Invitation to a Speed-date (between) Article 19 & 32

of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

5 December 2016 – 12:00 – 14:30

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Regional Office for Europe

Rue Montoyer 14, 1000 Brussels

Organised as part of the European Disability and Development Week (EDDW)

In the context of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the forthcoming General Comment on Article 19 (Living independently and being included in the community), this event will seek to raise awareness about the importance of the right to live independently for disabled people across the world. It will also explore how development cooperation (Article 32 of the CRPD) can play a crucial role in realising Article 19 and vice versa – how the independent living movement can include development cooperation in its advocacy.

The event is aimed at anyone interested in independent living and development cooperation, and ways to build links between the two – using development cooperation to support independent living across the world, and ensuring that organisations promoting the rights of disabled people and independent living include development cooperation within their work. The working language of the event is English.

Programme

12:00 – 12:30 Welcome refreshments and light lunch

12:30 – 13:00 Welcome - Jamie Bolling, Executive Director, ENIL

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 10 years down the line – Susanne Bosmann, Programme Associate, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Regional Office for Europe

ENIL’s Research on Article 19 of the CRPD – Lili Angelova Mladenova, Project Coordinator, ENIL

13:00 – 14:15 Speed-date between Article 19 & 32 of the CRPD

Moderator: Nadia Hadad, Board member, ENIL

Contestants:

Jamie Bolling, Executive Director, ENIL

Catherine Naughton, Executive Director, European Disability Forum

Inmaculada Placencia Porrero, Senior Expert – Social Affairs, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Komivi Ayassou, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Togolese Federation of Associations of Disabled People (FETAPH)

Lars Bosselmann, Director International Advocacy and Alliances, CBM International and CONCORD Board member (TBC)

Round 1: How would you address the barriers to independent living in different cultures, religious contexts, other financial and political contexts?

Round 2: Development cooperation should empower disabled people inside their own community to live according to their own choices. Discuss.

Round 3: What is needed to realize the commitment to independent living within development cooperation and vice versa?

Speed-dating rules:

Contestants will have 4 minutes in each round to answer a question or discuss a statement, which will be followed by questions from the audience (with 2 minutes for a response). After each round, contestants will receive points. After all the rounds, all the points will be counted and the best ‘date’ will be announced. The winning speech will be summarised.

14:15 – 14:30 Conclusions and closing words – Nadia Hadad, Board member, ENIL

To register, please e-mail Ines Bulic,

Deadline for registration: 30 November 2016

#independentliving #EDDW16

Background information

About the European Network on Independent Living

The European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) is a network of disabled people. It is a forum for all disabled people, Independent Living organisations and their non-disabled allies on the issues of Independent Living. ENIL’s mission is to advocate and lobby for Independent Living values, principles and practices, namely for barrier-free environment, provision of personal assistance support and adequate technical aids, together making full citizenship of disabled people possible.

ENIL’s Research on Article 19 CRPD

ENIL’s research on the implementation of Article 19, which is carried out in cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and which seeks to support the drafting of the General Comment on Article 19, explores the understanding of independent living in the context of different cultures and looks at the existing barriers and good practices. We are looking at the following areas:

·  Independent living and culture: How culture affects the understanding and experience of independent living?

·  Barriers to independent living: What are the key challenges to the realisation of the right to live independently and be included in the community worldwide?

·  Legislation, policies and practices supporting the right to live independently and be included in the community.

The European Union (EU) is the first regional body to ratify the CRPD. It is the biggest aid donor and has a unique role to play in breaking the cycle of poverty and disability. Disabled people have remained on the margins of the EU development policies until very recently; last year, the CRPD Committee made a recommendation to the EU to ensure that disability is seen as a cross-cutting thematic issue in all EU policies. Disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their full and effective participation in society. Discriminatory policies and barriers have created a higher risk of poverty for women, men, girls and boys with disabilities and also cause harm to national economies and society.

Another important process is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs). Heads of State and Governments from all over the world have committed to:

·  building a better future for all people including millions denied the chance to lead decent, dignified and rewarding lives and to achieve their full human potential;

·  succeeding in ending poverty, reducing inequalities, and saving the planet from ecological degradation and climate change. Unlike the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), SDGs explicitly include disability; while MDGs focused on developing countries, SDGs are universal and apply to all the countries.

The 10th anniversary of the CRPD offers a unique opportunity to raise awareness among the European policy and decision makers, and other stakeholders, on the advantages of disability inclusion in development cooperation and to create a forum for interaction with representatives of DPOs from low and middle-income countries.

/ Hosted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - Regional Office for Europe / / Supported by the European Union