Copyright: EDF
On 25-26 May 2013, EDF’s Annual General Assembly took place in Athens, Greece, gathering hundreds of leaders from its member organisations all around Europe. This year’s meeting focused on the situation of persons with disabilities and the crisis, as well as the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) at National and EU level. It was also marked by the renewal of EDF’s governing bodies and the re-election of Yannis Vardakastanis as EDF President.
Shuaib Chalklen, UN Special Rapporteur on Disability, Klaus Lachwitz representing the International Disability Alliance (IDA), Nawaf Kabbara, President of the Arab Organization of Disabled People, Efi Bekou, General Secretary of Welfare – Ministry of Labour, Social Security & Welfare, and Foteini Zafeiropoulou from the Greek National Confederation of Disabled People, opened the meeting, which was mostly focused on:
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD): developments on its implementation at European and national level; this session included the presentation of national cases on the implementation of article 33 on ‘National implementation and monitoring’ and reporting to the UN Committee. The UN Special rapporteur also presented the work he is doing to promote the CRPD and the situation in Africa;
The situation of persons with disabilities in Europe and the crisis, presented by representatives of EDF’s member organisations in countries which are under revision of the Troika lenders: Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Portugal and Ireland. This session included the discussion and adoption of the final report of and the EDF position on the Social Dimension of the European Monetary Union in view of the European summit in June 2013.
> A SOCIAL WAY OUT OF THE CRISIS
Participation of citizens is the essential base of democracy and part of sustainable development in society. During its Annual General Assembly, the disability movement adopted a position on the Social Dimension of the European Monetary Union calling the EU leaders for a strategic plan to restore growth and social inclusion for persons with disabilities to exit the crisis by:
– reviewing and developing new policy instruments paying particular attention to persons with disabilities, providing long term investments in social measures for participation and independent living, such as in housing, health, education, and employment
– carrying out investments on accessibility, including services infrastructures and built environment as an effective instrument for creating new jobs and boost the EU economic growth
– developing within National Reform Programmes concrete policy and legislative proposals to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in employment, education and to their full participation in society as citizens on an equal basis with others.
– involving organisations of persons with disabilities in the process of developing the National Reform Programmes.
– issuing Country Specific Recommendations addressing the improvement of the situation for persons with disabilities.
– allocating sufficient funding to the current social and human rights challenges and ensure that the EU budget will not produce further barriers for persons with disabilities.
Copyright: European Disability Forum
Read more: http://www.edf-feph.org/Page_Generale.asp?DocID=13855&thebloc=32513
