Te Mato Akamoeau/Office of the Ombudsman is implementing two projects focused on engaging the community in decision making, and to ensure the Ombudsman Office is more accessible.

The projects are the United Nations partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) aiming to strengthen the capacity for effective, independent monitoring of human rights in the Cook Islands, particularly in relation to persons with disabilities.

And The Human Rights Community Led Development Project funded by the Asia Pacific Forum focused on placing the community in charge of decision making, the development, and the implementation.

The Ombudsman Office is focused on the disability and youth communities and chose the field of disaster since that was the particular area both groups felt they were either misrepresented or under represented.

One in four people in the Cook Islands lives with a disability, the last census shows.

The Disability Act 2008 gave the Ombudsman the role of investigating complaints where people living with a disability or their agent feel that they have been discriminated- on the basis of their disability.

Ombudsman Compliance Lead, Destiny Tara Tolevu led the special presentation and the release of an easy to read preparedness step for an emergency brochure, and a video plan designed by the disability and youth communities.

A member of the deaf community who is fluent in sign language, Veronica “Vero” George, expressed how happy she was with the presentation and the involvement of the disability community in the production of the new emergency preparedness material.

Speaking on the two projects Tolevu said: “I think it’s a complete flip, in my experience even we ourselves as the facilitators have struggled with this because we are so used to going into these things with prepared messaging, ready objectives, ready outcomes, already knowing what we want to do, and we just want you to come along and hear what we want to say.”

She said it was also a struggle for the communities themselves because they were used to facilitators leading them and initiating the conversation.

“It has been transformative and has helped them to see themselves in charge and being able to make decisions for themselves and the communities.” Tolevu said.