The history of MEGD

The book "Søgan um okkum" (“Our history”) by Erhard Jacobsen (2011) tells the history of MBF (now MEGD).

In the preface, the author writes:

The history of MBF, the national disability association, goes back almost 35 years. It is a history of a struggle to become a recognised political actor in the Faroese democratic political system. It is not easy to describe all aspects of this struggle, but the overriding mission has remained the same since day one: to improve the conditions for disabled people in the Faroe Islands.

It is not a coincidence that MBF was founded on 24 October, the United Nations Day. MBF knew that it was a big step in the right direction when the Faroese Parliament approved the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 13 May 2009.

MBF was founded on 24 October 1981. On 19 May 2015, the association changed its name from “Meginfelag teirra brekaðu í Føroyum” (“The association of disabled people in the Faroe Islands”) to “Meginfelag teirra, ið bera brek í Føroyum” (“The association of people with disabilities in the Faroe Islands”). At an extraordinary general meeting in March 2018, it was agreed to change the name to MEGD.

The mission, however, remains unchanged:

• to promote cooperation between member organisations representing people with disabilities in the Faroe Islands
• to support the interests of people with disabilities
• to support the member organisations in their daily activities
• to participate in international collaborations involving key decisions affecting the daily lives of citizens
• to seek influence and be heard on matters regarding people with disabilities