International Day of Sign Languages

The World Federation of the Deaf guiding mission is to strengthen and grow our global network of representative organisations of deaf people by: Strengthening the capacity of current National Associations of Deaf People Providing effective capacity building programmes for members, with a particular focus on the Global South Work with organisational members to promote intersectional work with diverse deaf communities Increase grant development and scope of implementation among our members Promote the participation of deaf youth in deaf organisations The 60 Country Project: Developing and Sustaining New National Organisations of Deaf People Ensure the participation of women, youth, and underrepresented communities in our work Aim to achieve equality and equal opportunities across all areas of life

  The WFD will continue to put deaf people on human rights and development agendas. The WFD is a credible source for all sign language and deaf rights data. - Develop deaf-led evidence-based advocacy tool. - Promote disaggregated data collection and monitoring on deaf people and sign languages. We continue to monitor and respond to emerging trends affecting deaf people WFD is visible and active in shaping policies and practices in emerging policy areas We will actively promote IWDP and IDSL as globally recognised celebrations.

The WFD continues to be the leading global authority for deaf people and sign languages. - The WFD has a robust presence at the UN and other important international forums Proactively promote the WFDs interpretation and analysis of human rights treaties as they pertain to deaf people Participate, with national and international partners, in UN Human Rights  Monitoring processes and post-review monitoring and implementation - Increase the number of deaf people on UN Treaty Bodies - Collaborating on tools and resources for national advocacy Ensuring the centering of deaf people in policies and practice Promoting best practices in economic, social and cultural and health policies for deaf people Ensuring deaf people are not left behind in humanitarian actions Addressing the impact of climate change and natural disasters on deaf communities

Sign languages are fundamental to the achievement of deaf people's human rights Promoting the legal recognition of national sign languages through training and advocacy at the national and international levels Advising policy and legislative makers on sign language Increasing the number of countries with sign language recognition Achieving National Sign Languages for All: By 2033, 25% of national populations can sign in their national sign languages Full recognition of deaf people/sign languages as a part of human diversity Implementing and achieving CRPD Articles 21 and 30 around the world Advocating for early childhood language acquisition and inclusive multilingual education policies WFD Views on Inclusive Education are Understood and Implemented by Governments Empowering Ordinary Members to actively participate in monitoring efforts.

  To carry out the Mission, we need a strong and sustainable organisation Build a Diverse Global Secretariat Strong, growing, and sustainable organisational structure and financial management Strengthen and utilise WFD sections and Regional Secretariats to promote our work Increase and strengthen partnerships and alliances at all levels Increase visibility of the WFD work in all levels and areas of work

The choice of September 23rd commemorates the date that the World Federation of the Deaf was established in 1951. This day marks the birth of an advocacy organisation, which has as one of its main goals, the preservation of sign languages and deaf culture as pre-requisites to the realisation of the human rights of deaf people. Sign languages are fully fledged natural languages, structurally distinct from the spoken languages. There is also an international sign language, which is used by deaf people in international meetings and informally when travelling and socializing. It is considered a pidgin form of sign language that is not as complex as natural sign languages and has a limited lexicon. The International Day of Sign Languages is an unique opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language users.