Organizational Review of International Disability Alliance
As part of Norad’s management of cooperation agreements, Norad periodically performs organizational reviews to assess partners’ capacities. The objective of the organisational review of The International Disability Alliance (IDA) is to undertake a limited review of IDA as grant recipient. In general, the organizational assessments will cover three main areas: 1) Thematic and geographical competences, 2) Financial management and governance, and 3) Selection and follow-up on sub-grantees.
The International Disability Alliance (IDA) was established in 1999 as a network of global and – since 2007 – regional organizations of persons with disabilities (DPO) and their families. It was formed by 14 organizations to lobby for Rights of Persons with Disabilities. IDA was legally established 7 June 2013 as a non-governmental and non-profit making organization registered in the Registry of Swiss Charities with its base in Geneva. A second base was set up in New York City in 2011 and formally registered 16 November 2016. Both locations were chosen due to their proximity to UN offices. The Geneva office works on human rights and NYC with political and social development for Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. IDA is governed by a set of Statues and by Articles of Association under which the organization operates with a General Assembly and a Board with representatives from each of the 14 members. The organization has a formal senior management team with the Chief Executive based in New York, the Operation and Finance Manager in Geneva, and the Program Manager in Lyon.
The mission of IDA is to advance the human rights of persons with disabilities as a united voice of the organizations of persons with disabilities as expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) and other human rights instruments. The Alliance promotes the effective and full implementation of the UN CRPD worldwide, as well as compliance with the UN CRPD within the UN system, through the active and coordinated involvement of representative organizations of persons with disabilities (DPOs) at the national, regional and international levels. IDA is working to ensure that the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals are realized in line with the UN CRPD. IDA supports DPOs in engaging with UN human rights processes in Geneva and New York, including Treaty Bodies, Universal Periodic Reviews and the Human Rights Council. IDA supports DPOs at national and regional levels through trainings and disseminating resources and information.
Main donors are FCDO, MFA Australia, SIDA, World Health Organization, EU, Norad, private foundations and civil society organizations. IDA’s substantial advocacy gains both in the UN system and with development partners have been documented in various evaluations. IDA has during the past years experienced rapid growth as an organization. Since 2014, IDA has secured grants from more than twenty funding partners, resulting in an increase of the annual budget from CHF 1.6 million CHF in 2014 to CHF 8,123,721 in 2021. IDA’s total number of sub-grants in 2021 was 37. The review is jointly commissioned by FCDO, Sida and Norad. It will be based on the 2019 due diligence assessment carried out by FCDO, as well as the January 2022 progress follow-up of the assessment.