Report of the European Conference on Disability and Development Cooperation The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Impact and Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Developing Countries 20-21 November 2006, Brussels www.make-development-inclusive.org CONTENTS PAGE CONTENTS PAGE CONTENTS PAGE 2 I - INTRODUCTION 5 II – GLOSSARY 7 III - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8 IV - THE MAIN REPORT…………………………………………………………………………...…11 Day One: “Opportunities, implementation and lessons learned from other UN Conventions”, 20 November 2006 .11 Opening session 11 Welcome by Gerhard Stahl, Secretary General of the Committee of the Regions (of the EU), host of the conference 11 Opening from the European Commission by Wallis Goelen, Head of Disability Unit, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the European Commission 11 Introduction to the Conference by the Chair Kalle Könkkölä, IDDC and the Finnish Disabled People’s International Development Association 12 The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: background and its significance by Simon Walker, Adviser, Human Rights and Disability Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 12 Panel discussion 14 The view from the Government of Finland and from the perspective of Government from the EU by Leena Leikas, Ministry Foreign Affairs of Finland, Division of Human Rights Courts and Conventions 14 The view from organisations of persons with disabilities in developing countries by Gidion Kaino Mandesi, The Disabled Organisation of Legal Affairs and Social Economic Development - Tanzania 15 The legal significance of Article 32, the view from disability NGOs by Marianne Schulze, IDDC representative during the negotiating process in New York 15 The view from the Government of Uganda and from an African Government perspective by Ambassador S.T.K. Katenta Apuli, Ugandan Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Uganda and Permanent Mission to the European Union, Brussels 16 Open questions and remarks from the floor 17 Workshops……………………………………………………………………………………............18 Plenary – main recommendations from the workshops 18 Closing session - reflections on Day One………………………………………………….…....21 Reply from European Disability Forum by Carlotta Besozzi, Director of the European Disability Forum; key actor in UN Convention AHC and representative of the International Disability Caucus 21 Reply from the UN Convention Secretariat by Vittoria Beria, Secretariat for the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Division for Social Policy and Development, DESA UN Secretariat 22 Open questions and remarks from the floor facilitated by Chair, Kalle Könkkölä 22 Concluding remarks from the Chair, Kalle Könkkölä 23 Day Two: “Where do we go from here… Inclusion in practice”, 21 November 2006 24 Opening session 24 Lessons learned from Day One - Introduction to Inclusive Development by Joanna Maycock, Concord Board Member – Platform of European development NGOs, EU Representative for ActionAid 24 Presentation from developing countries perspective – Practical level experiences on inclusive development by George Abraham, The Score Foundation, India 25 Best practice examples on inclusive development 25 The perspective and experiences from a multi-lateral donor on the promotion of inclusive development by Sandor Sipos, World Bank Sector Manager responsible for Disability and Development 25 Experiences from DFID on addressing social exclusion and non-discrimination in development cooperation policy, perspective from a Government of the North by Zoe Stephenson, Social Development Adviser, Equity and Rights Team, DFID 27 Community Approaches to Disability in Development - experiences of including disability in community development in South and South East Asia by Ingar Düring, Project Coordinator Community Approaches to Handicap in Development (CAHD), CBM-Handicap International 27 Experience of including disability in African Government planning by Shuaib Chalklen, Chief Executive, African Decade of Persons with Disabilities 28 Experience of including disability in Government policies of Papua New Guinea (inclusive education) by Brother Graeme Leach, Director of Callan Services in Papua New Guinea… 29 Inclusive development: experience of including disability in general water and sanitation programmes by Hazel Jones, Loughborough University, Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WADOC) 30 Open questions and remarks from the floor facilitated by Chair, Kalle Könkkölä 31 Workshops 32 Plenary – main recommendations from the workshops 32 Closing session - responding to recommendations and on the way forward 34 Response from the European Commission by Mr. Koos Richelle, Director General of EuropeAid 34 Response from the European Parliament by Richard Howitt, MEP, Chair EP Disability Intergroup and Vice Chair Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament, EP Committee Foreign Affairs 34 Open questions and remarks from the floor 35 Concluding remarks from the Chair, Kalle Könkkölä 35 ANNEX I – CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS (GENERAL) 36 ANNEX II – CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS TOWARDS THE EU 41 ANNEX III - LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 43 I - INTRODUCTION There are more than 600 million persons with disabilities worldwide and 70-80% of them live in developing countries. They are trapped in a vicious circle of poverty and disability, and denied their human rights. Despite this persons with disabilities are largely excluded from most development activities of the International Community. The Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved without inclusion of persons with disabilities in development cooperation. 82% of disabled people live below the poverty line in developing countries (UN). 98% of children with disabilities in developing countries do NOT attend schools (UNESCO). Mortality for disabled children is as high as 80% even in countries where under-five mortality is below 20% (DFID 2000). The new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 December 2006, will change the political landscape and focus attention on inclusive development. This UN Convention provides a unique instrument to uphold the rights of persons with disabilities. Article 32, the International Cooperation Article gives, for the first time, legal recognition to the principle and practice of inclusive development - development cooperation inclusive of persons with disabilities. On the eve of the adoption of this historic Convention by the UN General Assembly, a diverse range of key decision makers and stakeholders came together on 20-21 November 2006 for this European Conference on ‘Disability & Development Cooperation’. They met to explore the next steps to advance the rights and needs of persons with disabilities and to move ahead with putting into practice the spirit and terms of this new Convention - the first Human Rights Convention of the 21st Century. This Conference formed part of a wider project, ‘Disability mainstreaming in Development Cooperation’ (also known as ‘Breaking the Cycle of Poverty and Disability in Development Cooperation’, which has brought together 12 major organizations of persons with disabilities and NGOs, united to develop instruments for the European Commission, EU Member State Governments and Non-State Actors to include the disability dimension in their development cooperation policies and programmes. The 140 participants came forward with a number of important Recommendations directed towards all stakeholders and also, more specifically, directed towards the EU Institutions. This report presents these Recommendations, the key messages to be drawn from legal and political experts directly involved in the UN Convention negotiations as well as those of practitioners and disability activists working in developing countries about how to use the Convention to advance and apply inclusive development on the ground. As Kalle Könkkölä, the Chair of the Conference declared: “We now have a Convention, we have money, we have support from the EC and European Parliament, DPOs – what is missing? Nothing! Now we need to do something….there are no longer any excuses!” There are no more excuses for failing to make development cooperation more inclusive! We must all go forward now guided by these Recommendations from the Conference to bring about real and positive change. II – GLOSSARY Abbreviated term/ Acronym What it stands for CAHD Community Approaches to Handicap in Development CBM Christoffel-Blindenmission CEDAW The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women The Commission The European Commission CONCORD European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development COR The Committee of the Regions CRC The Convention on the Rights of the Child CSO Civil Society Organisation CSP Country Strategy Paper (of EU) DANIDA The Danish International Development Agency DESA Department of Economic and Social Affairs DFID The Department for International Development (DFID) DG Directorate General (Department of the European Commission) DPO Disabled People’s Organisations EC The European Community EDF The European Disability Forum EP The European Parliament EU The European Union EU Guidance Note The EU Guidance Note on Disability & Development GPDD Global Partnership for Disability and Development Guidance Note The EU Guidance Note on Disability & Development IDDC International Disability and Development Consortium MDG The Millennium Development Goals M and E Monitoring and Evaluation NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NORAD The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation PNG Papua New Guinea SCF The Save the Children Fund The Bank The World Bank The South Economically developing countries/ developing countries The North Economically developed countries/ industrialised countries WATSAN Water and Sanitation WB The World Bank UNICEF The United Nations Children’s Fund III - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background In August 2006 the text of the new UN Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (the Convention) was agreed upon by the responsible UN Ad Hoc Committee. On 13 December 2006 the Plenary of the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention by consensus. This is an historic achievement of enormous significance to persons with disabilities around the world and notably for persons with disabilities in developing countries. Most importantly, Article 32 of the Convention draws attention to the need for development cooperation to take the rights of persons with disabilities into account. This means that once the Treaty is ratified by the EU and the Member States, there will be an obligation on their part to address the rights of persons with disabilities in all overseas policies and programming. This conference, which took place 20/21 November 2006, called for attention to be given to this new Convention in development policies and programmes. The conference was part of an EU wide project ‘Disability mainstreaming in Development Cooperation’ (also known as ‘Breaking the Cycle of Poverty and Disability in Development Cooperation’) being implemented by a consortium of disability and development NGOs (including the conference organisers - Light for the World and CBM). Supported by European Commission DG for Employment and Social Affairs, this project aims to include disability in development cooperation, within the EU and the 25 Member States. Purpose In light of these events, the conference brought together a unique gathering of key decision makers  and experts from the United Nations, the OHCHR, EU Member State Governments, the EU institutions, the World Bank, disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) and disability and development NGOs, from the North and the South. This gathering of stakeholders provided for international exchange and consideration of how the UN Convention could be used to raise the profile of disability in development cooperation, and essentially how the Convention would contribute to improving the lives of the 650 million people with disabilities living in developing countries. Content and output Day One: Key note speakers who are expert in disability issues and the UN Convention opened the conference, giving the participants an update on the situation and status of the Convention, and what it would take to bring it to ratification and implementation. During Day One it was also stressed that this UN Convention would be the first Human Rights Treaty to which the EU would accede to jointly. In the afternoon, workshops were held which aimed to draw on experiences of implementation of other Conventions - the Convention for the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Significant messages from these workshops included: * The need for applied tools and materials in order to give practitioners a guide on how to use the Convention in a practical way; and the need for training on the UN Convention for both DPOs and development stakeholders in general. * The need for a systematic report-back mechanism for Governments on how they are implementing the Convention – which must be mirrored by parallel NGO and DPO reports. * The need for all stakeholders to recognise the Convention as their responsibility – that it is not just seen as the responsibility or concern of persons with disabilities and DPOs. * The need to ensure the Convention is available in easy-to-read formats and translated in local languages (important for all stakeholders, persons with learning disabilities; children; persons with low level of literacy) Day Two: In the first part of Day Two, a series of presentations were made showing a range of examples of inclusive development. These examples included inclusive education, inclusive water and sanitation programmes, the World Bank's work on disability and DFIDs approach to social exclusion/inclusion. Drawing from the two days of discussions, the afternoon workshop sessions focused on recommendations for an inclusive development approach and for an implementation strategy for the Convention, in the context of development cooperation. These recommendations were targeted at a range of stakeholders and included: * The need for all stakeholders to build up their own capacity and knowledge on the Convention and to actively promote and raise awareness on the Convention with others. This included the idea of producing accessible formats of the Convention so all stakeholders can understand it and the use of the media to generate interest in the Convention. * Cooperate/ build alliances in order to maximize our impact of implementing Article 32 (the International Cooperation Article) – i.e. NGOs, DPOs, Governments, donor and development agencies and the EU collaborating to include disability in development cooperation. DPOs needed to be at the centre of this process; for this to happen there is a great need for capacity building of DPOs, particularly in the South. * Follow a twin track approach in disability and development programmatic work, i.e. supporting disability specific initiatives and to include disability in all general development cooperation activities. The European Commission was specifically requested to: * Increase its own capacity to work on disability issues - notably in terms of specific disability desk officers, and internal disability awareness training * Include disability in the 10th EDF programming and the forthcoming financial perspectives including the Thematic Programmes * Ensure that no EU development funds go against the terms and spirit of the new Convention and are used to create barriers for persons with disabilities (e.g. all education programmes should be explicitly inclusive) * Put in place a follow-up to the ‘Guidance Note on Disability and Development’ (the Guidance Note), in the form of a more binding practically applicable document. Conclusion The conference was closed with speeches from Koos Richelle, European Commission Director General of DG EuropeAid, and Richard Howitt MEP, Vice-Chair of the Human Rights Sub-Committee at the European Parliament and President of the European Parliament Disability Inter-group. Mr Richelle responded to a list of requests for the EU to take disability more seriously into account in terms of resources within the Commission, for inclusion of disability in its general development cooperation work and for support to specific disability related development activities. He stated that EuropeAid was already well on the way to working more intensively on disability issues, and said that in future calls for proposals, attention would be paid to good quality disability related projects. He also promised to look into increasing human resources working on disability issues within the Commission. Finally Mr Richelle did state that advocacy on disability was a weak point within the Commission; disability was not always on the agenda and this was something that should be improved. Mr Howitt MEP finished with a strong statement on the work the European Parliament had done to get the new financial perspectives to where they were today - with the 20% commitment to social services as an example that is particularly relevant to disability as it can result in more attention and resources being provided for disability work. He stated that now was an important time for all stakeholders to come together, using the Convention to ensure that finally disability would be given a central role in development cooperation. The Conference Chair, Kalle Könkkölä closed the conference by briefly summarizing the main messages: * Now there was a Convention upholding the rights of person with disabilities with Article 32 bringing in development cooperation. * There were now more resources available to act with all the stakeholders coming together to make it work. * No more excuses! There is work to be done! IV - THE MAIN REPORT Day One: “Opportunities, implementation and lessons learned from other UN Conventions”, 20 November 2006 Opening session Welcome by Gerhard Stahl, Secretary General of the Committee of the Regions (of the EU), host of the conference Mr Stahl welcomed the participants of the Conference and outlined the work of the Committee of the Regions (COR) in respect to addressing the needs of persons with disabilities at the local level. He declared the interest of COR to work with the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) and IDDC partners in future. Opening from the European Commission by Wallis Goelen, Head of Disability Unit, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the European Commission Wallis Goelen reiterated the commitment of the EU to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and that the MDGs would not be met without considering the needs of persons with disabilities. Disability issues were still not sufficiently recognised in the international development work of the EU. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Convention) represented the first Human Rights Convention of the 21st century. The Convention has enshrined the paradigm shift from the medical model to the inclusive and rights based model of disability. The European Commission (the Commission) has played a central role in the negotiations. Wallis Goelen stressed the international legally binding nature of the document and that the global reach of the Convention, to meet the needs of 650 million persons with disabilities across the world, would depend on the number of states which would ratify it, and how they would enforce it. Many of the rights set out in the Convention, essentially those of non- discrimination, would take effect immediately. It was clear that Article 32 on International Cooperation would create a stronger platform for disability orientated development programmes. The Commission would do its best to facilitate signature and ratification of the Convention. In 2007 the Commission would adopt a proposal for a Council Decision authorising the Commission to sign and ratify the UN Convention affecting Commission competences. The Convention was to be a mixed agreement to which both the Commission and the Member States would adhere. The process for the Convention negotiations was the first to have had direct input from people with disabilities through their representative organisations. DPOs were involved in the entire process from the start. Wallis Goelen concluded by saying that the mainstreaming of disability in development cooperation was not just an issue for donor countries but also for recipient countries. Introduction to the Conference by the Chair Kalle Könkkölä, IDDC and the Finnish Disabled People’s International Development Association Persons with disabilities around the world are welcoming the beginning of a new era. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities marks a new beginning to adjusting policies in respect to inclusive development policies and the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society. While economically poorer countries need support from the wealthier parts of the world, a lack of money was no reason to leave persons with disabilities out of society. The Aims and Objectives of the Conference are to: * Raise awareness and spread understanding about the Convention and how it should be interpreted; * Learn from other Conventions, from both good and bad experiences * Learn from good practices on inclusive development * To consider recommendations towards the Commission, Member States, NGOs and DPOs on the way forward on the Convention and its implementation with regard to development policy. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: background and its significance by Simon Walker, Adviser, Human Rights and Disability Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Simon Walker set out the main elements of the Convention and the implications for persons with disabilities as well as the steps to be taken following the agreement on the Convention. Regarding the calendar for the Convention: On 5th December 2006 the first meeting will be held in New York with the Convention to be adopted on 12-15th December 2006 and opening for signature in March 2007. Implementation will then be the next step. The issue of disability is not new to the UN agenda, but there has been a gradual move from a care based approach to a rights based approach to disability. A brief timeline: 1982: Adoption of the World Programme of Action concerning Persons with disabilities (1982) and the start of the United Nations Decade of Persons with disabilities (1983-1992). 1992: 3rd December named as World Disability Day 1993: Adoption of the Standard Rules on the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities. 2000: The United Nations High Commission of Human Rights concluded that the Convention on Human Rights was not being used effectively to protect rights of persons with disabilities and this led to the establishment of the Ad Hoc Committee on a comprehensive convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. 2006: Adoption of the Convention, with an unprecedented participation by Civil Society, and also the most rapid process for drafting a Convention in UN history. The following points are important to consider in the Convention: * The ‘non-definition of Persons with Disabilities’: The Convention has a non exhaustive, minimum definition (covering both long-term and short term impairments). It treats discrimination on the basis of disability in a broad sense; for example, the mother of a child with a disability is protected under the Convention in a case where her employer should dismiss her on such grounds. * Rights and Obligations: this is a long list of already recognised rights in other Conventions but now made explicit for persons with disabilities. The Convention has specific Articles on women and children with disabilities, as they may be subjected to multiple forms of discrimination. * Article 32 on international cooperation: this article underlines the rights based approach to development. Rights based approaches emphasise a process which is non discriminatory, participatory and seeks accountability of duty bearers. Poverty eradication measures cannot be called successful if they are sidelining an important part of the population and their families. * Monitoring: there needs to be a focal point in each Government on monitoring the Convention. There will be a conference of State parties once every two years for monitoring purposes. Recommendations on the way forward: * Awareness raising * The promotion of universal design and accessibility * The need to build capacity of DPOs * The need to identify low cost measurers to facilitate implementation in resource poor environments Panel discussion The significance of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on development cooperation policies across Europe; the significance for persons with disabilities in developing countries; the impact of Article 32 (International Cooperation Article). Speakers: Leena Leikas, Ministry Foreign Affairs of Finland; Gidion Kaino Mandesi, Tanzanian DPO; Marianne Schulze, IDDC representative during the negotiating process in New York; Ugandan Ambassador S.T.K. Katenta Apuli The view from the Government of Finland and from the perspective of Government from the EU by Leena Leikas, Ministry Foreign Affairs of Finland, Division of Human Rights Courts and Conventions Leena Leikas explained that the International Cooperation Article 32 of the UN Convention caused some initial concern on the part of the EU. There was a strong feeling that Article 32 might hinder the implementation of the Convention as it could be used as an excuse by countries not to fulfil their obligations without funding support via international cooperation. However, following effective advocacy work on the part of NGOs such as IDDC, combined with the support of certain key states, a consensus was reached in support of Article 32. The Convention would not create any new rights but rather highlighted the issues of importance to persons with disabilities. Once adopted, the Convention would strengthen the protection afforded to persons with disabilities by all human rights Conventions. The Finnish Government will take at least two and a half years for ratification of the UN Convention as it requires changes in the national laws of Finland. The work of Finnish Development Cooperation on disability: In 2003 an evaluation of the disability dimension of Finland’s development cooperation was completed. According to the evaluation report, the share of projects concerning persons with disabilities has been relatively high, approximately 5 per cent of the total budget of development cooperation. The promotion of the rights of marginalised groups, such as persons with disabilities, is one of the cross-cutting issues of Finnish development policy and is closely related to the priorities of the Government’s human rights policy. The Finnish Government considers disability related development cooperation as a human rights activity. The view from organisations of persons with disabilities in developing countries by Gidion Kaino Mandesi, The Disabled Organisation of Legal Affairs and Social Economic Development- Tanzania Gidion Mandesi highlighted the vulnerable situation in which persons with disabilities lived in developing countries – without adequate legal frameworks to protect their basic rights and without access to services to provide their basic needs. 80 % of rights holders live in rural areas with limited opportunities. The UN Convention will help to ensure inclusion of disability in the development agenda and stimulate the creation of national legislation on disability rights in developing countries. The Convention would serve as a tool to achieve internationally agreed development goals such as the MDGs, in particular the Articles on Rights to Education and Right to Health in the Convention – also key areas in the MDGs. The new Treaty monitoring mechanism to be created would work closely with the intergovernmental mechanisms of the UN General Assembly and those of the Human Rights Council. With regard to implementation of the Convention, there is concern about the data gap and the urgent need to collect data on the status of persons with disabilities in developing countries to ensure effective planning and programming. The role of DPOs from the South in the implementation process in partnership with other stakeholders is crucial. The legal significance of Article 32, the view from disability NGOs by Marianne Schulze, IDDC representative during the negotiating process in New York Marianne Schulze thanked all those involved in bringing about the EU Parliament Resolution on ‘Disability and Development’ which called for a stand alone provision on international cooperation in the draft Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.1 The EP Resolution proved to be extremely helpful in lobbying efforts on Article 32. Article 32 has two very important features: it explicitly mentions Civil Society – and the need to include Civil Society actors – and it introduces the concept of inclusive development. The meaning of inclusive development: Inclusive development means that persons with disabilities are actively and effectively engaged in the design, planning, implementation and evaluation of development programs. It ensures that development programmes are rights based, ensures visibility of persons with disabilities and ultimately leads to and ensures full inclusion. International cooperation is understood to work in multiple dimensions: North-North, South-North, South-South and North-South. It is hoped that the effective implementation of inclusive development will change the status quo dramatically: according to conservative estimates, currently only 2 % of persons with disabilities living in developing countries actually benefit from development programs. International cooperation is to include: * Capacity building, * Information sharing, including sharing of best practices, * Technical assistance, including sharing of assistive technologies, * Economic cooperation Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are explicitly mentioned in Article 32 and thus should – and must – engage in ensuring that development programs are inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities. The ratification process and Civil Society involvement in this, is of key importance. A ratified Treaty is binding on all branches of Government. It is for Civil Society representatives to hold governments accountable to the rights and obligations set out in the Convention. Civil Society should be involved in monitoring compliance with the standards set out by the Convention as they know the situation on the ground. The view from the Government of Uganda and from an African Government perspective by Ambassador S.T.K. Katenta Apuli, Ugandan Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Uganda and Permanent Mission to the European Union, Brussels Disability became a priority in Uganda following a major cholera epidemic in the 1950s which left a large number of people vulnerable to polio. Uganda has since undertaken a number of initiatives to promote the independence of persons with disabilities particularly in the field of education and vocational training. The present Government has taken more steps to address the rights of persons with disabilities. The Ugandan Constitution includes a chapter on the rights and protections of persons with disabilities. Five Members of the Ugandan Parliament are persons with disabilities from the different regions in the country. Measures have been taken to make news broadcasting accessible to deaf persons. The Ambassador explained that Uganda has learned what it can do despite its limitations. Much more should and could be done but Uganda faces severe resource limitations which restrict its capacity. Up to now, there was little to show for all the UN Conventions that have previously been ratified. The Ambassador hoped, therefore, that there would be more to show for this UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Open questions and remarks from the floor Best practice examples: More concrete examples of inclusive practices by international development organisations were needed which related to the Convention. Segregated institutions: If donors fund segregated services, it would violate the terms of the Convention. African Governments: The Commission needs to encourage/ push African countries to include Persons with disabilities in development cooperation. The Governments in developing countries do not consider disability as a priority in the face of widespread poverty. Access to basic rights: Persons with disabilities do not have access to life saving treatment because of their disability. The Convention has given persons with disabilities the tool to fight for their rights. In reply to some questions from the floor Leena Leikas responded to issues such as: The Convention and gender: more time was required to consider the issue of gender in articles such as Article 32 (international cooperation) and Article 24 (education) in the Convention. Many countries in the EU think that this is an important point to be taken more into consideration. The EU Guidance Note on Disability & Development: The implementation of The EU Guidance Note on Disability & Development was a long term process, although there is no specific information on the status of its implementation. Ratification of the Convention: this was a matter for each individual Member State according to their national situation. Some States would need to make more legal adaptations than others depending on their existing national legislation. Certain parts of the Convention would be shared and jointly recognised by the EU as a whole. It would be difficult for all Member States to ratify at the same time, but the personal viewpoint of Leena Leikas is that the Convention would be signed soon by the EU as a whole. Workshops In the afternoon three workshops were held which aimed to look at the implementation process of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and to draw on experiences of implementation of other Conventions - the Convention for the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Plenary – main recommendations from the workshops Group 1: UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Workshop facilitator – Gidion Kaino Mandesi The workshop addressed the following issues: How to ensure full and effective Involvement of stakeholders in the implementation process * More capacity building of Southern DPOs. * Work together and strengthen existing alliances, as well as developing partnerships with the human rights sector and the wider Civil Society movement. * Develop expertise on all human rights Conventions, not just on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities * Screen the legislation in respective countries and identify the necessary legislative revisions to speed up the ratification process. * The UN Voluntary fund on disability which was created to build the capacity of NGOs to take part in the Convention process should be continued. * Governments of developing countries must recognize and support DPOs in their political role as part of the wider Civil Society movement. * DPOs should advocate for, and ensure that, the UN Convention is accessible to all persons with disabilities and, therefore, available in accessible formats as well as local and easy to understand languages. Links between and across other Conventions * The need to learn from the good and bad practices of other Conventions. For example, the good practice of national monitoring Committees set up under the Convention of the Rights of the Child * The need for DPOs and organisations working in the field of disability and development to be active in monitoring of the Convention as well as in monitoring of all other conventions. Mainstreaming: pitfalls and challenges * Mainstreaming can lead to sidelining or out-streaming. In this respect ‘Inclusion’ could be considered a better term to use. On the other hand gender mainstreaming has led to increased attention to the issue of women’s equality so it could serve as a useful model. * The North can and must also learn from the South certainly related to inclusive practices. * Southern DPOs need to engage more in the broader development debate in their countries. Raise awareness on the UN Convention * It is the duty of all stakeholders to spread the word about the Convention – and its implications. Culture * It is important not to impose a “Northern view’ on rights issues. Local persons with disabilities and their representative organisations should be meaningfully involved in promoting and shaping the ratification and implementation of the Convention in their own countries. * The culture of bureaucracy may hinder inclusion. All stakeholders must establish an internal organisational culture which creates incentives rather than disincentives for the inclusion of marginalised groups. Often bureaucratic barriers prevent inclusive measures or direct partnerships with grass-roots DPOs. * The importance of getting the media interested in the Convention and the need to make it interesting for media consumption. Resources: where to find them and how to mobilise them * It is important to include disability in existing resources such as the EU financial framework, the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) and in the framework of National Development Plans, National Poverty Alleviation Strategies, Country Strategy Papers and the Poverty Reduction Strategic Papers. * The need for a special fund to implement the Convention * The need for more cooperation between DPOs in North and South * The need for appropriate human resources devoted to disability and inclusive development and better networking to ensure implementation of the Convention. * The need for developing tools to better monitor development cooperation * The need for conducting disability awareness training * The need to ensure better data collection on disability * The need to facilitate and help grass-roots DPOs to document best practices of inclusive development. Group 2: The Convention on Children’s Rights Workshop facilitator – Sue Stubbs The workshop addressed the following issues: What worked in respect of the CRC * The Reporting back process by National Governments of their implementation of the CRC has worked very well. * NGOs and DPOs have produced their own respective parallel reports to be compared against those of the Member State Governments. This has been quite effective. * The CRC has had an important effect on influencing World Bank policy; for example the WB policy on employment addressed the issue of child labour in line with the Child Rights Convention. What did not work in respect of the CRC (from the perspective of children with disabilities) * The problem that the CRC has been seen as the main or sole responsibility of children’s organisations and, therefore, has not been given attention by other stakeholders; for example, the MDGs are much better known than the CRC. * The political message of mainstreaming children’s issues and also the interests of children with disabilities has not been so successful. For example, in inclusive education there have not been sufficient support equipments, tools or teacher trainings to adequately include children with disabilities. * The difficulty encountered by differences in perspectives between parents’ organisations and organisations of persons with disabilities. Lessons to bring to the Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities * The need for more applied tools and materials in order to give practitioners a guide on how to use the terms of the Convention on persons with disabilities in a practical way. * The need for training on the Convention for both DPOs and development stakeholders in general. * The need for a systematic report-back mechanism for Governments on how they are implementing the Convention – but this must be mirrored by parallel NGO and DPO Reports to ensure a good balance and Civil Society response. * The need for in depth disability equality training to be given to all stakeholders * The need for all stakeholders to take their responsibility for implementing the Convention. This should not be seen as the responsibility or concern of persons with disabilities alone. * The need to ensure the Convention on persons with disabilities is easy-to-read and translated in local languages (important for all stakeholders, persons with learning disabilities; children; persons with low level of literacy). * The need to involve all UN agencies so they work jointly towards effective implementation. Group 3: The Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Workshop facilitator: Lydia la Riviere-Zijdel The workshop addressed the following issues: The lack of knowledge of the CEDAW and how to use CEDAW in everyday life * Not many people are very familiar with CEDAW. However gender mainstreaming becomes more and more important in Southern countries. * There is a difference in implementation of the Convention between the North and the South. For industrial countries it is easier to adopt a twin track approach. * The Convention did increase the living standard for all girls, including girls with disabilities. How to strengthen the position of disabled girls and women in developing countries * Through empowerment and capacity building the amount of women with disabilities in power should be increased, to counter prejudice and discrimination. * The need for specific attention to gender equality and women with disabilities living in rural areas and the need for more attention to double discrimination within gender programmes. Key points for the future * Better global Networking with women with disabilities - linking mainstream womens’ organisations and DPOs * Monitoring of the Convention is essential with: o true involvement of Civil Society o true involvement of women with disabilities Closing session - reflections on Day One Reply from European Disability Forum by Carlotta Besozzi, Director of the European Disability Forum; key actor in UN Convention AHC and representative of the International Disability Caucus The European Disability Forum (EDF) has been actively involved in the Convention process from the start. The Convention is very important in establishing disability as a human rights issue. DPOs have a great responsibility to ensure that the text becomes known by persons with disabilities and the public in general and not just as a text known by Convention experts. EDF energies, and those of DPOs globally, should in the coming years be focused on ratification and implementation of the Convention. Work needs to be done at national, regional and international level. The Convention will be the first human rights Treaty to which the EU will accede. EDF will lobby to have a joint signature to ensure that the maximum number of EU Member States sign and adhere to it. This means that the EU members would have to review their legislation to ensure compliance with the new Convention. The new legislative framework of the Convention needs to be closely monitored to ensure implementation on the ground. It is necessary to ensure that Southern DPOs have the capacity to do this work. Main points: * Capacity building and resources for capacity building are a key priority * DPOs need support to raise awareness about the Treaty * The Convention brings obligations - the need to be confident and assertive about the rights that it brings. Reply from the UN Convention Secretariat by Vittoria Beria, Secretariat for the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Division for Social Policy and Development, DESA UN Secretariat The most important work to do now is to inform people about the Convention: * To raise awareness on the use of correct language: to change the perception of disability from charity to rights and to ensure a consistent language across the disability movement and across disability organisations; * To support translation into all national languages and to ensure quality control of translation and terminology. * The Convention is not a rigid document. It should be used in a creative way to ensure maximum implementation. * A lot can be done without extra or new resources; it is important that existing programmes and strategies are made inclusive. * There is a big need to build capacity and select and disseminate good practice examples. Open questions and remarks from the floor facilitated by Chair, Kalle Könkkölä How to measure change: it is necessary to be able to show tangible outcomes. Traditional instruments do not always measure change adequately. Media opportunities: sport is a very powerful tool which could be used to engage the media. Full understanding of the Convention: what the Convention means for different groups (as there may be some contradictions depending on the interpretation). Alliance building: the need to build alliances between DPOs and human rights groups and development NGOs. It is necessary for the different organisations to work in a complementary way. Resources: Need to increase the development funding for DPOs in developing countries. Need for education on the Convention and disability in general: from a Government perspective, there may be a sense of anxiety on how to deal with the Convention due to lack of awareness on the issue. This could be countered by training and education. Responsibility of all stakeholders: there would not be just one UN agency which takes the lead in implementation. This is the first Convention with built in participation of Civil Society from the start. It follows that DPOs will have a lot of responsibility, also in the follow-up and the implementation process. Concluding remarks from the Chair, Kalle Könkkölä Kalle concluded that the implementation of the UN Convention on persons with disabilities entails that: * No more ‘bad’ things should be done with development funds; meaning that no new barriers are created; no new discrimination mechanisms are put in place. * More ‘good’ things should be done with development funds; meaning that persons with disabilities should be actively included. Persons with disabilities should be included in all levels of projects - planning, implementation and monitoring. Day Two: “Where do we go from here… Inclusion in practice”, 21 November 2006 Opening session Lessons learned from Day One - Introduction to Inclusive Development by Joanna Maycock, Concord Board Member – Platform of European development NGOs, EU Representative for ActionAid CONCORD is the European confederation of relief and development NGOs. Its 22 national associations and 19 international networks represent over 1.800 NGOs. CONCORD coordinates analysis and debate, organises political action campaigns, and regularly engages in dialogue with the European Institutions and Civil Society organizations. CONCORD sees development cooperation as a human right’s issue, stressing that poverty is directly related to power and inequitable distribution of resources and / or lack of access to resources. It follows that change will not happen, no solutions will be found until power is challenged and inclusive approaches promoted. This means working with and through poor and excluded people to enable them to claim their own rights. ActionAid allies with, and advocates for, the poorest persons in developing countries and their organisations to fight injustice and discrimination to enable them to become actors for change. Important messages from Day One: * Awareness on the Convention: building knowledge on the Convention and using it. * Advocacy around the Convention: all stakeholders should feel and show ownership of the Convention and a seriousness to commit to its content and implementation. * Inclusion of stakeholders at all levels; the Convention implementation process has to be conducted in a culturally sensitive way by including local DPOs at all levels of the process. * Importance of empowerment and broadening the debate on exclusion through networking with wider Civil Society, NGOs and human rights organizations. * Resource mobilisation: human/ technical and financial resource mobilisation in institutions is very important to ensure implementation of the Convention. * Importance of using the Convention creatively to bring attention to disability and the links between and across Conventions to develop expertise and build accountability and responsibility to implement all Conventions. * Challenges are clearly linked to implementation, monitoring and indicators: How to ensure accountability for ratification and implementation? How to build ownership in states and governments (to deliver on the Convention for implementation and follow up)? * Inclusiveness and an inclusive society should be the entry point and ultimate aim. Linking this to the recent debates at EU level on governance it is clear that disability is relevant to inclusive approaches to governance; an approach which implies that the government is responsible to provide services to all its citizens (for example health and education services for all), and which ensures that political participation is also open to all members of society. We have to make all stakeholders deliver on their development commitments for all people. Presentation from developing countries perspective – Practical level experiences on inclusive development by George Abraham, The Score Foundation, India There are 100 million persons with disabilities in India. Most people in India have little knowledge about disability and resources for disability are very limited. In this context inclusive development seems like a distinct dream. However, it is first of all an issue of changing the mind-set, not of resources. The acronym LAN explains what is needed to make change possible. LAN stands for: L: Legislation, Litigation, Leadership A: Agitation, Awareness raising, Advocacy N: Negotiation, Networking, Nation-wide In working with this LAN framework major achievements were made by the disability movement and NGO supporters in India across a number campaign areas including in the field of employment for blind people; the adoption of the People with Disability Act in India; the development of an office of the Chief Commissioner for Disability); access to elections for persons with disabilities e.g. accessible voting booths and inclusive education. All stakeholders, from DPOs to NGOs to donors and Governments, have a role to play to make inclusive development a reality. Best practice examples on inclusive development The perspective and experiences from a multi-lateral donor on the promotion of inclusive development by Sandor Sipos, World Bank Sector Manager responsible for Disability and Development From 2002-2006, 4% of all World Bank projects by number and 5% of new lending volume were projects with a disability component ($4.9 bn). Disability is mainstreamed in World Bank operations in lending/Safeguards, Economic and Sector Work, in Capacity building (Awareness and Training), Building Partnerships and in creating an Inclusive Work Environment. * The World Bank conducts cross-sectoral awareness raising and training on disability for World Bank Management & Operational Staff in Headquarters and Country Offices, Civil Society and Client Countries and it has supported the development of the manual ‘Making PRSPs Inclusive’ in cooperation with Handicap International (HI) and Cristoffel-Blindenmission (CBM). * Building partnerships on disability: the World Bank plays a role in facilitating the Washington City Group on Data on disability, the Global Partnership for Disability and Development (GPDD), the WHO Report on Disability and Rehabilitation and the ILO’s work on law and policies. * Disability structure at the World Bank is made up of the Disability & Development (D&D) Team under the Social Protection & Labor Sector and the Regional Disability Working Group Coordinators Country specific examples exist such as: a multi-agency effort that supports the demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants in the greater Great Lakes region of Central Africa; an HIV/AIDS project run by young people with disabilities in Vietnam; the development of an inclusive Educational Management Information Systems in Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia and Vietnam. The Word Bank’s main themes of work on disability are: Disability Data Collection and Poverty Analysis; Inclusive Education, Access to Health Services, Youth Leadership, Access to Microfinance, Information and Communication Technologies, Social Protection: Social Insurance and Assistance, Accessibility of Infrastructure, HIV/AIDS, International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Post-conflict and Natural Disasters and Employment Mandatory Safeguard Reviews and Clearance on disability could be something to explore in the future. These safeguards apply to all Bank managed investment lending in ten priority areas. There are for the moment no safeguards on disability. Safeguards on disability could ensure: pilot and later mainstream process innovations (public consultation, environmental protection clauses), reminders of national laws; introduce universal design; prevent further disabilities. The limitation of safeguards is that they would not lead to the creation of a new disability policy or extend disability concerns beyond project scope if there is no national requirement/legislation or create stand-alone disability access projects. The lessons learned by the World Bank include: * Inclusive development is a multi-stakeholder responsibility; more effective delivery of services to vulnerable children is achieved through a ‘’contracting” rather than “grant” approach. * Strong monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system is essential for learning and accountability; a learning and innovation lending instrument (LIL) is effective to pilot and test initiatives, and to build consensus. * Field-based management provides effective, quick response. Experiences from DFID on addressing social exclusion and non-discrimination in development cooperation policy, perspective from a Government of the North by Zoe Stephenson, Social Development Adviser, Equity and Rights Team, DFID Although the UK is seen as quite far ahead on inclusive development, DFID does not consider itself an expert on disability and development. In 2000 DIFID produced an important policy paper on disability and development. However it is now time to take this process one step further. DFID is currently preparing guidelines to address disability at programme level for field offices. The document would address certain questions such as: * How to assess government commitments and capacity? * How to prioritise which areas to focus on? * How to strengthen and support the disability movement in countries? * Are there existing principles of good practice which could be used? DFID has also developed a policy paper on social exclusion and how to ensure that mechanisms of discrimination and exclusion can be detected and counteracted. The acronym VRA describes the change needed to counteract exclusion: * V: Voice: a voice is needed to influence agencies, articulate demands * R: Rules of the game: the rules of the game, policies, inter alia should be changed * A: Access to services need to be enhanced Community Approaches to Disability in Development - experiences of including disability in community development in South and South East Asia by Ingar Düring, Project Coordinator Community Approaches to Handicap in Development (CAHD), CBM-Handicap International The pilot project ‘CAHD’ is a rights-based strategy for inclusion of persons with disabilities in mainstream development activities, developed as a strategy to accelerate inclusion. Supported by Handicap International and Christoffel-Blindenmission, partner organisations have initiated and implemented seven CAHD projects in Bangladesh, Nepal, India and the Philippines between 2001 and 2005. Two examples of successful examples of inclusion experienced through CAHD are given: * Inclusive child clubs: child clubs have existed in Nepal for more than 50 years promoting creative, welfare and development activities in urban and rural activities. Through a CAHD pilot project and in partnership with Save the Children Norway, the inclusion of children with disabilities in these child clubs was successfully promoted. Trainings were organised on social communication and disability awareness, sensitisation materials were produced. As a result of these efforts the membership of children with disabilities in child clubs increased from no membership at all in 2002 to the inclusion of 318 children after the implementation process of CAHD. Similarly the number of children with disabilities in schools increased in the project areas. * Government ownership for inclusive communities: When the CAHD pilot project was introduced in the province of Albay in the Philippines, the local government unit agreed to become a partner as implementing agency. They appointed a disability (CAHD) coordinator and a technical team. The local CAHD project partner, Simon of Cyrene, facilitated the process by organising disability training programmes. A baseline study was conducted and committees for education, livelihood and rehabilitation established. At the end of the project there was a clear increase in the inclusion of children with disabilities in schools and an increase of people with disabilities in social organisations and economic development processes in the CAHD project areas. Inclusive Practices require a paradigm shift with a need to recognise that disability is not just of relevance to specialised organisations but to all community development organisations. Inclusive strategies could only work if they are implemented and promoted simultaneously in all sectors of community development. Inclusive strategies are all about human dignity. The CAHD manual ‘disability in development, experiences in inclusive practices’ can be accessed at: http://www.cbm.org/en/general/CBM_EV_EN_general_article_46088.html A hard copy can be requested from: Christiane Noe, Inclusion Officer CBM: christiane.noe@cbm-i.org Experience of including disability in African Government planning by Shuaib Chalklen, Chief Executive, African Decade of Persons with Disabilities The African Decade formally began in 1999. However, the Decade activities only gained momentum from 2004 onwards when a Secretariat was established in Cape Town. Since the start- up was slow, the Decade and its work will probably be extended beyond 2009. For the moment work is concentrated on the following countries: Ethiopia; Kenya, Mozambique Rwanda, South Africa and Senegal. Recently Mali and Mauritania have been included among the target countries of the Decade. Each country establishes an ‘African Decade Steering Committee’ made up of DPOs, Governments, donors, NGOs and media. At the start of the process the focus is on building the capacity of the Steering Committee. This model could be used for the implementation of the Convention. The biggest frustration up to now has been that Governments are very reluctant to take up the issue of disability. So far the African Decade has not yet succeeded in including disability in Government development strategies. Governments fear an overload of issues instead of looking at disability from an inclusive perspective and thereby building disability into existing priorities. What is needed are more reliable statistics and data which will facilitate advocacy towards Governments and donors. Experience of including disability in Government policies of Papua New Guinea (inclusive education) by Brother Graeme Leach, Director of Callan Services in Papua New Guinea When Br. Graeme Leach started to work in Papua New Guinea (PNG) it was very difficult to get a child with a disability into a school. He explained that it was like negotiating for a big favour - as if the child had no rights at all. Callan Services began to raise awareness on the right to education for children with disabilities amongst teacher training colleges and the National Education Board. The message was: ‘there are 60.000 children with disabilities on the island; they have the right to education.’ Eventually they succeeded in including a plan for inclusive education in the national budget. The following factors were instrumental to this achievement: * PNG forged a unified educational system in 1970 - bringing together all the schools into one system (religious and state schools) * PNG Government had a tradition of promoting innovative projects which the Government promised to support once proven successful. * The PNG Government adopted a progressive inclusive constitution based on respect for all and by all. * A report was issued applying the constitution to the education of children, mentioning that children with disabilities cannot be left out. * CBM and Save the Children had been supporting special schools which could be used as support centers in the new system. To conclude: no agency can build inclusive education alone. Partnership between multiple actors and networking is key. It was important to take a stage by stage approach. Governments have to accept the responsibility for the education of children with disabilities. It is equally important that other services for children with disabilities such as rehabilitation services are provided for at the same time to enable them to go to school. Inclusive development: experience of including disability in general water and sanitation programmes by Hazel Jones, Loughborough University, Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WADOC) Hazel Jones conducted a research funded by DFID in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Uganda with the aim to improve water and sanitation (WATSAN) services and facilities for persons with disabilities. The research focused on how to provide information on simple low cost solutions and approaches to make WATSAN facilities more accessible. The current situation in water and sanitation projects is that most people in the WATSAN sector never consider disability. Standard designs used are inaccessible. Consultation processes do not include persons with disabilities or older people. Donors do not require disability/older people’s issues to be addressed. Persons with disabilities and older people are unaware themselves of how to improve accessibility and depend on family members. Why is disability relevant to the water & sanitation sector? It helps to achieve poverty reduction targets. Inclusive/accessible facilities benefit the whole family & community: disability is a gender issue (with the women taking up the caring role for disabled and older family members). It is cost-effective – the cost of inclusion is cheaper than the costs of exclusion. Examples of practical steps taken: * Policy/Strategy: WaterAid started to take interest in disability and included disability in their 5 year country programmes in 4 West African countries. * Adapting Information: in formats relevant to their agency or country, e.g. DANIDA has developed a technical issue note on WATSAN including the aspect of disability. * Piloting technologies: at country levels with different programmes e.g. in Cambodia NGOs have developed accessible latrine options; UNICEF in India (Bhopal) brought over 100 people together to observe problems with access, and developed a manual for Disabled Friendly Toilets which has impacted at state level. * Post emergency/disaster: Handicap International & Oxfam/Action Contre Le FaimCF built accessible latrines and water points in refugee camps. What needs to be done (this applies to the WATSAN sector but can be adapted to other sectors): * Learn about the WATSAN sector, their agenda, their key issues & constraints, learn their language * Identify opportunities to engage * Use the Briefing Note developed by the Loughborough University to communicate key messages on WATSAN and disability * Build relationships with WATSAN agencies, exchange information and experience * Develop collaborative activities, such as providing awareness training; data collection – baseline information; accessibility audits of existing facilities; pilot activities and share information about what works. * Donor requirement to address disability in all infrastructure projects The WELL Resource Centre network on Water, Sanitation & Environment is funded by DFID, until the end of December 2006. This centre can provide a free document service (WATSAN related) and it has a technical enquiry service (WATSAN related) to different interested parties (DFID and partners, governments of the South, NGOs, DPOs among others). Also available is the output of the research: A Resource Book (water and sanitation for persons with disabilities) and CD, which contains the hardware as well as the approaches to service delivery. A four page briefing note is also available which highlights why disability is relevant to water and sanitation sector. For further information WELL: www.Lboro.ac.uk/WELL; email: WELL@Lboro.ac.uk WEDC Project information:: www.Lboro.ac.uk/wedc/projects/auwsfpdp/; Email: H.E.Jones2@Lboro.ac.uk Open questions and remarks from the floor facilitated by Chair, Kalle Könkkölä GPDD (Global partnership on Disability and Development): it takes all key stakeholders to work together if we want to translate the Convention into reality. One way of doing this is through GPDD, a joint action initiated by the World Bank to create a global international alliance to promote inclusive approaches to development. The partnership has four focal areas: raising awareness, building capacity; networking; conducting research and collecting data. Implementation of different donor policies on disability: looking at NORAD, DFID, EU, World Bank disability policies: there are lots of guidelines but it is difficult to see how it will work at implementation level. NGOs not including disability: the Irish NGO Concern specialises in emergencies but does not have a policy on disability in emergencies and the speaker as a voluntary board member will address this in the future if given some guidelines on disability in emergencies. Mental health and abuse: the issue of abuse and torture in mental hospitals in Ireland was mentioned, referring to two women being recently raped in psychiatric hospitals in Ireland. African Governments and disability: Today African Governments do understand more and more the issues of persons with disabilities and they are prepared to do more. We have to engage with them and work in partnership to enable them to do more. Workshops In the afternoon two workshops were held which aimed to come up with recommendations targeted at different stakeholders for an inclusive development approach and for an implementation strategy for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in the context of development cooperation. The general recommendations from the whole conference, including points discussed on Day Two, are annexed to this report as a separate document. Below is an overview of the specific recommendations towards the EU. Plenary – main recommendations from the workshops Workshop 1 facilitator – Johannes Trimmel, Chair International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) Workshop 2 facilitator - George Abraham, Score Foundation, India Recommendations towards all the EU Institutions (Council, Commission, Parliament) * Build internal capacity and knowledge on the Convention and raise awareness about the Convention amongst other stakeholders by way of referring to the Convention in relevant documents and policy discussions; * Establish a dialogue between EU and developing countries on how to go ahead on the Convention with respect to the framework of the Country Strategy Papers and the Poverty Reduction Strategic Papers; * Internal disability awareness training should be undertaken systematically within EU institutions; * Provide incentives within the EU institutions for initiatives and actions which will give a positive image of disability policy and practice in the context of development cooperation; * Ensure that persons with disabilities and their representative organisations are meaningfully involved in all Civil Society consultations carried out by EU delegations; * Make available EU funding for the capacity building of persons with disabilities organizations (DPOs) and other Civil Society disability organizations; notably by responding to demands/ request for support from organizations in the South; * Recognize the importance of alliance building by encouraging and supporting partnerships between the various sectors and actors as well as across different discriminated and marginalized groups; * Pro-actively and meaningfully assure that persons with disabilities are no longer discriminated against and excluded from development cooperation programmes and actively seek their inclusion in all poverty eradication programmes; * Research the possibility to conduct a social exclusion analysis before drafting Country Strategy Papers and other relevant policies; * EU development funds must not go against the terms and spirit of the new UN Convention, they must therefore not create new or prolong existing barriers for persons with disabilities but adopt basic standards of accessibility, in line with the principles of ‘accessibility for all’; * Establish tools to better monitor EU spending in developing countries with a particular view to providing transparent and comprehensive information on funding support for initiatives targeting persons with disabilities and/or integrating them; * Apply the twin track approach in EU supported operations; i.e. to support disability specific actions as well as to introduce the disability component across all projects and initiatives; Specific recommendations towards the European Council * The German EU Presidency should introduce Article 32 (International Cooperation) of the UN Convention of the Rights for Persons with Disabilities as an agenda item into the debate of the respective Council Committees (CODEV, COREPER) and the GAERC, to agree on a Action Plan on how EU Member States and EU institutions can move forward to comply with the terms of Article 32; * The forthcoming EU Presidencies should play an active role in encouraging signature, ratification and implementation of the Convention; Specific recommendations towards the European Commission * Increase in human resource provisions inside the External General Directorates of the European Commission working on ‘disability and development’ and facilitating the inclusion of persons with disabilities in policies and programs of the EU development co-operation and humanitarian aid; * Increase in technical resource provisions on inclusive sector policies inside the External Relations Directorates of the European Commission; * Follow-up The EU Guidance Note on Disability & Development; the Guidance Note should be updated and transformed into a stronger tool which gives incentives for practical application, e.g. in the context of the PCM Planning Guide; Specific recommendation towards the European Parliament * The European Parliament must continue to call for the implementation by the Commission and Council of the demands made by the Resolution on Disability and Development - P6_TA-PROV(2006)0033 (19 January 2006). Closing session - responding to recommendations and on the way forward Response from the European Commission by Mr. Koos Richelle, Director General EuropeAid Mr. Richelle responded by saying that the Commission was doing quite well recently on inclusive policies referring to the newly adopted EU consensus on development in which the EU clearly states its aim to prevent social exclusion and to combat discrimination against all groups, including persons with disabilities. Mr. Richelle considered governance and the need to support all groups in society a good entry point for discussion. The inclusion of disability in country strategy papers and country programming was important, whilst also taking into account the ownership of Governments in the South with regard to the CSPs. The new EU financial perspectives and programmes for 2007-2013 include an increase for development funding for both thematic and geographic budgets. The Non-State actor financial programme will be, for the first time, open for applications from Southern NGOs. This could be another entry point for disability and for Southern DPOs. DG EuropeAid has recently conducted a research on EC disability funding. In the period from 2000 to 2006, 100 million was spent on disability specific projects. EuropeAid is already well on the way to work more intensively on disability issues and more attention will be paid in future calls for proposals to good quality disability related projects. Mr. Richelle promised to look into increasing human resources working on disability issues within the European Commission. However, he did not want to isolate disability and would like to keep disability as part of the broader social policy. A twin-track approach should be maintained with specific as well as mainstream attention. Finally, Mr Richelle did state that advocacy on disability was a weak point within the EC; disability was not always on the agenda and this is something that should be improved and he would look into ways of improvement. Response from the European Parliament by Richard Howitt, MEP, Chair EP Disability Intergroup and Vice Chair Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament, EP Committee Foreign Affairs Richard Howitt MEP stated that the Convention would give all of us, working already for so long on the rights of persons with disabilities, a new powerful tool. The European Parliament needs to ensure speedy ratification of the Convention by Member States and to develop a plan on how the EU will ratify and implement the Convention. Mr. Howitt stressed the importance of developing practical inclusive guidelines in order for the Convention to be used and implemented and not to remain a Convention on paper only. Mr. Howitt finished with a strong statement on the work the European Parliament had done to get the new financial perspectives to where they were today. The 20% commitment to social services was an example with particular relevance to disability as it could result in more attention and resources provided for disability work. He stated that now was an important time for all stakeholders to come together, using the Convention to ensure that, finally, disability would be given a central role in development cooperation. Open questions and remarks from the floor Human rights and development: it is a challenge to be really inclusive not only on paper but also in practice. The EU has to understand the fact that we are talking about giving access to services for people who did not have access before. We are talking about a development policy where human rights are at the core. New financial EU regulations: it is important that also the thematic programmes which are being developed now are inclusive and that they state practical ways of implementing programmes in an inclusive way. Concluding remarks from the Chair, Kalle Könkkölä The Conference Chair, Kalle Könkkölä closed the conference by briefly summarizing the main messages: Now there was a Convention upholding the rights of person with disabilities with Article 32 bringing in development cooperation; there were now more resources available and all the stakeholders coming together to make it work. ‘We have the support from the European Commission and the Parliament. No more excuses! There is work to be done!’ Kalle thanked Light for the World and CBM, notably their Brussels offices responsible for organising the event. He also thanked the Committee of the Regions for providing their excellent venue for the conference. ANNEX I – CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS (GENERAL) Recommendations of the European Conference on Disability and Development Cooperation The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Impact and Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Developing Countries 20-21 November 2006, Brussels The vast majority, 80%, of the 650 million persons with disabilities worldwide live in developing countries. Persons with disabilities are disproportionately represented amongst the poorest persons in the world. 20% of the world’s poorest people are persons with disabilities. The first European Conference on the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities held in Brussels on 20-21 November 2006 focused on this link between poverty, human rights, disability and development cooperation. A unique gathering of key decision makers and experts from the United Nations, the OHCR, the EU Member State Governments, the EU institutions, the World Bank, the OECD, academic and research institutions, persons with disabilities organisations, and non-governmental development organisations came together in Brussels on 20-21 November 2006. The Conference formulated ideas for a strategy to promote the UN Convention and its role in advancing development policies inclusive of disability. Key messages from the Conference * There is a need for cooperation and alliance-building in order to maximize the impact of Article 32, the UN Convention Article on International Cooperation. Referring to the motto of the international disability movement ‘Nothing about us without us’ persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in the South (DPOs) must be at the centre of this process. For this to happen, capacity building of DPOs, particularly in the South, is essential. * All stakeholders must build their own capacity and knowledge on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and actively promote and raise awareness about the Convention towards others. This includes producing accessible, easy to understand formats of the convention in local languages, and the use of accessible and appropriate media to generate interest in the Convention. * Development funding must not go against the terms and spirit of the new UN Convention, and therefore must not create new, or prolong existing, barriers for persons with disabilities, but adopt basic standards of accessibility, in line with the principles of ‘accessibility for all’. There is now a UN Convention which upholds the rights of person with disabilities. Article 32 brings into being legal recognition of inclusive development - development cooperation inclusive of persons with disabilities. There are no more excuses for not making development cooperation more inclusive! Conference recommendations I - UN Convention: recommendations on follow-up * For all stakeholders2 to consider the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, not in isolation, but rather in conjunction with the other Human Rights Conventions. Stakeholders must consider how the body of these international legal frameworks can have a positive impact on the lives of persons with disabilities in the poorest countries and communities. * The forthcoming EU Presidencies must play an active role in encouraging signature, ratification and implementation of the UN Convention. The German EU Presidency should introduce Article 32 (International Cooperation) of the UN Convention of the Rights for persons with disabilities as an agenda item into the debate of the respective Council Committees (CODEV, COREPER) and the GAERC, to agree on a Action Plan on how EU Member States and EU institutions can move forward to comply with the terms of Article 32. * Multilateral and bilateral agencies including the EU member states and the European Commission should discuss with developing countries how to go forward on the UN Convention with respect to the framework of National Development Plans, National Poverty Alleviation Strategies, Country Strategy Papers and the Poverty Reduction Strategic Papers. * Governments in the North and the South should develop a clear strategy at country level on ratification and implementation of the UN Convention in consultation with DPOs and other stakeholders, including an Action Plan to achieve Inclusive Development in the context of Article 32 (‘International Cooperation’). * DPOs should facilitate the ratification process by screening the legislature in their respective countries and identify the legislative revisions necessary for the ratification of the UN convention. * DPOs should take an essential and active role to hold Governments’ accountable for ratification and implementation of the Convention. * DPOs should advocate for and ensure that the Convention is accessible to all persons with disabilities and, therefore, available in accessible formats as well as local and easy to understand languages. II - Awareness raising * All stakeholders have a duty to raise awareness about the Convention. * Stakeholders must use all forms of accessible and appropriate media and use media opportunities in a creative way to promote the Convention and to raise awareness on disability issues. III - Participation * DPOs, as the voice of all persons with disabilities, have to be inclusive themselves , both by representing persons with all forms of disability, by representing children and women with disability as well as men, and by representing rural as well as urban voices. * DPOs should take an active role in the development debate in their country and engage pro-actively in debates related to National Development Plans, National Poverty Alleviation Strategies; PRSPs and Country Strategy Papers. * Governments of developing countries and multilateral and bilateral agencies (including the EU Member States and the Commission) should pro-actively facilitate the participation of DPOs and disability NGOs in development debates. IV - Partnership * All stakeholders should recognize the importance of alliance building and networking for the Convention to be ratified and implemented globally. * The disability sector should develop partnerships with the human rights sector and the wider Civil Society movement. V - Inclusive practices * All stakeholders must adopt basic standards of accessibility, in line with the principles of ‘accessibility for all’, as a baseline criterion for environments, technology and services they work in and support, in order to avoid the creation of, for example, inaccessible schools, hospitals or water and sanitation projects. * All stakeholders must establish an internal organisational culture which creates incentives rather than disincentives for the inclusion of marginalised groups. Often bureaucratic barriers prevent direct partnership with grass-roots DPOs. Ways should be found to overcome these bureaucratic barriers whether by adapting donor requirements, or building capacity of DPOs, among other actions. * All stakeholders should work on an organisational culture which embraces the notion of integral human development and dignity for all. * All stakeholders should be encouraged to conduct a social exclusion analysis before drafting National Development Plans, National Poverty Alleviation Strategies, PRSPs, Country Strategy Papers and other relevant policies.. Poverty reduction measures cannot be successful if they do not address the impact of discrimination faced by person with disabilities in respect of access to health care, education, housing, employment, micro-finance, protection of the law and other social services. VI - Capacity building * Development NGOs, multilateral and bilateral agencies must recognize the need for capacity building of DPOs in developing countries and support their empowerment so DPOs can act effectively and with confidence in decision making which affects the lives of persons with disabilities. * Governments of developing countries must recognize and support DPOs in their political role as part of the wider Civil Society movement. * All stakeholders have the duty to build their own capacity and knowledge on the UN convention and to raise awareness about the Convention amongst other stakeholders. VII – The development of organisations’ own internal resources Human resources * All stakeholders should ensure that appropriate human resources are devoted to disability and inclusive development in order to build organizational learning and expertise. Financial resources * All stakeholders should apply the twin track approach to disability funding support, internally within their operations; i.e. to support disability specific actions as well as to introduce the disability component across all projects and initiatives. * Multilateral and bilateral agencies such as the EU member states and the European Commission, Southern governments and NGOs should pro-actively assure that persons with disabilities are no longer discriminated against and excluded from development cooperation programmes and actively seek their inclusion in all poverty eradication programmes. Technical resources * Multilateral and bilateral agencies, Governments of developing countries and NGOs must develop tools to better monitor spending with a particular view to providing transparent and comprehensive information on funding support for disability initiatives in developing countries. * Multilateral and bilateral agencies, NGOs and Governments of developing countries should systematically conduct disability awareness training internally within their own organisations. * Multilateral and bilateral agencies, NGOs and Governments of developing countries should develop manuals and guidelines on inclusive sector policies. * Multilateral and bilateral agencies, Governments and NGOs should facilitate and help grass-roots DPOs to document best practices of inclusive development. Disability Policies * Agencies, Governments and NGOs must develop a policy on disability inspired by the Convention which includes mechanisms for practical application and follow-up. ANNEX II – CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS TOWARDS THE EU Recommendations of the European Conference on Disability and Development Cooperation The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Impact and Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Developing Countries 20-21 November 2006, Brussels Recommendations towards all the EU Institutions (Council, Commission, Parliament) * Build internal capacity and knowledge on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (The Convention) and raise awareness about the Convention amongst other stakeholders by way of referring to the Convention in relevant documents and policy discussions; * Establish a dialogue between EU and developing countries on how to go ahead on the UN Convention on the Rights for persons with disabilities with respect to the framework of the Country Strategy Papers and the Poverty Reduction Strategic Papers; * Internal disability awareness training should be undertaken systematically within EU institutions; * Provide incentives within the EU institutions for initiatives and actions which will give a positive image of disability policy and practice in the context of development cooperation; * Ensure that persons with disabilities and their representative organisations are meaningfully involved in all Civil Society consultations carried out by EU delegations; * Make available EU funding for the capacity building of disabled peoples organizations (DPOs) and other Civil Society groups working on disability issues; notably by responding to demands/ request for support from organizations in the South; * Recognize the importance of alliance building by encouraging and supporting partnerships between the various sectors and actors as well as across different discriminated and marginalized groups; * Pro-actively and meaningfully assure that persons with disabilities are no longer discriminated against and excluded from development cooperation programmes and actively seek their inclusion in all poverty eradication programmes; * Research the possibility to conduct a social exclusion analysis before drafting Country Strategy Papers and other relevant policies; * EU development funds must not go against the terms and spirit of the new UN Convention, they must therefore not create new or prolong existing barriers for persons with disabilities but adopt basic standards of accessibility, in line with the principles of ‘accessibility for all’; * Establish tools to better monitor EU spending in developing countries with a particular view to providing transparent and comprehensive information on funding support for initiatives targeting persons with disabilities and/or integrating them; * Apply the twin track approach in EU supported operations; ie to support disability specific actions as well as to introduce the disability component across all projects and initiatives; Specific recommendations towards the European Council * The German EU Presidency should introduce Article 32 (International Cooperation) of the UN Convention of the Rights for persons with disabilities as an agenda item into the debate of the respective Council Committees (CODEV, COREPER) and the GAERC, to agree on a Action Plan on how EU Member States and EU institutions can move forward to comply with the terms of Article 32; * The forthcoming EU Presidencies should play an active role in encouraging signature, ratification and implementation of the UN Convention; Specific recommendations towards the European Commission * Increase in human resource provisions inside the External General Directorates of the European Commission working on ‘disability and development’ and facilitating the inclusion of persons with disabilities in policies and programs of the EU development co-operation and humanitarian aid; * Increase in technical resource provisions on inclusive sector policies inside the External general Directorates of the European Commission; * Follow-up the EU Guidance Note on Disability & Development; the Guidance Note should be updated and transformed into a stronger tool which gives clear guidelines for practical application, e.g. in the context of the PCM Planning Guide; Specific recommendation towards the European Parliament * The European Parliament must continue to call for the implementation by the Commission and Council of the demands made by the Resolution on Disability and Development - P6_TA-PROV(2006)0033 (19 January 2006). ANNEX III - LIST OF PARTICIPANTS3 NAME ORGANIZATION CONTACT Speakers Carlotta Besozzi EDF, Director carlotta.besozzi@edf-feph.org George Abraham The Score Foundation, India george@eyeway.org Gidion Kaino Mandesi The Disabled Organization of Legal Affairs and Social Economic Development dolasedtanzania@yahoo.com Graeme Leach Callan Service, Papua New Guinea calserwk@global.net.pg Hazel Jones Loughborough University, UK H.E.Jones2@lboro.ac.uk Ingar Düring CBM - Handicap International ingar.d@arcor.de Joanna Maycock CONCORD Board member, Action Aid brussels@actionaid.org Johannes Trimmel IDDC Chair jtrimmel@light-for-the-world.org Kalle Konkolla + PA IDDC & FIDIDA kalle.konkkola@kynnys.fi Koos Richelle European Commission koos.richelle@cec.eu.int Leena Leikas MFA Finland leena.leikas@formin.fi Lydia La Riviere-Zijdel DCDD Chair, European Women's Lobby - Board member lydialariviere.dcdd@tiscali.nl Marianne Schulze IDDC marianne.schulze@gmx.at Richard Howitt European Parliament, Member richard.howitt@europarl.europa.eu S.T.K. Katenta Apuli Embassy of Uganda Ambassador ugembrus@brutele.be Sándor Sipos The World Bank sector manager social protection; human development network ssipos@worldbank.org Shuaib Chalklen African Decade of Persons with Disabilities shuaib@africandecade.co.za Simon Walker UNHCHR swalker@ohchr.org Sue Stubs IDDC coordinator@iddc.org.uk Vittoria Beria DESA United Nations Secretariat beria@un.org Wallis Goelen European Commission wallis.goelen@cec.eu.int Zoe Stephenson DFID, UK Z-Stephenson@dfid.gov.uk Participants Abebaw Felelke Embassy of Ethiopia etebru@brutele.be Alain Coutand HI France acoutand@handicap-international.org Alan Faure C.F.H.E. isabelle.dontenville@apf.asso.fr Aleksandrs Krasovskis International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims akrasovskis@inbox.lv Alexandra Ramos-Pena Mission East alex.ramos@miseast.org Alpha Boubacar Diop FOAPH alphabdiop@yahoo.com Ana Calvo Handicap International Belgium Ana.Calvo@Handicap.be Andreas Pruisken CBM Germany andreas.pruisken@cbm-i.org Andrew Long DFID UK a-long@dfid.gov.uk Anja De Greve PHOS anja@phos.be Anke Huijboom DCDD anke.huijboom@dcdd.nl Annette Laidler Leonard Cheshire International annette.laidler@lc-uk.org Ask Andersen EDF ask.andersen@edf-feph.org Asuka Sato World Bank asato@worldbank.org Aurélie Baranger EDF aurelie.baranger@edf-feph.org Barbara Dawcewicz  Regional Office of Warmia-Mazury Voivodeship warmia-mazury2@skynet.be Barbara Oosters CBM International barbara.oosters@cbmi.net Bill Albert British Council of Disabled people balbert@btinternet.com Bruce Curtis World Institute on Disability bruce@wid.org Carine Van Ruymbeke CATI cvanruymb@hotmil.com Catalina Devandas Inter-American Institute on Disability cdevandas@mac.com Catherine Benbow The Leprosy Mission International catherine.benbow@btopenworld.com Catherine Dixon Handicap International France cdixon@handicap-international.org Catherine Naughton CBM International catherine.naughton@cbmi.net Catherine Townsend Wellspring Advisors chtownsend@wellspringadvisors.com Christina Giesch Shakya Handicap International cshakya@handicap-international.ch Cristiana Salomie Sense International Romania csalomie@senseint.org.ro Daniela Furcovici Cluj County Council teomelania@yahoo.com Daniela Herzog CBM Germany daniela.herzog@cbm-i.org Diana Oancea Inclusion Europe trainee@inclusion-europe.org Dominic Dinh Journal for Disability and International Development Dominic.dinh@uni-dortmund.de Dorine Thomissen Voluntary Services Overseas NL d.thomissen@vso.nl Dorothea K. Rischewski London School of Hygiene and tropical Medicine dorothea.rischewski@lshtm.ac.uk Douglas Soutar ILEP - Intern. federation of Anti-leprosy Associations dsoutar@ilep.org.uk Ebba Öhlund SHIA ebba@shia.se Eleanor Grieve Sense International Eleanor.Grieve@senseinternational.org.uk Elisabeth Bruce The Norwegian Association of Disabled Lissen.Bruce@nhf.no Els De Clercq IF els.declercq@ifglobal.org Eric Remacle Handicap International Belgium Eric.Remacle@Handicap.be Eric Rosenthal Mental Disability Rights International Erosenthal@mdri.org Estefania Mirpuri ONCE Spain otae@once.es Francesca Esu Enaip-Sardegna enaipbruxelles@tiscali.it Franco Sabine Laetitia HI France sfranco@handicap-international.org Gabriele Weigt Disability & Development Cooperation weigt@bezev.de Georgiana Pascu Centre for Legal Resources gpascu@crj.ro Giampierro Griffo DPI Italia giambatman@tin.it Gomez Gengoux Inclusion Europe self-advocacy@inclusion-europe.org Guggi Laryea World bank EU Liaison office glaryea@worldbank.org Gunta Anca Sustento gunta.anca@sustento.lv Gunta Berzina MiTi Foundation Latvia miti@telenet.lv Helen Brown VSO UK helen.brown@vso.org.uk Ignacio Velo ONCE Spain igva@once.es Javier Guemes EDF javier.guemes@edf-feph.org Jean Claude Couvreur MFA Belgium Jean Luc Simon GFPH - DPI-E president.gfph@dpi-europe.org Jean-Luc Destoop PHOS jean-luc.destoop@skynet.be Jens Lund DSI jl@handicap.dk Jimi Richardson International Service UK jrichardson@internationalservice.org.uk Johan Elsen CBM Belgium johanelsen@cbmi.be Joost Van Heesvelde CARAES joost.van.heesvelde@fracarita.org Julie Roegiers Handicap International Belgium julie.roegiers@handicap.be Julie-Jaye Charles Equalities National Council/UK Coalition Disability Rights Europe juliej.charles@equalitiesnational.org.uk Katarzyna Figiel Regional Office of Warmia-Mazury Voivodeship warmia-mazury1@skynet.be Kate Gooding Sightsavers KGooding@sightsavers.org Kathy Sinnot European Parliament, Member kathy.sinnott@europarl.europa.eu Kerstin Schafer University Freiburg K.Schaefer@ich.ucl.ac.uk Kostas Siachos Handicap Care Hellas hch_003@yahoo.gr Laurie Ahern Mental Disability Rights International lahern@mdri.org Leon Peeters PHOS leon.peeters@phos.be Leticia Doblas Extremadura's Office ldoblas@prs.juntaex.es Lungu Daniela Office of UNCJR Brussels danalungu2005@yahoo.com Magda Kósáné Kovács European Parliament, Member magda.kosanekovacs@europarl.europa.eu Maggie Owen Disability and Development Partners maggie@ddpweb.org Mahbub Kabir ActionAid Bangladesh mahbub.kabir@actionaid.org Maja D?browska West Pomerania Regional Office westpomerania@wzp.pl Mara Taivane ACD - Atslegas Ceturtdienas Durvim mara_taivane@inbox.lv Marian Caucik eRko maros@erko.sk Marie Peschel CBM Germany marie.peschel@cbm-i.org Mario Bucci Handicap International Belgium Mario.BUCCI@Handicap.be Markus Neuherz EASPD markus.neuherz.mig@fh-joaneeum.at Marta Hernandez Enriquez European Foundation Centre marta.hernandez@efc.be Martyn Pennington EC-Head of unit in Europe Aid Coop. Office Martyn.Pennington@ec.europa.eu Mary Ann Mhina Uganda Society for Disabled Children maryann@usdcuk.org Mary Keogh Center for International Rehabilitation Ireland mkeogh@cirnework.org Matthias Rompel Gtz Germany Matthias.Rompel@gtz.de Michael Guy Handicap International UK michael.guy@hi-uk.org Michaela Petz Representation Office of the Salzburg Region celine.theissen@salzburg.gv.at Mirella Schwinge University Vienna for the Austrian Development Agency mirella.schwinge@univie.ac.at Nadia Hadad PHOS nadia@phos.be Nafeesur Rahman NFOWD nafees1962@yahoo.com, nfowd@bdmail.net Ophelie Marrel Association Européenne pour la Défense des Droits des l'Homme aedh@aedh.net Paddy Masefield + PA PLAN UK paddy@archbrook.plus.com Paola Mandurrino Provincia di Taranto paola.mandurrino@gmail.com Paulina Polowniak MFA Poland paulina.polowniak@msz.gov.pl Peter Evans OECD Peter.EVANS@oecd.org Philippe Chervin Handicap International France pchervin@handicap-international.org Pierre Mertens IF pierre.mertens@ifglobal.org Pilippe Menet Enfants du Mekong edmasn@enfantsdumekong.com Rafael Gonzalez ONCE Spain rrii@once.es Rika Esser + PA CBM Germany rika.esser@cbm-i.org Robert Mwandishi University of Bergen, Norway mwandisi@yahoo.com Roland Håkansson SHIA Sabine Depauw CBM Belgium sabinedepauw@cbmi.be Samantha Rennie Handicap International UK Samantha.rennie@hi-uk.org Sarah Collen World Vision EU liaison Office sarah_collen@wvi.org Sarah Hodge Power International sarah@powerinternational.org Sian Tesni CBM sian.t.roberts@btinternet.com Simonetta Capobianco AIFO mainstream.eu@aifo.it Sophie Beaumont Light for the World sophie.beaumont@light-for-the-world.org Stanislava Makovcova Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs CR stanislava.makovcova@mpsv.cz Stefan Trömel ONCE Spain stromel@fundaciononce.es Sue Coe World Vision UK sue.coe@worldvision.org.uk Sunanda Mavillapalli Leonard Cheshire International sunanda.mavillapalli@lc-uk.org Susan Buergi CBM International susanbuergi@hotmail.com Tuija Halmari FIDIDA tuija.halmari@fidida.fi Van Hove Geert Ghent University Geert.VanHOve@UGent.be Verlinden Els Ghent University Elske.Verlinden@Ugent.be Vidute Alisauskaite Vilnius Labour Market Training and counseling service valisauskaite@vilnius.ldrmt.lt Yves Dricot Cooperation belge yves.dricot@diplobel.fed.be Zsófia Tóth Assistant of MEP magda.kosanekovacs@europarl.europa.eu Zuzana Basistova eRko zuzana@erko.sk Additional registrations Abdu Hussaini Cathryn Upshon DG Relex EC Kate.UPSHON@ext.cec.eu.int Christiane Noe CBM Germany christiane.noe@cbm-i.org Diana White EU Cord diana.white@skynet.be Edith Cusnieux A.N.P.E.A. edith.cusnieux@free.fr Emilia Sanchez Chamoro Ministry of Education and Culture Spain Eric Plantier Folowosele Ezekiel Embassy of Nigeria ambnigeria@belgacom.net Francisco Alonso Soto Permanent representation Spain Gary Louis Albrecht Jeya Wilson VP global alliances CBM Jeya.wilson@cbm-i.org Joanna Lynn Campion Leonard Cheshire International joannacampion@gmail.com John Bogaerts John McCarthy Mad and Proud johnfmccarthy_90@hotmail.com Kerstin Bonier Mark Monihone Martin Banks Journalist martinbanks44@hotmail.com Mr N. Lee Cheong Lem Embassy of Mauritius ludi_75@yahoo.fr Patrick De Vlieger Fac. of Soc.Science,Interculturalism, Migration and Minorities Research Centre Patrick.Devlieger@ant.kuleuven.ac.be patrick.devlieger@soc.kuleuven.be Paul Vermeulen HI Switzerland pvermeulen@handicap-international.ch Pieter Bangma DG Dev EC pieter.bangma@ec.europa.eu Razvan Stefan Rab Mission of Romania to the EU razvan.st.rab@roumisue.org Solveig Koch CBM Germany Solveig.Koch@cbm-i.org Ulrike Weissenbacher Freelance Consultant ulrike.weissenbacher@scarlet.be Zoglmair Heidi Representation Office of the Salzburg Region Christine Roehrer DFID UK c-roehrer@dfid.gov.uk Christopher Townsend Katja Murray Consultant km@ciriusmail.dk  Kirstyn Inglis European Institute in Gent Kirstyn.Inglis@rug.ac.be Perrine Corcuff Stagiare, Council of the EU DG E II Quintero Servelio Rivera Dias Jesus Tobias Y Rubio Andres Council of the EU DG E II - External Relations Development Unit andres.tobias@consilium.europa.eu 1 The resolution “Disability & Development” was adopted on January 19, 2006 and can be found online at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?language=EN&pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P6-TA-2006-0033+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN 2 All stakeholders: multilateral and bilateral agencies including the EU institutions and EU member states; Governments of developing countries, development NGOs, and organizations of persons with disabilities (DPOs) 3 We invite you to send us further contact information in order that we can finalize this participants list. ?? ?? ?? ?? 48