Quote of the Day
“Nothing about us without us.”
— A principle emphasized by the United Nations in connection with the International Day of Sign Languages and the participation of Deaf communities in decisions affecting their lives.
Today is the International Day of Sign Languages.
The 2026 theme is “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights.” This year is particularly significant: it marks 75 years since the founding of the World Federation of the Deaf and 20 years since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The day offers an important lesson about communication.
We often think accessibility means taking information that already exists and making it available afterward.
Add captions.
Provide interpretation.
Translate the document.
Make the building accessible.
Those measures matter. But “Nothing about us without us” asks a deeper question:
Who was present when the decision was made?
For Deaf people, language access is not merely a communications convenience. The UN notes that early access to sign language, education through sign language and recognition of national sign languages are important to the realization of human rights.
The principle travels much further.
A policy concerning women should hear women.
A programme concerning refugees should hear refugees.
A disability policy should include persons with disabilities.
A youth programme should not merely speak about young people; young people should help shape it.
And development intended for communities should not arrive as something already decided for them.
That is where communication meets advocacy.
Being spoken about is not the same as being heard.
And being consulted after the important decisions have already been made is not the same as participating in those decisions.
Source: United Nations — International Day of Sign Languages 2026
Did You Know?
Development is recognized internationally as a human right
Exactly 40 years ago, in 1986, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Right to Development.
Today, September 23, world leaders are holding a special high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York to mark its 40th anniversary.
The idea behind the declaration is more powerful than the word development sometimes suggests.
Development is not simply about building roads, increasing GDP or attracting investment.
The declaration placed the human person at the centre of development and called for people to participate fully and freely in important decisions while benefiting from fair opportunities and a more equitable distribution of resources.
That distinction matters across Africa.
A new highway may be development.
But what happens if communities displaced by it have no meaningful say?
A mining project may generate national revenue.
But what if the people living around the mine bear the environmental and human costs while receiving few of its benefits?
A digital transformation programme may improve public services.
But what if people without internet access, persons with disabilities or rural communities cannot use those services?
Today’s anniversary therefore connects directly with today’s International Day of Sign Languages.
Both are ultimately asking a similar question:
Can something genuinely be called progress if the people most affected cannot participate in shaping it?
That question is especially relevant while major human-rights concerns continue across the continent. Amnesty International recently documented allegations of torture, forced labour and killings linked to M23 control of artisanal mining areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; the organization says some abuses may constitute war crimes.
In Cameroon, the question of participation and protection is equally tangible. A Human Rights Watch report published in June documented structural discrimination, economic abuse and barriers to justice facing women, arguing that Cameroon has failed to meet its own 2026 commitment to halve violence against women.
And today at the UN, development is being discussed alongside another enormous question: climate transition. A separate high-level event is examining how countries can accelerate the move toward renewable energy while ensuring that the transition is just—including affordable financing for developing countries and support for adaptation and resilience.
Canada is also using this week’s General Assembly meetings for diplomacy. Prime Minister Mark Carney is in New York through September 23; on September 22 he met Jordan’s King Abdullah II, with discussions covering the Middle East, civilian protection, humanitarian assistance to Gaza and regional stability.
These may look like separate stories—sign language, women’s rights, mining, climate finance, war and international diplomacy.
But a common question runs through them:
Who participates, who benefits, who bears the cost, and who gets heard?
That may be one of the most useful tests of development we have.
Source: UN General Assembly — 40th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development
For discussion: When governments announce a major development project, should affected communities merely be consulted, or should they have meaningful power to change or reject parts of the project?
Published by Killian Tubuo Nkwain
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