Meningitis Now support the launch of WeThe15

Leading international organisations have united to launch WeThe15 today (Thursday 19 August). It aspires to be the biggest ever human rights movement to represent the world’s 1.2billion persons with disabilities.

Launched ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, WeThe15 aims to end discrimination towards persons with disabilities and act as a global movement publicly campaigning for disability visibility, accessibility and inclusion.

Spearheaded by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and International Disability Alliance (IDA), WeThe15 brings together the biggest coalition ever of international organisations from the worlds of sport, human rights, policy, business, arts and entertainment. 

Initiate change

Together they will work with governments, businesses and the public over the next decade to initiate change for the world’s largest marginalised group, who make up 15% of the global population.

Aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, WeThe15 aims to change attitudes and create more opportunities by:

• putting persons with disabilities at the heart of the diversity and inclusion agenda;
• implementing a range of activities targeting governments, businesses and the public to drive social inclusion for persons with disabilities;
• breaking down societal and systemic barriers that are preventing persons with disabilities from fulfilling their potential and being active members of society;
• ensuring greater awareness, visibility and representation of persons with disabilities; and
• promoting the role of assistive technology as a vehicle to driving social inclusion. 

One of the organisations behind the campaign is the Invictus Games Foundation.

Support from Prince Harry

Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, said: “One of the reasons why I was inspired to create the Invictus Games was to help destigmatise physical and invisible injuries and give the men and women who have experienced them a platform to show the world that they and we can accomplish anything, when we put our mind to it. Everybody at the Invictus Games Foundation is honoured to join the WeThe15 campaign and believe in its mission to inspire meaningful change in communities around the world.”

A 90-second-long film that is a proud and vibrant celebration of persons with disabilities has been produced. From today it will air across multiple digital channels, as well as TV channels in 60 countries with the aim of reaching at least half a billion people by the end of September.

It will also be played at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony and to celebrate the launch of the campaign more than 125 iconic landmarks, including the London Eye, will light up purple.

The campaign film is available on YouTube here:

For further information about WeThe15 please visit www.WeThe15.org and follow @WeThe15 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.