The year 2022 was another very eventful one for CBM Global, with much to celebrate. Among other priorities, we successfully completed the final stages in our transition to becoming a fully operational entity as a new Federation, while drawing from a long heritage. We completed the structure of our federal Board by recruiting three distinguished independent members from the disability movement, and we continued to work hard on deepening our partnership with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in all areas of our work. This included setting out a range of partnership commitments ahead of the Global Disability Summit in February 2022 and achieving a 45% increase over the year in the number of OPD partners in a funding relationship with CBM Global.
As part of our power shift journey, we created a Localisation Steering Group, made up of a range of OPD representatives, to advise us on the direction and pace of changes needed for our structures, systems, and ways of working to be truly locally led. We introduced routine partner feedback surveys to ensure that we hear the views of our partners and identify where we can improve. While there are always lessons to learn, the feedback has generally been very positive.
We pursued a range of strategic collaborations with global and regional OPDs and with other international NGOs. We participated in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), highlighting that those who are least responsible for climate change suffer its gravest consequences, stressing the disproportionate effect of the climate crisis on people with disabilities and the need for their inclusion in climate negotiations and climate adaptation work. The year also saw our first Global Gathering in Kenya in June, which was a truly inspiring event and only served to deepen our commitment to the task of ending the cycle of poverty and disability among the people we serve.
Edwin Godfrey David Bainbridge
Chair of the Board Executive Director