# World Federation of the Deaf

The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) is an international non-governmental organization that acts as a peak body for national associations of Deaf people, with a focus on deaf people who use sign language and their family and friends. WFD aims to promote the human rights of deaf people worldwide, by working closely with the United Nations (with which it has consultative status) and various UN agencies such as the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization. WFD is also a member of the International Disability Alliance (IDA).
As of September 19, 2023, 11 board members are all deaf. The offices are located in Helsinki, Finland.

## History

The WFD was established in September 1951 in Rome, Italy, at the first World Deaf Congress, under the auspices of Ente Nazionale Sordomuti (ENS), the Italian Deaf Association. The first president of WFD was Professor Vittorio Ieralla, who was also, at that time, president of the ENS. The congress was attended by representatives from 25 countries.
Dr. Cesare Magarotto was one of the founders of World Federation of the Deaf and its first general secretary (1951-1987) along with Vittorio Ieralla who was elected as the president from 1951 to 1955.
Ieralla and Magarotto successfully convinced the Italian government to support their efforts to establish a WFD general secretariat in Rome, in 1951. With continued support from the Italian government and later with the ENS, the WFD general secretariat was able to establish informative and advocacy networks, with national federations of the deaf around the world. Decades later, the WFD general secretariat relocated to Finland (1987), with support from the Finnish government and the Finnish national of the deaf led by the former WFD general secretary Dr. Liisa Kauppinen (WFD president emeritius).

## Status

WFD has B-category status with the United Nations and is represented on the following groups':
* Economic and Social Council
* Regional commissions
* Economic Commission for Africa
* Economic Commission for Europe
* Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
* Economic Commission and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
* Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
* Panel of Experts on the UN Standard Rules for the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
* Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
* United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
* International Labour Organization
* World Health Organization
* World Bank
* Council of Europe
WFD provides expert advice on Deaf issues in its relationship with other international organizations and professional groups.
The legal seat of WFD is in Helsinki, Finland.

## Aims and objectives

At present, emphasis is placed on the following areas:
* Improve the status of national sign languages,
* Better education for deaf people,
* Improve access to information and services
* Improve human rights for deaf people in developing countries
* Promote the establishment of deaf organisations where none currently exist

## Constituency

The WFD claims to represent 70 million deaf people worldwide, of which more than 80 percent live in developing countries. This is done mainly through membership of national deaf organisations, where such organisations exist. As of February 2009, 130 national associations are members. Associate members, international members and individual members also make up WFD's membership base.
List of member associations (as of June 2021):
| Associations | Country |
| Afghanistan National Association of the Deaf | Afghanistan |
| Albanian National Association of the Deaf | Albania |
| Fédération Nationale des Sourds d'Algérie | Algeria |
| Confederación Argentina de Sordomudos | Argentina |
| Armenian Deaf Society | Armenia |
| Deaf Australia | Australia |
| Austrian Federation of the Deaf | Austria |
| Public Association "Support for the Deaf" | Azerbaijan |
| Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf | Bangladesh |
| Belarusian Society of the Deaf | Belarus |
| French-speaking Federation of the Deaf Belgians | Belgium |
| Deaf Flanders | Belgium |
| Association Nationale des Sourds du Benin | Benin |
| Federación Boliviana de Sordos | Bolivia |
| Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Botswana Association of the Deaf | Botswana |
| Federação Nacional de Educação e Integração dos Surdos | Brazil |
| Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria | Bulgaria |
| Union Nationale des Associations des Deficients Auditifs du Burkina | Burkina Faso |
| Association Nationale des Sourds du Burundi | Burundi |
| Association Nationale Des Sourds du Cameroon | Cameroon |
| Canadian Association of the Deaf | Canada |
| Chadian National Association of the Hearing Impaired | Chad |
| Asociación de Sordos de Chile | Chile |
| China Association of the Deaf | China |
| Federación Nacional de Sordos de Colombia | Colombia |
| Association Nationale des Sourds du Congo | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Association Nationale des Sourds et Deficients Auditifs du Congo | Republic of Congo |
| Asociación Nacional de Sordos de Costa Rica | Costa Rica |
| Croatian Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing | Croatia |
| Asociación Nacional de Sordos de Cuba | Cuba |
| Cyprus Deaf Federation | Cyprus |
| Union of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Czech Republic | Czech Republic |
| Danske Døves Landsforbund | Denmark |
| Asociación Nacional de Sordos de la Republica Dominicana | Dominican Republic |
| Federación Nacional de Sordos de Ecuador | Ecuador |
| Asociación Salvadoreña de Sordos | El Salvador |
| National Deaf Association of Eritrea | Eritrea |
| Estonian Association of the Deaf (Eesti Kurtide Liit) | Estonia |
| Swaziland National Association of the Deaf | Eswatini |
| Ethiopian National Association of the Deaf | Ethiopia |
| Fiji Association of the Deaf | Fiji |
| Finnish Association of the Deaf | Finland |
| National Federation of France for the Deaf | France |
| Gambia Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing | Gambia |
| Union of the Deaf of Georgia | Georgia |
| German Federation of the Deaf | Germany |
| Ghana National Association of the Deaf | Ghana |
| Hellenic Federation of the Deaf | Greece |
| Asociación de Sordos de Guatemala | Guatemala |
| Association Guinéenne des Sourds | Guinea |
| Asociación Nacional de Sordos de Honduras | Honduras |
| Hong Kong Association of the Deaf | Hong Kong |
| Hungarian Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing | Hungary |
| Felag heyrnarlausra | Iceland |
| All India Federation of the Deaf | India |
| Indonesian Association for the Welfare of the Deaf | Indonesia |
| Iranian National Center of the Deaf | Iran |
| Irish Deaf Society | Ireland |
| Association of the Deaf in Israel | Israel |
| Ente Nazionale Sordi | Italy |
| Association Nationale des Sourds de Côte d'Ivoire | Ivory Coast |
| Japanese Federation of the Deaf | Japan |
| Kazakhstan Society of the Deaf | Kazakhstan |
| Kenya National Association of the Deaf | Kenya |
| Kuwait Club for the Deaf | Kuwait |
| Latvian Association of the Deaf | Latvia |
| Association de L'Oeuvre des Sourds-Muets au Liban | Lebanon |
| National Association of the Deaf Lesotho | Lesotho |
| Liberia National Association of the Deaf, Inc | Liberia |
| Libyan General Federation of Deaf Societies | Libya |
| Lithuanian Deaf Association - Lietuvos kurčiųjų draugija | Lithuania |
| Macau Deaf Association | Macau |
| Federation of the Deaf in Madagascar | Madagascar |
| Malawi National Association of the Deaf | Malawi |
| Malaysia Federation of the Deaf | Malaysia |
| Mali Association of the Deaf (A.MA.Sourds) | Mali |
| Deaf People Association | Malta |
| Federación Mexicana de Sordos | Mexico |
| Association of the Deaf of Republic Moldova | Moldova |
| Mongolian Association of the Deaf | Mongolia |
| Fédération Nationale des Sourds du Maroc | Morocco |
| Association of the Deaf in Mozambique | Mozambique |
| Namibian National Association of the Deaf | Namibia |
| Nepal Deaf Federation | Nepal |
| Dovenschap | Netherlands |
| Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand | New Zealand |
| Asociación Nacional de Sordos de Nicaragua | Nicaragua |
| Association des Sourds du Niger | Niger |
| Nigeria National Association of the Deaf | Nigeria |
| Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Macedonija | North Macedonia |
| Norwegian Association of the Deaf | Norway |
| Pakistan Association of the Deaf | Pakistan |
| Asociación Nacional de Sordos de Panamá | Panama |
| Centro de Sordos del Paraguay | Paraguay |
| Asociacion de Sordos del Perú | Peru |
| Philippine Federation of the Deaf, Inc | Philippines |
| Polski Związek Głuchych Polish Association of the Deaf | Poland |
| Federacão Portuguesa das Associacões de Surdos | Portugal |
| The Qatari Center of Social Cultural for the Deaf | Qatar |
| Asociatia Nationalá a Suzilor din Romania | Romania |
| All-Russian Society of the Deaf | Russia |
| Rwanda National Union of the Deaf | Rwanda |
| Association Nationale des Sourds du Senegal | Senegal |
| Savez Gluvih I Nagluvih Srbije I Crne Gore | Serbia |
| Sierra Leone Association of the Deaf | Sierra Leone |
| Singapore Association for the Deaf | Singapore |
| Asociácia Nepočujúcich Slovenska | Slovakia |
| Zvesa društev gluhih in naglušnih Slovenije | Slovenia |
| Somali National Association of the Deaf | Somalia |
| Deaf Federation of South Africa | South Africa |
| Korean Association of the Deaf | South Korea |
| Confederación Estatal de Personas Sordas | Spain |
| Sri Lanka Central Federation of the Deaf | Sri Lanka |
| Sudanese National Society for the Deaf | Sudan |
| Swedish National Association of the Deaf | Sweden |
| Schweizerischer Gehörlosenbund, Fédération Suisse des Sourds | Switzerland |
| Syrian Federation of Societies for the Welfare of the Deaf | Syria |
| Tajik Society of the Deaf | Tajikistan |
| Tanzania Association of the Deaf | Tanzania |
| National Association of the Deaf in Thailand | Thailand |
| Association des Sourds du Togo | Togo |
| Association Voix du Sourd de Tunisie | Tunisia |
| Turkish National Federation of the Deaf | Turkey |
| Uganda National Association of the Deaf | Uganda |
| Ukrainian Society of the Deaf (USD) | Ukraine |
| British Deaf Association (BDA) | United Kingdom |
| National Association of the Deaf | United States |
| Asociación de Sordos del Uruguay | Uruguay |
| Uzbek Society of the Deaf | Uzbekistan |
| Federación Venezolana de Sordos | Venezuela |
| Zambia National Association of the Deaf | Zambia |
| Zimbabwe National Association of the Deaf | Zimbabwe |

## World Congress

The World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf has been held every four years since 1951. Organised by the WFD and the host country, this event is attended by thousands of deaf people from all over the world. As well as convening the general assembly (the highest decision-making body of the WFD) and forming the guidelines for the next four years of its work, the congress holds a large cultural program including theatre performances, cinema, exhibitions, performing arts, visits to local places of interest.
| Number | Year | Month/Dates | Location | Theme |
| 1 (I) | 1951 | 23 September | Rome, Italy | (no theme) |
| 2 (II) | 1955 | 23–27 August | Zagreb, Yugoslavia | (no theme) |
| 3 (III) | 1959 | 22–26 August | Wiesbaden, Federal Republic of Germany | (no theme) |
| 4 (IV) | 1963 | 17–21 August | Stockholm, Sweden | (no theme) |
| 5 (V) | 1967 | 10–17 August | Warsaw, Poland | The Deaf Among Hearing Persons |
| 6 (VI) | 1971 | 31 July–5 August | Paris, France | The Deaf Person in the World in Evolution |
| 7 (VII) | 1975 | 31 July–8 August | Washington, D.C., United States of America | Full Citizenship for All Deaf People |
| 8 (VIII) | 1979 | 20–27 July | Varna, Bulgaria | The Deaf People in Modern Society |
| 9 (IX) | 1983 | 28 June–6 July | Palermo, Italy | Deafness Today & Tomorrow: Reality & Utopia |
| 10 (X) | 1987 | 20–28 July | Espoo (Helsinki), Finland | One World - One Responsibility |
| 11 (XI) | 1991 | 5–? July | Tokyo, Japan | Equality and Self-Reliance |
| 12 (XII) | 1995 | 6–15 July | Vienna, Austria | Towards Human Rights |
| 13 (XIII) | 1999 | 25–31 July | Brisbane, Australia | Diversity and Unity |
| 14 (XIV) | 2003 | 18–26 July | Montréal, Canada | Opportunities and Challenges in the 21st Century |
| 15 (XV) | 2007 | 16–22 July | Madrid, Spain | Human Rights through Sign Languages |
| 16 (XVI) | 2011 | 18–24 July | Durban, South Africa | Global Deaf Renaissance |
| 17 (XVII) | 2015 | 28 July–1 August | Istanbul, Turkey | Strengthening Human Diversity |
| 18 (XVIII) | 2019 | 23–27 July | Paris, France | Sign Language Rights for All |
| 19 (XIX) | 2023 | 11–15 July | Jeju, South Korea | Securing Human Rights in Times of Crises |
| 20 (XX) | 2027 | TBA | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | TBA |
During the 14th Congress the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) was established.

## Presidents

* 1951–1955: Vittorio Ieralla Italia
* 1955–1983: Dragoljub Vukotić Yugoslavia
* 1983–1995: Yerker Andersson US
* 1995–2003: Liisa Kauppinen Finland
* 2003–2011: Markku Jokinen Finland
* 2011–2019: Colin Allen Australia
* 2019–: Joseph Murray US