In a special ceremony held at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) campus, university President Dr. Bradley Cook and head of the Iraqi Alliance of Disability Organizations (IADO), Mr. Moaffak Alkhafaji, signed a Memorandum of Understanding that lays the foundation for collaboration between the two parties on “promoting inclusive education, disability rights, academic excellence, community engagement, research, and institutional development in Iraq.”
“AUIB has a responsibility that extends beyond the classroom;” a responsibility towards students and the various segments of the university community, as well as the general public in Iraq, to make all “feel welcome and give them an equal opportunity to learn, grow, and realize their potential,” said President Cook on the occasion, expressing his special appreciation of AUIB students with disabilities who showcase great resolve and optimism each and everyday they show up on campus, as they overcome challenges that their able-bodied colleagues might not even think of.
Mr. Alkhafaji celebrated the United Nations’ adoption of the “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”, ratified by over 160 countries, in the year 2006, speaking of his organization’s campaign that bore fruit in they year 2013 with the ratification of the said treaty by the Parliament of Iraq. Iraq’s formal adoption of the convention resulted, according to Mr. Alkhafaji, in a change of mindset on part of state institutions that came to approach the issue of the disabled from a human rights perspective, beyond caretaking and the provision of material needs, highlighting the various rights that range from participation in sports activities and events to the right to full political participation.
