Call on EU Member States to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

[BRUSSELS, 22 November 2006] - Key decision makers and experts from the development sector, including the United Nations and World Bank met on 20–21 November in Brussels. Meeting for the first time, EU Member State Government officials, the major development agencies and non-government organisations from the North and South agreed a way forward for the EU to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities so that it positively impacts on people with disabilities living in developing countries.

The Conference participants concluded that:

• All future spending and policies by, and of, the EU and the EU member States must fully respect the terms of the Convention - notably that mechanisms and communication tools must be developed to promote the rights provided by the Convention
• Greater funding support is urgently needed to build the capacity of disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) in developing countries with a demand-led approach from the South.
• Broad based cooperation between all actors around the world is needed to promote and monitor the signature, ratification and implementation of the Convention; DPOs play a key and pivotal role in this regard.

In his key note speech Mr Shuaib Chalklen, Chief Executive Officer of the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities said: “There is a need to focus efforts on inclusion across existing priorities of African Governments. Support from EU Governments and NGOs in this effort is crucial at this time with the dawning of a new international Convention on disability rights.”

Mr Koos Richelle, the European Commission Director General of Europe Aid stated: “Europe Aid intend to provide more financing opportunities to disability related projects. The Commission is discussing the possibility of directly supporting civil society actors in the South which could pave the way towards DPOs in the South receiving direct support from the Commission.” In his speech he also agreed to look into proposals to improve human resource capacity on disability within the Commission.

Johannes Trimmel, Chair of the International Disability and Development Consortium said the time was right to ensure that EU funding (in the context of the new EU Financing Instrument on Development Cooperation) was applied with full respect to the principles of inclusive development and disability inclusion, with particular attention to social services support to developing countries.

Kalle Konkkola, Chair of the event, called on all participants and stakeholders to concentrate their energies over the next weeks and months on the campaign for Member State signatures and ratification of the Convention. He said: “We must spread the word about the existence of this new historic Treaty; a legally binding instrument, which will empower people with disabilities in the poorest communities across the world.”

Healthlink Worldwide is one of ten partners in the project ‘Breaking the cycle of poverty and disability in Development Cooperation’, which coordinated the two day event. Healthlink Worldwide is producing a UK disability mapping report as well as facilitating national training in February 2007. Work is also being done on identifying, gathering and signposting good practice on mainstreaming disability into development both at policy and implementation level. This is working with the International Information Support Centre – Source (www.asksource.info).

For more information on HW involvement with the project see: www.healthlink.org.uk/projects/disability/eu.html

For more information of disability resources see: www.asksource.info/res_library/disability.htm

This Conference was organised by CBM (Germany) and LIGHT FOR THE WORLD (Austria), and is part of the IDDC project ‘Breaking the cycle of poverty and disability in Development Cooperation’ - Disability Mainstreaming in Development Cooperation - supported by DG Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission, and implemented in partnership with AIFO (Italy), Handicap International (France, Luxembourg), DCDD (Netherlands), eRko (Slovakia), Healthlink Worldwide(UK), PHOS (Belgium), SHIA (Sweden), DPI (Italia), Groupement Français des Personnes Handicapées (France), National Disability Council of the Netherlands (Netherlands). For more information on the project see www.make-development-inclusive.org.

Further information

• Draft text of the Comprehensive and Integral International Convention
  on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
• CRIN's information page on children and disability
• CRIN's news page on disability