April 2012

The Enable Newsletter is prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) at the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) within the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, as well as from civil society, including organizations of persons with disabilities. It is also available online at: http://www.un.org/disabilities.  

In this issue:

- Status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

- Fifth session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD

- Highlights from the UN system

- Upcoming events

- Other news

STATUS OF THE CONVENTION (CRPD)

112 ratifications of the Convention

153 signatories to the Convention

Optional Protocol to the Convention:

64 ratifications of the Optional Protocol

90 signatories to the Optional Protocol

Mauritania ratified the Convention and its Optional Protocol on 3 April 2012

Bulgaria ratified the Convention on 22 March 2012

FIFTH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF STATES PARTIES

The fifth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be held from 12 to 14 September 2012 at UN Headquarters. The theme of this year’s session is currently under discussion in the Bureau of the Conference. It will be posted on the Enable website next month along with information on NGO accreditation and participation, as well as side-events to the Conference. Prior to the convening of the Conference, a Civil Society CRPD Forum will be organized on 11 September by the International Disability Alliance (IDA) with the support of DESA. The Forum will provide an opportunity for NGOs and DPOs to engage in a discussion and coordinate their involvement in the Conference of States Parties and in the preparatory process for the High-level meeting of the General Assembly on disability and development to be held on 23 September 2013. UNICEF will host a Global Partnership Forum on Children with Disabilities and the Global Partnership for Disability and Development (GPDD) will also convene a Development Partners Forum in conjunction with the Conference. More information: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?navid=46&pid=1595.  

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE UN SYSTEM

Experts meet on accessibility, natural disasters and inclusive-development

Experts from around the world met in Tokyo from 19-21 April at the Nippon Foundation to address critical issues concerning the promotion of accessible information and communication technologies (ICTs) and disability-inclusive natural disaster response and emergency management. The Expert Group Meeting (EGM) entitled "Building an Inclusive Society and Development through Promoting Accessibility in Information and Communication Technologies: Emerging Issues and Trends" was organized by DESA, in close collaboration with the UN Information Centre in Tokyo and the Nippon Foundation. The experts reviewed innovation, current policies and practices concerning ICT accessibility, technical standardization and regulatory guidance, including those related to situations of natural disasters and emergencies. During the EGM, a special session was held entitled: “Towards inclusive and disability responsive disaster and emergency response and management” that highlighted the lessons learned from the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The EGM produced recommendations for accessible and disability-inclusive development policies and guidelines. In conjunction with the EGM, and International Forum entitled: “Accessibility, Disability and Inclusive Society”,  was organized by the Japanese Disability Forum in partnership with DESA and the Nippon Foundation. More information: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1596.

Mainstreaming youth and adolescents with disabilities in development

A side-event was organized by the International Disability Alliance in collaboration with DESA during the 45th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development (23-27 April), which focused on “Adolescents and Youth”. The panel discussion entitled "Mainstreaming youth and adolescents with disabilities in the international development agenda", was held with a view to provide useful input to the Commission's deliberations and its recommendations, on how the inclusion of disability can help accelerate efforts towards achieving the objectives of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD, Cairo, 1994), as well as other internationally agreed development goals of the international development agenda. The event was sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Sweden and Croatia to the United Nations. More information: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1599.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December 2012

The commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2012 provides an opportunity to address the exclusion of persons with disabilities by focusing on promoting accessibility, as well as removing all types of barriers in society. The theme of this year's commemoration is: "Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all". Barriers can take a variety of forms, including those relating to the physical environment or to information and communications technology (ICT), or those resulting from legislation or policy, or from societal attitudes or discrimination. Based on this theme, sub-themes can be selected to cover aspects of society and development, such as: removing barriers to education, employment, transportation, travel and tourism or sports. A sub-theme can be selected so as to address a specific issue of exclusion and accessibility in any community. More information: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1597.

Including disability in the outcome document of Rio+20

The Rio+20 Conference has been organized to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg. The Rio+20 Conference will seek to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess progress to date and identify the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, as well as address new and emerging issues. Currently the draft outcome document being negotiated has direct references to disability and persons with disabilities in three areas: inclusion in major groups, inclusion in green economy policies and access to quality education. SCRPD/DESA, currently discussing a possible a disability-related side-event to the Conference along with the Government of Brazil and other stakeholders, has prepared an information brief that provides more options for the inclusion of disability in the Rio+20 Outcome Document. Download a copy of the brief at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/information_brief_rio+20.doc.

Silent Shout in New York

Signmark (a.k.a. Marko Vuoriheimo), a deaf rap artist from Finland, performed in New York City to raise awareness and advocate for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and DESA in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations organized performances at the Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza and in the Visitors’ Lobby at UN Headquarters on 17 April. Signmark uses his music and positive approach to change attitudes towards persons with disabilities. He has also been designated Special Representative of the Foreign Ministry of Finland in promoting the rights for persons with disabilities. More information: http://signmark.biz and http://www.signmarkusa.com.

Disability at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

The 11th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is currently underway at UN Headquarters from 7 to 18 May. In conjunction with the Session, a panel discussion will be held on 11 May on the theme “Indigenous Persons with Disabilities: Overcoming Challenges to Achieving Rights and Inclusion in Development”. Panelists will explore the complexities of an intersectional identity, as well as approaches to advancing the rights and inclusion in all aspects of development of indigenous persons with disabilities, particularly those in the Global South. This side event will be organized by the Disability Rights Fund in collaboration with DESA, and sponsored by the Government of Australia. More information: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1598.

Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The 7th session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was held in Geneva, from 16-20 April. The Committee considered the initial report of Peru and adopted lists of issues regarding the initial reports of Argentina, China and Hungary. The Committee also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation with United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, non-governmental organizations, including disabled persons’ organizations. The Committee also reviewed the progress of work of the various working groups established to draft the general comments decided on by the Committee, and endorsed the outcome document of the Dublin II meeting on the strengthening of the treaty bodies and the draft guidelines on the independence and impartiality of members of treaty bodies. The Committee adopted, for the first time, Views on a Complaint Submitted under the Optional Protocol to the Convention. Also, for the first time, the session was webcast live at http://www.treatybodywebcast.org with the support of IDA. The Committee also decided to hold a half day of general discussion on the situation of women and girls with disabilities during its 9th session, in April 2013. More information: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/Session7.aspx

HRC Resolution on human rights and disability

On 22 March, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted without a vote resolution 19/11 entitled “Rights of persons with disabilities: participation in political and public life”. The resolution calls upon States parties to adopt and implement appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities can participate effectively and fully in political and public life on an equal basis with others, and urges them to review any existing exclusion or restriction of political rights for persons with disabilities, including those persons with psychosocial, mental or intellectual disabilities. The resolution also decides that the next annual interactive debate on the rights of persons with disabilities, to be held at the 22nd session of the HRC, will focus on the work and employment of persons with disabilities. The HRC has also requested OHCHR to prepare a study on this topic prior to that session of the Council. The draft resolution is available at: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/19/L.39/Rev.1.

UNAIDS: AIDS 2012

The International AIDS Conference 2012 will take place in Washington D.C. from 21-27 July. The theme of the conference is: “Turning the tide together”. The Conference will include a disability village centre and several workshops, satellite events and poster presentations discussing the intersection of HIV and disability. UNAIDS will conduct or participate in a number of HIV/disability-related events and presentations related to the CRPD, National AIDS strategic plans and mental health, as well as the AIDS Free World Youth Leadership Conference. More information: http://www.aids2012.org/Default.aspx?pageId=305. To participate in the Disability Zone: http://www.heard.org.za/downloads/call-for-participation-disability-andhiv-task-team.pdf.

UNICEF: Child disability assessment

UNICEF is conducting consultations aimed at refining the child disability screening tool that has been used in the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) since 2000. UNICEF will also create a package of methodological guidelines, protocols, instructions, tools and analytical framework, as well as a training programme/materials, based on existing best practice approaches for the identification and evaluation of disability in children in developing countries.  It is UNICEF’s vision that the package be used for guidance in collecting data on child disability in developing countries in surveys.

UNICEF: Promoting the rights of indigenous persons with disabilities

On May 7th, 2012 UNICEF along with the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) hosted a panel discussion on “Realizing the Rights of Indigenous Persons with Disabilities”. The panel was jointly facilitated by Rosangela Berman Bieler, UNICEF and Catalina Devandas, DRF. Three speakers spoke on the issues faced by indigenous people with disabilities. Olga Montúfar Contreras of Náhuatl (Mixteco and Nahua) origin, Director of Fundacion Paso a Paso, a DPO, spoke about situation of indigenous children with disabilities in rural Mexico. The other presenters, Kamala Sen Chakma from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh and Setareki Macanawai from Fiji, shared experiences from their respective regions. The critical need to integrate disability and indigenous issues in the post-2015 development framework was also a part of the discussions. For more information, please contact [log in to unmask]. 

UNESCO: Innovative use of ICTs for Accessible Education

United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in collaboration with partners, is organizing an interactive session at the forthcoming WSIS Forum 2012 on15 May (16:15 - 18:00, Room XI (ILO building), Geneva, Switzerland). The event will discuss how innovative technological solutions could provide new educational opportunities for persons with disabilities. The major findings of the research report “New Avenues for Empowerment: ICTs in education for Persons with Disabilities” will be presented during the session. More information: http://www.wsis.org/forum.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN 2012

(We welcome information from the general public on key international disability events for inclusion in the list below.)

7-18 May: 11th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

(See item above)

15 May: UNESCO: “Innovative use of ICTs for Accessible Education”

(See item above)

15 to 18 May: Interdependence 2012 Conference and Exposition

As part of the 25th Anniversary of Rick Hansen’s legendary Man In Motion World Tour, the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) and the Rick Hansen Institute (RHI) are co-hosting a global conference and exposition to inspire collaboration in the pursuit of a more healthy and inclusive world. More information: http://www.rickhansen.com/en-ca/home/interdependence2012.aspx.  

23 to 25 May: ESCIF Congress 2012

The European Spinal Cord Injury Federation (ESCIF) Congress and Assembly of Delegates 2012 will be held in Lucignano, Italy. The theme of the Congress is the impact of the on-going economic crisis on the lives of people with SCI. The aim is to exchange information and to reach agreement on actions that can be taken in ESCIF member countries. More information: http://www.escif.org.   

28 May - 1 June: 11th Global Conference on Ageing

The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) will organize this global conference to discuss the issues that converge with disability, such as employment, social protection floor, access to health care, enabling environment, etc. More information: http://www.ifa2012.com.

6 to 8 June: Beijing Disability Forum

The China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), a Chinese national umbrella organization of and for persons with disabilities with Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), will organize the Forum under the theme: "Removing barriers, promoting social integration". The Forum will work to support the implementation of the CRPD and further promote disability-inclusive development. The Forum will provide an opportunity to discuss strategic approaches, share good practices and options, with a view to advance the international development agenda towards 2015 and beyond. The outcome and recommendation of the Forum are expected to contribute to preparations for the High-level Intergovernmental Conference on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (2003-2012) to be convened in November 2012, as well as the UN High-level Meeting on Disability and Development to be held in September 2013.

20-22 June: Rio+20 Conference

(See item above)   

11 to 13 June: Universal Design Conference 2012 

Universal design in public spaces is the main focus of the Conference to be held in Oslo, Norway. The Conference will cover issues related to universal design in planning, legislation, education, buildings, outdoor areas, information and communications technologies (ICT) and public transport. More information: http://www.ud2012.no. 

22 to 27 July: XIX International AIDS Conference

(See item “UNAIDS – AIDS 2012, above)

29 August - 9 September: London 2012 - Paralympic Games

(See item “London 2012 - Paralympic Games “, below)

10-12 September: 5th International Urban Design Conference
Melbourne, Victoria: http://urbandesignaustralia.com.au

12 to 14 September: 5th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD

(See item above)

17 to 21 September: TRANSED 2012

The 13th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2012) will be held in New Delhi, India. More information: http://www.transed2012.in.

17 to 28 September: 8th session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(Details forthcoming)

25 to 28 October: Inclusion International Global Inclusion Conference

At this Conference to be held in Washington, DC, participants will discuss the implications of Article 19 of the CRPD: Living independently and being included in the community. Inclusion International’s two-year Campaign to promote Article19 will culminate at the Conference with the launch of a global report. More information: http://ww.thearc.org and http://www.inclusion-international.org.

29 October to 2 November: Rehabilitation International World Congress

The Rehabilitation International (RI) World Congress aims at social inclusion and implementation of rights for persons with disabilities. Held every four years, the World Congress seeks to provide a forum for the exchange of experience and information on research and practice regarding various disability issues on international and regional levels. More information at http://www.riincheon2012.org/

8 to 18 November: WBU/ICEVI General Assemblies

World Blind Union (WBU) and International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) will convene joint General Assemblies and associated events in Bangkok, Thailand. Events include: African Union of the Blind General Assembly, WBU Diversity Forum, WBU General Assembly, ICEVI General Assembly and events, and joint programme days between WBU and ICEVI. More information: http://www.wbu-icevi2012.org. 

26 to 28 November: 1st CBR World Congress

The first Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Congress entitled: “CBR: The Key to Realising CRPD” will be held in Agra, India. More information: www.cbrglobal.org or http://www.apcdfoundation.org/ecafe/en/node/12322.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN 2013

23 September 2013: High-level Meeting on Disability

The UN General Assembly adopted resolution 66/124 and decided to convene a one-day high-level meeting of the General Assembly on disability at the level of Heads of State and Government on 23 September 2013, the Monday before the start of the General Debate of the sixty-eighth session. More information: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1590.

16 to 18 October: 2nd International Conference of the World Federation of the Deaf

The Conference hosted by the Deaf Society of NSW, Australia is themed “Equality for Deaf People” will be held in Sydney, Australia. More information: http://www.wfdsydney2013.com.

OTHER NEWS

(DISCLAIMER: The information below is provided by civil society organizations and others for informational purposes only. This does not constitute endorsement of, or an approval by, the United Nations of any of the products, services, or opinions of the organization or individual. The United Nations bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of their statements and opinions.)

Commonwealth’s “Implementing Inclusive Education” publication updated

Article 24 of the CRPD calls for the development of an inclusive education system at all levels, where students with disabilities can be part of their local school alongside their non-disabled peers, receiving the right support and accommodation to develop academically and socially. As countries continue to sign and ratify the CRPD, this revised and expanded second edition of " Implementing Inclusive Education: A Commonwealth Guide to Implementing Article 24 of the UNCRPD" examines the adoption of the CRPD and provides examples of how inclusive education systems have been established in several areas throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. More information: http://publications.thecommonwealth.org/implementing-inclusive-education-932-p.aspx.

New report on barriers to political participation

Human Rights Watch will launch a new report on barriers to political participation for people with disabilities in Peru on 15 May 2012. The report documents the legal, communication and attitudinal barriers facing people with disabilities in Peru in exercising their right to political participation. While the Government has made important strides in advancing disability rights, thousands of Peruvians with disabilities have been denied their right to vote because they are considered legally incompetent to make decisions or because they have no identity documents. This report documents how placing people under guardianship and officially identifying people as “mentally disabled” in public records not only bars them from voting but also results in obstacles in many spheres of life: they cannot travel, be employed, own or inherit property, get married, or legally represent their children.  For more information, contact Shantha Rau Barriga, [log in to unmask].  

IDDC Newsflash

The IDDC Newsflash is a new information tool that the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) has started producing in 2012. It provides updates on activities, including dates of upcoming meetings and events, as well as within the framework of its “Making Development Inclusive” project. More information: http://www.iddcconsortium.net/joomla/index.php/newsflash.

London 2012 - Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games will be held in London from 29 August to 9 September 2012. The Games, one of the world’s largest multi-sport events, showcase the achievements of athletes with an impairment to a global audience and act as a primary vehicle to change societal perceptions and leave lasting legacies. The Games are organized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement that works to enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world. More information: http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/sports/index.html. The IPC has also partnered with Motivation, an international development charity supporting people with mobile disabilities, to design a high-quality low-cost racing wheelchair. Motivation plans to produce four sizes of the chair to help develop affordable wheelchair racing in low-income countries. A prototype of the chair was recently tried out at the sixth International Athletics Meeting in Tunisia from 23-27 March. The organization plans to launch the chair at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. More information: http://www.paralympic.org/news/ipc-supports-design-low-cost-racing-chair.

Universal Design Awards

National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP/India) in association with AccessAbility and BarrierBreak Technologies and supported by MphasiS instituted the NCPEDP-MphasiS Universal Design Awards in 2010. The objective of the Awards is to raise awareness about Universal Design by honouring individuals and organizations that have done exemplary work on accessibility to help achieve a life of equality and dignity for persons with disabilities. More information: http://www.dnis.org or [log in to unmask].

First World CBR Conference

The first World CBR conference will be held in Agra (India) from 26 to 28November 2012. AIFO/Italy in collaboration with WHO/DAR, Global CBR network, IDDC and DPI/AP, is organising two workshops: (1) Workshop on “CBR and Persons with intellectual disabilities”, 24-25 November 2012; (2) Workshop on “CBR and going beyond taboos”, 29-30 November 2012. The second workshop will touch on issues that are often ignored in many CBR programmes such as sexuality and disability and, abuse and violence towards persons with disabilities. More information: http://www.aifo.it/english/resources/announcements/2012/cbr_congress_workshops.htm

The Zero Project – For a World without Barriers

The Zero Project was launched by the Essl Foundation and the World Future Council at the International Conference on Good Policies for Persons with Disabilities on 22-23 January 2012 in Vienna, Austria. With its global outreach, the Zero Project monitors the national implementation of the CRPD around the world. In addition, with a yearly thematic focus, it identifies and highlights exemplary policies and practices, which actively protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities. The Zero Project maintains a social-media platform, and, each year, it publishes the Zero Project Report and presents its findings at the Zero Project Conference. More information: http://www.zeroproject.org.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Division for Social Policy and Development

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)

2 UN Plaza, DC2-1306, New York, NY 10017, USA.

Website: http://www.un.org/disabilities

Email: [log in to unmask]

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