FYI.
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Frank Hall Bentick" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 9:41 AM
Subject: DPI Disability Convention Daily Update - September 2, 2009
DPI e-update
25 January 2008
-----------------------------
Frank Hall Bentick,
DPI Disability Convention Daily Update - September 2, 2009
Second Conference of States Parties of the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities
http://v1.dpi.org/lang-en/resources/topics_detail?page=974
September 2, 2009 marked the opening day of the Second Conference of States
Parties of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The Conference will meet for two and a half days at UN Headquarters in New
York, and will be attended by many of the countries that have ratified the
CRPD, as well as a number of signatories and of course representatives of
civil society, including DPI which is represented by DPI Chair Wilfredo
Guzman Jara. The first Conference in October, 2008, focused on procedural
matters, in particular the election of the first members of the Committee on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This second meeting will focus
instead on substantive matters. In particular, participating States will
discuss legislative measures to implement the CRPD.
Ambassador Claude Heller of Mexico, President of the Conference, officially
opened the first session. Following adoption of the agenda, greetings to
the conference were provided by: Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary
General on behalf of the UN Secretary General; Thomas Stelzer, Assistant
Secretary General for DESA; Jessica Neuwirth, Director of the New York
office of the OHCHR (who noted that the speed of global adoption of the CRPD
is second only to uptake of the Convention on the Rights of the Child);
Mohammed Al-Tarawneh, Co-Chair of the Committee on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities; and Jan-Peter Strömgren, Chair of the International
Disability Alliance (IDA).
The remainder of the morning session and first half of the afternoon session
featured statements by Ministers, Members of Parliament and other high-level
representatives from the countries of: Jordan, South Africa, Malawi, Kenya,
Hungary, Thailand, Australia, Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina, Mexico, New
Zealand, Belgium, Germany, Brazil, Egypt, Qatar, Austria, Ecuador, South
Korea, India, China, Italy, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sudan, Dominican
Republic, Nicaragua, and Cuba. These countries reflected upon their
experiences to date in implementing the CRPD, and in particular their
attempts to ensure that domestic legislation is consistent with the
provisions of the CRPD. They highlighted examples of national disability
strategies, and legislative & programmatic measures undertaken to promote
the inclusion of people with disabilities in their societies. They also
discussed examples of
measures taken to monitor the effectiveness of such initiatives. An
important theme referenced was the need for governments to fully consult
with people with disabilities early in processes to develop national
strategies, so that such strategies reflect the input of those with lived
experience of disability. A number of the speakers acknowledged that their
countries are not yet in full compliance with the treaty, but expressed
their commitment to continuing to work to realize the vision set forth in
the CRPD.
As signatories to the CRPD, the United States, Swaziland, Colombia, Canada
and the Netherlands also spoke. Many referenced their countries' domestic
initiatives to combat discrimination and support inclusion of people with
disabilities. The U.S. indicated its strong support for the CRPD, and noted
that it is hoped the U.S. Senate will "give swift consideration and
approval" to ratification of the treaty. The Netherlands noted that lack of
ratification at this time should not be interpreted as lack of interest in
the CRPD or its implementation.
During the lunch break there were concurrent side events addressing the
definition of disability, supported decision-making under Article 12, and
the role of national human rights institutions and civil society in
protecting and monitoring the rights of persons with disabilities.
The afternoon interactive roundtable on accessibility and reasonable
accommodation was delayed by the overrun of the morning's high-level
discussion. The roundtable was chaired by H.R.H. Prince Raad bin Zeid
Al-Hussein of Jordan, Vice-Chair Ambassador Gábor Bródi of Hungary, and the
panelists were: members of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, Monsur Ahmed Chowdhury and Ana Peláez Narváez; and civil
society representatives Anne Hawker (RI) and DPI Chair, Wilfredo Guzman
Jara. The panel addressed a variety of mechanisms to achieve accessibility
and reasonable accommodation. Mr. Guzman referenced three in particular:
public investment, a UN CRPD support fund, and technical cooperation. The
panel concluded with responses and contributions from States Parties.
Copyright DPI 2009, all rights reserved.
To see the html version and past e-news archives, please go to
http://v1.dpi.org/lang-en/resources/newsletters
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