World Community Development Conference 2022

CBM is a partner at this year's World Community Development Conference, taking place virtually from 3-5 October and co-organised by the International Association for Community Development and the Inclusive Practices Network.

Community development practitioners are currently grappling with ongoing and overlapping crises. As the world continues to struggle with the consequences of conflicts, climate change, COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, the most vulnerable and disadvantaged have been the most affected. Community development practitioners constantly need to innovate and, with limited resources, bring people together to face those challenges.

The conference this year focuses on inclusion as an opportunity and a challenge for community development policies and practice, providing an opportunity for practitioners, academics, policy makers and other stakeholders to reflect on how we can work with communities to build resilience in today’s increasingly fractured world.

Community development is most successful when it is intersectional, involving collaboration between organisations with different mandates. At the conference, we will advocate for disability-inclusive community development, and for working with persons with disabilities and their organisations as the most effective way to do that. We will share our knowledge and experience through several events that explore key themes facing community development practitioners today.

Climate emergency as an opportunity to promote disability-inclusive community development.

Date: 3 October 21:00 CET

Speakers: Shaun Grech (University of Cape Town/CBM) and Talal Waheed (CBM) Moderated by Dominique Schlupkothen (CBM)

Economic inclusion after the COVID-19 pandemic: How disability-led inclusive rural livelihoods interventions can benefit people with and without disabilities­­­

Date: Tuesday 4 October – 11:00 CET

Speakers: Jim Cannon (CBM), Odette Nyiransengimana (CBM) and Emile Cadet Vuningabo (NUDOR)

Making access to assistive technology systems at community level happen. 

Date: 4 October, 16:00 CET

Speakers: Dr Shivani Gupta (CBM), Michiel Steenbeek (CBM), Soraya Maart (University of Cape Town), Dr Chapal Khasnabis (World Health Organization, GATE Initiative) and Ketevan Zazanashvili (GNWDSF)