video interviews with WBU officers and members discussing 10 years' anniversary of CRPD since it came into force and about the UN adoption of World Braille Day. They're available on the WBU YouTube channel.

WBU's President Dr. Fred Schroeder speaking about the UN adoption of the World Braille

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Day as a UN International Day

The Communications Committee is developing a social media tool kit to increase our members' capacity to share information and resources.

Developing and strengthening international partnerships and collaboration

Partnerships with other organizations continue to be very beneficial to WBU in many areas of our work. Some examples of these partnerships include the following:

A meeting for the Vision Alliance was held in Ottawa in May 2018. WBU has continued to be an active member of the Alliance. Jointly with representatives from ICEVI, we discussed ways forward for this unique Alliance and how we can strengthen our linkages with other relevant partners such as WHO, UNICEF etc. A set of new activities was agreed upon with the main focus of revitalizing the Alliance and its actions.

WBU continues to strengthen collaboration with IDA. The WBU president was elected as 2nd vice chair and the CEO continues to serve in the IDA international program committee. WBU has also expanded its partnership with other organizations such as CBM, Sightsavers, SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) etc.

The CEO is now engaged in the social protection working group for the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network.

The WBU CEO also contributed to the new CBM Disability Inclusive Development framework (DID) with inputs from the DPOs. The DID Initiative seeks to engage and assist the international development and humanitarian sector to ensure no-one is left behind.

The WBU CEO also played an active role in the IDA employment project funded by the UK government's Department for International Development (DFID). As a result, WBU was granted $30,000 to support two projects in Pakistan and Rwanda. The projects are aimed at promoting the implementation of the SDGs from a CRPD perspective.

The WBU CEO also participated in different meetings with the Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG), a UN city group established under the United Nations Statistical Commission

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whose mandate is the promotion and co-ordination of international co-operation in the area of health statistics focusing on disability data collection tools suitable for censuses and national surveys.

Promoting and advancing the use of braille through the work of the World Braille Council

The World Braille Council continues to be an important standing committee of the World Blind Union as we develop and implement strategies to raise awareness and promote braille; and to bring it to more blind people around the world, particularly in developing countries:

We continue to promote the use of low cost refreshable braille display specially for those living in developing countries with limited financial resources.

We also advocate for new braille software to be available in many languages as possible, at the lowest cost possible.

The World Braille Council met in Ottawa in conjunction with the WBU Executive Committee meetings. Different resolutions were adopted and are now being implemented by the Council members.

We collaborate with ICEVI in the promotion of braille as a means of communication for blind persons.

We celebrate the UN adoption of the World Braille Day as it will enable us advance our work especially in those countries where braille is not accessible nor a priority in schools and specialized centers.

Enabling Priority: Organizational EffectivenessPriority Leader: Dr. Fredric Schroeder, WBU President

“Ensuring the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the WBU”

Enabling Objectives:

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In cooperation with the Regional Unions, supporting the members of the WBU to optimize their representation of blind and partially sighted persons.

We continued to improve the processing of applications for membership with most being dealt with in a timely manner although there remains some follow-up issues with some regions. We incorporating new technologies which will facilitate this process more efficiently.

We continue to work with members who have not paid their membership fees for several years to arrive at solutions with them and bring them back on board, including offering suggestions such as the sharing of membership with other organizations in their country. This is an ongoing issue for some members.

We are exploring new ways to compile and manage contact information from our members. With the use of new technologies these processes will be more efficient and will help improve communication and interaction with members.

Overseeing WBU financial resources

Oversight of WBU’s financial position is an important governance role of the Officers and the WBU corporation in Canada, and therefore, initiatives are included that relate to the preparation and review of financial documents, review, and development of financial policies and procedures and continuous monitoring of the financial health of WBU. As a membership organization that relies on membership fees as an important source of revenue, the process of monitoring membership fees is also included in this work.

The Finance committee continues to meet prior to all Officers meetings to review and recommend for approval quarterly and annual financial statements as well as the annual operating budget.

The membership committee continues to meet to review applications for fee relief and have recently approved applications for renewal of fee subsidies for this current quadrennial period, with 18 requests approved.

We are exploring different options for processing and payment of membership dues in order to be more efficient.

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Developing and implementing strategies to generate resources to support the work of the WBU

In order to ensure the WBU remains strong and sustainable into the future, it is important for us to generate funds in addition to our membership fees, both inside and outside the organization. In addition to covering the costs of our small office, including accounting, insurance and so forth, the annual operating budget also allocates a significant amount to support members from developing countries to participate in WBU’s work, including putting funds aside to support attendance at the next General Assembly in Madrid Spain. We continue receiving support from generous funders allowing us to

undertake our projects. We are thankful for their contributions.

Undertaking a review of the WBU membership fees structure

The membership dues review process concluded in 2017 and we are now developing different tools and resources especially for less developed countries to fulfill their financial obligations with the WBU and fully participate in the life of the organization.

Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the WBU operations to support its work Effective organizations continuously monitor the effectiveness of their operations, structures and processes. For WBU, this includes management of the staff and office, monitoring the strategic planning and reporting process and ensuring policies and procedures are current and reflect requirements. Planning of the next WBU General Assembly to be held in Madrid for

June 2020, continued through the year. Several planning meetings were held between WBU, ICEVI and ONCE. The preparations are developing as planned.

We continue to monitor the implementation of our strategic plan 2016-2020 with the support of committee chairs and resource persons who voluntarily provide us with their knowledge and time to ensure our goals are achieved.

All the legal aspects of the WBU corporation in Canada are monitored with all required reporting in place and Corporation meetings held as required, normally in conjunction with the Officers meetings.

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We have finally transferred the assets from the World Braille Foundation to WBU and we are already managing the different scholarship programs.

Developing and implementing a leadership program for future WBU leaders

With support of WBU members and partners we continue to develop a leadership programme to enhance the capacity of our national members.

Our Finances Please see our annual audited Financial Statements for 2018 for detailed information. In summary, we finished the year 2018 with an operating surplus of $19,021. Overall, our unrestricted assets are $316,800. This represents the fifth consecutive year when we have operated within a small operating surplus and have been able to add to our unrestricted reserve level.

Our Key Supporters

We have received a total of $256,472 paid by WBU members for membership fees. In addition, we have received a total of $215,800 from our co-sponsors and donors. And while the cash contributions are extremely important to us and help sustain our operations, it is through their in-kind contributions that enable Officers and committee members to attend meetings, implement projects and other initiatives. We are extremely grateful for their support.

The following WBU members contributed to core sponsorship over and above their membership fees.

Platinum Sponsors

Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) http://www.cnib.ca

Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE) http://www.once.es/new/

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Sightsavers International http://www.sightsavers.org Vision Australia http://www.visionaustralia.org/ Vanda http://www.vandapharma.com/index.html

Diamond Sponsors

Lighthouse San Francisco Swiss Federation of the Blind and Sight Impaired (SFB) Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABP)

Gold and Loyalty Sponsors

National Industries for the Blind (NIB) Danish Association of the Blind (DAB) German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (DBSV).

Other Projects Funders

CBM International Open Society Institute Foundation (Soros Foundation) DFID/ IDA

Conclusion

We do hope that this summary provides you with useful and interesting information about WBU’s work and achievements over the past year. We have set ourselves an ambitious plan to move towards our vision of a more inclusive community for full participation and while we fully understand that there is a great deal to be done to achieve this vision, it is critically important that we make measurable progress towards that goal.

We wish to express our appreciation to our WBU Officers, our Committee and Working Group Chairs as well as to all members of those committees and working groups for the important roles they play in helping us advance our work for the benefit of the 253 million blind and partially sighted people worldwide that we represent.

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OUR WBU LEADERS 2017 – 2020 WBU OFFICERSDr. Fredric Schroeder, Presidentpresident@wbu.ngo Mr. Fernando Riaño, 1st Vice Presidentfriano@ilunion.com Dr. Elly Macha (to March 2017)Ms. Donatilla Kanimba (From September 2017) 2nd Vice President

donakanimba@gmail.com Mr. A.K. MittalSecretary Generalmittal24ak@gmail.com Ms. Martine Abel-WilliamsonTreasurermartine.the1@xtra.co.nz Mr. Arnt HolteImmediate Past PresidentArnt.Holte@blindeforbundet.no

REGIONAL PRESIDENTSAFRICA (AFUB)Mr. Yaw Ofori Debrayawdebra2015@gmail.com

ASIA (ABU)Mr. Santosh Kumar Rungtanfbsec.g@gmail.com ASIA PACIFIC (WBU-AP)Ms. Michiko Tabatatabacchi@par.odn.ne.jp

EUROPE (EBU)Mr. Wolfgang Angermann ebupresident@euroblind.org

LATIN AMERICA (ULAC)Mr. Volmir Raimondi presidencia@ulacdigital.org

NORTH AMERICA /CARIBBEAN (WBU-NA/C)Mr. Charles Mossopcharles.mossop@cnib.ca

WBU STAFFDr. Penny Hartin, Chief Executive Officerpenny.hartin@wbu.ngo Mr. José Maria Viera (as of April 2018)Jose.viera@wbu.ngo

Ms. Ianina Rodriguez, Administrative Assistant ianina.rodriguez@wbu .ngo Ms. Caitlin Reid (to July 2017)Ms. Terry Mutuku, Communications Officer (As of August 2017)Terry.mutuku@wbu.ngo

José VieraHuman Rights Policy Advisor (to April 2018) Jose.viera@wbu.ngoMs. Florence NdagireHuman Rights Policy Advisor (as of April 2018)Florence.ndagire@wbu.ngo

Committee & Working Group Chairs

Marrakesh Treaty Ratification CampaignMaryanne Diamond/ Scott LaBarre

Access to the EnvironmentMartine Abel-Williamson

TechnologySachin Pavithran

Human Rights S.K. Rungta

EmploymentAngela Hartley

DevelopmentA.K. Mittal

Women’s NetworkCathy Donaldson/ Donatilla Kanimba (as of February 2018)Youth NetworkDiane Bergeron

Elderly Persons NetworkCharles Mossop

Low Vision NetworkPenny Hartin

World Braille CouncilKevin Carey

Regional SustainabilityVolmir Raimondi

Disaster Risk ReductionMichiko Tabata

ConstitutionWolfgang Angermann

FinanceMartine Abel-Williamson

Membership FeesMartine Abel-Williamson

NominationsMaryanne Diamond

CommunicationsFernando Riaño

Resource GenerationFernando Riaño

CRPD & SDG Committee workFernando Riaño and Lars Bosselmann

CONTACT US

World Blind Union1929 Bayview AvenueToronto Ontario Canada M4G 3E8Tel: 1 416 486 9698Fax: 1 416 486 8107Email: info@wbu .ngo

Web: www.worldblindunion.org www.wbu.ngo

Twitter: @BlindunionFacebook: BlindUnion

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