Announcement From The Secretary-General WBUAP

To all National Delegates, Honorary Life Members and Friends of WBUAP:

 

Dear All,

 

RE: CIRCULAR 10-12-2012

 

It was nice meeting some of you during the WBU-ICEVI GA in Bangkok to reenew friendship and to catch up with the latest news. What a pity we could not spend more time together due to the busy schedule and the many interesting events that took place at the same time. I missed some of them. Also, language was a barrier; perhaps we can all start learning Esperanto!

 

Following are some updates and important announcements which you are kindly requested to note and to take action:

 

1. The Board and Policy Council: Under the WBUAP Constitution, there are two levels of management. The Board consists of the four Principal Office-Bearers and the three representatives to the WBU Executive Committee, while the Policy Council comprises the three Sub-Regional Chairs, Chairs of other committees set up by the Board plus the Board itself. The Board has decided that these two bodies will hold joint meetings during this quadrennium to save money and time.

 

To date, the names of the Board and Policy Council (BPC) are as follows:

 

1.1. President: Ms. Michiko Tabata, Japan.

 

1.2. Vice-President: Mr. Sung-Jun Ha, South Korea.

 

1.3. Hon. Treasurer: Dr. Kevin Francis Murfitt, Australia.

 

1.4. Secretary General: Mr. Ivan Ho Tuck Choy, Malaysia.

 

1.5. rep. to WBU: Sen. Monthian Buntan, Thailand.

 

1.6. Rep. to WBU: Ms. Martine Abel-Williamson, New Zealand.

 

1.7. Rep. to WBU: Mr. Chong Chan Yau, Hong Kong.

 

1.8. Chair of East Asia Sub-Regional Committee (EASRC): Ms. Gerel Dondovdorj, Mongolia.

 

1.9. Chair of the South-East Asia Sub-Regional Committee (SEASRC): Mdm. Jasmine Khoo Khin Sheen, Malaysia.

 

1.10. Chair of the Pacific and Oceania Sub-Regional Committee (POSRC): Dr. Kevin Murfitt.

 

1.11. Chair of the WBUAP Massage Commission: Mr. Zhu Gang, China.

 

2. Invitations to Nominate Chairs for the following committees: If you are interested or know of persons who can serve as Chairs or as members, kindly reply to me by 31 December 2012. If I do not hear from you by then, the BPC will try to scout around to find suitable candidates. The committees are:

 

2.1. Resource Generation Committee: As the name suggests, it should find ways of generating resources, including funds, to help with the work of WBUAP. One way is to plan projects that can attract funding that will benefit our Region.

 

2.2. Employment and Economic Empowerment Committee: As the name implies, this Committee deals with employment issues and how WBUAP can help to empower blind people to be gainfully employed or help them venture into self-employment. Of course, we cannot assist in finding employment, but we can share information on current trends, experiences, best practices, and even how we can embark on job creation. We also have the WBU Employment Website to help us along.

 

2.3. ICT and Assistive Technology Committee: We all know what this Committee is expected to do, but how are we to help in making information available about affordable and useful devices, the knowledge in using them, and where affiliates can get some help in obtaining hardware and software? Perhaps this is one area where China, Hong Kong and Taiwan can help.

 

2.4. The Women’s Committee: This Committee needs no explanation but requires action.

 

2.5. The Editorial Committee: The main task of this Committee is the gathering of news and articles from around the Region for the East Wind (the newsletter of WBUAP), and to submit informative items for the quarterly WBU E-Bulletin.

 

3. Revision of the WBUAP Constitution: To be in line with the amendments adopted by WBU, and to plug loopholes in view of what took place at the QRGA, your Board will be reviewing the Constitution. Kindly send your amendments and suggestions for the process.

 

4. Names and Contacts of National Delegates and Life Members: As we begin a new quadrennium, kindly assist the Secretariat by giving the full list of your delegation so that information can reach them. On several occasions Delegates have written to me to say that they did not receive news from WBUAP for some time. Some of the reasons could be: change of email addresses, administrative staff have left and even presidents have changed. In some organisations it seem the Presidents are the people managing the routine affairs.

 

5. Your Suggestions to Make WBUAP an “alive” Movement: As Secretary General for the past three terms, I noticed that interest in WBUAP always picked up just before the Mid-Term and the Quadrennial Regional Assemblies. Please send in your ideas as to how we can make WBUAP a respetable and useful movement. Keep sending news on your developments and not when assemblies are around the corner. You can also criticise the performance of the BPC, but this should be done constructively for improvement and not confrontational.

 

6. Finally, do visit the WBUAP Website, wbuap.org, to read the Country Reports and other articles that are posted online by Mr. Wong Yoon Loong, the WBUAP Communication Co-ordinator.

 

To those of you who are Christians, the BPC wishes you a joyous and blessed Christmas. And to everyone, we wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

 

Thank you.

 

With best wishes,

 

(Ivan Ho Tuck Choy),

Secretary General,

World Blind Union-Asia Pacific (WBUAP).

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