EDF consults with civil society ahead of their UN shadow report on the rights of people with disabilities

On October 10 our member organisation European Disability Forum (EDF) organised a civil society meeting on the implementation of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (UN CRPD).
 
The UN CRPD is the first human rights treaty ratified by the EU and also by 25 out of 28 member states. EDF is currently preparing its alternative ‘shadow’ report to the convention. The consultation is taking place up until the 1st half of 2014 and in May 2014 EDF is planning to adopt its report at their General Assembly.
 
The aim of EDF’s report will be to not only comment on the EU report, but also to provide the UN CRPD Committee with the point of views of Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) and Civil Society and to supplement the EU report where there is a lack of information.
 
Carlotta Besozzi, Director of EDF informed about how the Convention includes a commitment to establish a framework and independent mechanism. The framework includes EDF, the European ombudsman, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Petition Committee of the European Parliament and the Commission. So far they have had two meetings focusing mainly on establishing and defining internal working methods. The framework will have a website in place but until then EDF will publish information and relevant documents on their own website.
 
Javier Güemes, Deputy Director explained how it’s a challenge of ‘unexplored territories’ not only because it involves all policy fields but it is also a process that have not taken place before on any other grounds of discrimination.
 
An-Sofie Leenknecht, Human Rights Officer presented the outlining and structuring of EDF’s alternative report and informed that EDF welcome the broad experience and expertise in the field of human rights and disability issues at EU level by civil society and invites all to be involved at all different stages of the reporting process. The recommendations of the report have the potential to push forward the broad HR field an other grounds and encourage the ratification by the EU and Member States of other UN Conventions as well. The report will include a section of ‘Key issues and principle concerns’, which will examine several areas of interest for the broader civil society:
 
  1. Purpose, definitions, general principles and general obligations (articles 1-4)
  2. Specific rights (articles 5 and 8-30)
  3. Mainstreaming issues (3.1) Women and children (article 6-7 and other CRPD articles), 3.2) Persons in need of high support and persons that need support in representing themselves or exercising their legal capacity (preamble j and other CRPD articles), 3.3.) Multiple discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, race, ethnic and social origin, religion and other status (preamble p and other CRPD articles)
  4. Statistics and data collection (article 31)
  5. International cooperation (article 32)
  6. CRPD implementation at the level of EU institutions
  7. EU reservation on non-discrimination in employment in the armed forces
  8. Ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN CRPD

Several member of Social Platform contributed with their inputs during the meeting as well, such as:

  • Inclusion Europe raised the issue of equal recognition before the law (article 12) for people with intellectuall disabilities and issues of maisnteraming mecanisms and awareness raising
  • EASPD spoke about the need for supporting services by service providers in the area of employment, education, community living and development of new technology
  • EWL addressed women with disabilities and the need for including their concerns regarding sexual reproductive health and rights and on issues of violence against women also in the European Semester and Country Specific Recommendations
  • AGE Platform talked about the involvement of older people in terms of disabilities when aging age related disabilities and perception of disability as aging
  • Eurochild highlighted issues concerning children with disabilities, especially regarding independent living and institutionalisation. The EU guidlines on the rights of the child are currently up for review which is an opportunity to strengthen the dimension of CRPD.

 

2013-10-14