About National Federation of the Disabled, Nepal

National Federation of the Disabled Nepal is an organization that advocates for the rights, interests and entitlements of persons with disabilities across the country. NFDN was established in 1993 (2050 BS) as an umbrella organization run by persons with disabilities as regional organization with nine member organizations. Now, with more than 300 member organizations in 74 districts, the umbrella organization has been working in coordination and partnership with national and international governmental and non-governmental bodies, UN agencies to establish disability inclusive structure, laws, system, safeguard access to services, enhance capacity and promote meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in all social, political, cultural and economic sectors.

Rally on the occasion of IDPD
Rally on the occasion of IDPD

NFDN complements to the advocacy efforts of its member organizations from local level to federal structure of the state in promoting human rights of persons with disabilities and in inclusive development for the dignified life of persons with disabilities. NFDN contributes in promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and Disability Inclusive Development in Nepal through its strategic actions–Advocacy, Awareness, Capacity Building and Networking & Collaboration and in a joint venture of its member organizations from local to federal level.

As a non-governmental organization, NFDN has been leading disability rights movements in Nepal since 1993. Internationally, NFDN is the member assembly of Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) and represents Nepal in the DPI Asia Pacific region as vice-president, and South Asia as president. At national level, NFDN is the member of the Disability Advisory Desk under Prime Minister’s office, Special Education Council under Department of Education, National Development Council and Law Improvement Commission under the Ministry of Law and Justice.

NFDN has very influential and proactive roles for formulating, changing, implementing disability related legal provisions, and building the leadership and advocacy capacity of Disabled People’s Organization (DPOs) in Nepal. NFDN has its presence in all seven provinces in the leadership of Provincial Executive Committees in the capital cities of the provinces.

Vision of NFDN

National Federation of the Disabled Nepal envisions a society and state where all persons with disabilities are living a quality and productive life without any barrier in an inclusive environment with full and equal realization of all human rights.

Mission of NFDN

  • Effective Leadership of NFDN and its member organization for the human rights
  • Promotion, protection, access to services and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
  • Protection, promotion and effective implementation of Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in Nepal.
  • Meaningful participation of persons with disabilities or their representatives in the process of policies and laws formation, its implementation and monitoring and all other decision making process of the state affecting to their life.

Long term goals of NFDN

Achieving the following condition shall be the goals of NFDN in long term.
A condition, where there is;

  • Institutional sustainability of NFDN and its member organization.
  • Adequate constitutional provisions, policies, laws to address the all human rights and needs of persons with disabilities.
  • Availability and mobilization of adequate countrywide structure, mechanism and resource (human, technology, knowledge, skills, finance and information) for the effective implementation of disability related constitutional provisions, laws and policies
  • Meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in decision making process of policy formation and implementation of state from local to central level.
  • Easy access of persons with disabilities to health, education, employment/livelihood, empowerment, social participation, physical facilities, assistive devices and attendants, rehabilitation services, reasonable accommodation, including all services, facilities and opportunities connected to their special needs as their rights.
  • Sensitive and responsible government and relevant stakeholders towards the rights, issues and needs of persons with disabilities
  • Institutionalization of the Rights based Approach of Disability in community level.

Objectives

General Objective

Contribute to achieve the overall objective of inclusive development of the nation by mainstreaming disability issues in all development process and persons with disabilities in all decision making process.

Specific Objective:

  • To be instrumental to ensure the rights of persons with disability in an equal basis and ensure their access to services, opportunity and facilities without any discrimination.
  • Promote disability issues in rights based approach.
  • Introduce and include disability issues as a key agenda of development process.
  • Increase the level of awareness on disability in society and community, government and non-government actors and to have their active involvement for promoting the rights of persons with disabilities.
  • Increase the size of NFDN’s network all over the nation.
  • Strengthen the capacity of member organization of NFDN in management, advocacy leadership and local resource mobilization.
  • To obtain the NFDN organizational objectives through the maximum power decentralization and regional mobilization.
  • To increase the effectiveness and quality of NFDN programs and daily activities
  • Develop NFDN as a resource centre on disability.
  • Increase the collaboration and cooperation of various national and international stakeholders to work on disability rights promotion.
  • Be instrumental for the effective implementation of existing of disability related legal framework and UNCRPD as well.
  • Bring necessary changes in the policy, laws and rules to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities in line with UNCRPD.