About us
Our history
The International Movement of Youth with Disabilities (IMYD) started on June 1, 2024.
We held our first big meeting in Paris, France.
This meeting was called the General Assembly.
Young leaders from more than 20 countries joined us.
Leaders from 4 continents came together.
We started IMYD to shape our future.
We started IMYD to speak up for our rights.
We started IMYD to create a fair and inclusive world.
Our philosophy
We follow the ideas in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The CRPD says groups for people with disabilities must be led by them.
We believe young people with disabilities know what is best for us.
We believe our voices must guide the way.
Our values
We follow important international rules.
These rules include the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
They also include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
These rules say everyone has dignity.
These rules say everyone has equal rights.
We are working with our members to create a charter of values.
The charter will reflect our ideas.
The charter will reflect our goals.
Governance
IMYD is a global movement created by us, youth with disabilities.
IMYD is led by us at every level.
The Board of Directors has 13 to 16 members.
This makes sure youth with disabilities from all regions are included.
The Board is made up of:
- 3 to 6 members elected by the General Assembly.
- These members take on important roles, including:
- President
- General Secretary
- Treasurer
- 10 members elected by the regional groups.
Each United Nations regional group elects a gender-balanced pair of representatives.
The representatives come from different countries in their region.
The regional groups are:
- African Group
- Asia-Pacific Group
- Eastern European Group
- Latin American and Caribbean Group
- Western European and Others Group
The first Board of Directors will be elected in May/June 2025 during the General Assembly.
For now, IMYD is supported by four provisional administrators.
Their role is temporary.
They manage daily tasks for IMYD.
They also help prepare for the election of the Board of Directors.