ITALIAN DEAF ASSOCIATION FILES A COMPLAINT AGAINST WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF

Italian Association of the Deaf, Ente nazionale per la protezione e l’assistenza dei sordi (ENS), has filed a lawsuit against the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD). ENS demands invalidation of the resolutions adopted in WFD’s General Assembly in 2007 in Madrid and claims further that all decisions taken since that date should be declared invalid. ENS is also insisting that WFD’s old statutes, in force until Madrid General Assembly, should be brought into force and an extraordinary General Assembly called. By this lawsuit ENS is opposing those statutes amendments that were approved in the General Assembly which enabled WFD to receive legislative status for the first time in its history.

The Board of the World Federation of the Deaf regrets ENS’s decision to take up legal actions against WFD. WFD does not approve demands presented by the ENS to invalidate the XVII General Assembly and continues to stand behind the resolutions adopted by its Ordinary Members in Madrid through a democratic process that respected and followed the statutes of the World Federation of the Deaf. General Assembly is a decision-making body of the World Federation of the Deaf currently comprising of 130 Ordinary Members.

The case is filed in the Court of Rome and the court hearing will be in September 2009. Board of the World Federation of the Deaf takes this lawsuit very seriously and hopes that agreement for settlement can be found without delay, which would also minimize the financial impact it inevitably has on activities run by WFD.
 
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World Federation of the Deaf
Bank: OP-Pohjola Group
Helsinki, Finland
Account no: 578007-2237861
Swift Address: OKOY FI HH
International Bank Account Number (IBAN): FI 74 5780 0720 2378 61

For any further information, please contact: wfd@kl-deaf.fi