IPC along with multiple international organisations launch ‘Wethe15’ ahead of Tokyo Paralympic Games

Bonn [Germany], August 19 (ANI): The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) along with multiple leading international organisations have united to launch ‘WeThe15’ on Thursday ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which aspires to be the biggest ever human rights movement to represent the world’s 1.2 billion persons with disabilities.
Launched ahead of the Games, WeThe15 aims to end discrimination towards persons with disabilities and act as a global movement publicly campaigning for disability visibility, accessibility, and inclusion.
Spearheaded by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and International Disability Alliance (IDA), WeThe15 brings together the biggest coalition ever of international organisations from the worlds of sport, human rights, policy, business, arts, and entertainment. Together they will work with governments, businesses, and the public over the next decade to initiate change for the world’s largest marginalised group who make up 15 per cent of the global population.
Harnessing sport’s unique ability to engage massive global audiences and create positive change, the IPC, Special Olympics, Invictus Games Foundation, and the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (Deaflympics) have teamed up for the first time in history. The four organisations will use the profile of their international sports events and athlete communities to further raise awareness and understanding of the issues facing persons with disabilities around the globe.
Joining the sports organisations in this decade of action are International Disability Alliance, UN Human Rights, UNESCO, the UN SDG Action Campaign, the European Commission, The Valuable 500, Global Citizen, Global Disability Innovation Hub, the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), International Disability and Development Consortium, C-Talent, Global Goals Advisory, ATscale — the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, Zero Project, and the Global Alliance of Assistive Technology Organisations (GAATO).
IPC President Andrew Parsons in a release said: “WeThe15 aspires to be the biggest ever human rights movement for persons with disabilities and aims to put disability right at the heart of the inclusion agenda, alongside ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. By uniting several leading international organisations and the world’s 1.2 billion persons with disabilities behind one common movement, we will make a tangible and well overdue difference for the planet’s largest marginalised group.
“Sport, and events such as the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, are hugely powerful vehicles to engage global audiences. By partnering with Special Olympics, Invictus Games, and Deaflympics, there will be at least one major international sport event for persons with disabilities to showcase WeThe15 each year between now and 2030. These sports events add great value to the campaign and underline the hugely positive impact sport can have on society. I strongly believe WeThe15 could be a real game-changer for persons with disabilities.” (ANI)