, signed in 2007, has helped to advance inclusion across the board. But to see someone in a wheelchair in a position of power is still highly unusual. In many parts of the world today, the face of ostracisation is still that of a brown-skinned disabled kid.
Life for a kid in a wheelchair in Namibia, where I spent the first nine years of my life, is often extremely limited — as it is in much of the developing world. According to the UN,of kids with disabilities in the global south do not have the opportunity to go to school at all. My mother, who wiped the tears from my eyes, was determined. She found a school willing to take me. On my first day, I was placed at the very back of the classroom. It was clear little was expected of me. I stunned the teacher by writing my own name — something most of the other kids could not do. A smile spread across her face. She saw that I could learn just like, or maybe sometimes faster, than the others.
If selected, I would be the youngest leader at the main leadership level. The UN often emphasises the importance of engaging young people, given our stake in the future and yet we are an unrepresented demographic at the institution. Selecting a young leader for this position would give fresh impetus and authority to the work of the UN High Commissioner.
Pathetic box ticking
That's quite a CV, so qualified he is. Does he have a bit of monkeypox to go with all of that?
Please do something for the wheelchair users in South Africa.