5
World
at the UN
(L-R) Jean Judes, Venus Ilagan, Secretary General,
Rehabilitation International, and His Royal Highness
Prince Mired bin Ra’ad of Jordan
American friends: (L-R) Ruvan Cohen, Jean Judes,
Shelley Cohen and Dr. Miriam Brous
At the Civil Society Forum panel on the topic of
Forging Partnerships, Judes spoke on the topic
of how to build alliances with professionals who
work with other vulnerable populations including
women, children, youth, and the elderly. The
Co-chairs of this panel were
His Royal Highness
Prince Mired bin Ra’ad of Jordan
and
Venus
Ilagan, Secretary General, Rehabilitation
International from the Philippines
. After the BIS
presentation, Prince Mired said,
“Thank you,
Jean, for your very passionate and enlightened
presentation. It’s really amazing
what
your
organization is doing and has done for so many
years. I don’t think anyone will disagree with
what you have to say and we are all on board
and we support in what you endeavor. A big
bravo to you!”
During the conference, Beit Issie Shapiro also
participated in a “side-event” sponsored by the
Permanent Missions of Israel and Germany to
the United Nations on the topic of Changing
Attitudes and Fighting Stereotypes for an
Inclusive Society. Around 100 people attended
this event, including representatives from South
Africa, Germany and Saudi Arabia. The topics
presented centered around self-advocacy,
promoting self-esteem of people with disabilities
and focusing on inclusion in the realms of
sports and employment. The panel was chaired
by
Professor Michael Stein from Harvard
University
, who said,
“I am really delighted to
see Beit Issie Shapiro continue to develop its
international profile, including UN work, and
look forward to our working together more in
future.”
In the Q & A, Jean noted the importance of
BIS sharing our knowledge and being a model
of excellence in Israel, but also the need
for global unity to work together. In her
closing remarks, Jean united and inspired
the participants by eloquently concluding
with the African proverb,
“If you want to
go quickly, go alone. If you want to go
far, go together.”
