August 27, 2007
Disabled People's International World Assembly
The closer the opening of DPI's World Assembly the more I regret that I will be unable to attend.
Presenters have been writing in giving updates on what they will be presenting in Seoul, South Korea next month. With keynotes, workshops, poster sessions, a film festival and -- don't forget -- tours this promises to be a historic event for the disability community internationally.
Goal and Objectives of the DPI World AssemblyBACKGROUND:
In 2002, the UN began sponsoring Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) Sessions with the aim of developing an international treaty or convention that will uphold the human rights of persons with disabilities. Within five years, on March 30, 2007, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and accompanying Optional Protocol were “opened for signature” by all Member States of the UN.
Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI), as an international human rights organization, has been heavily involved in the treaty process, including initial drafting of the text, since the first meeting in August 2002 at UN Headquarters in New York.
NEED:
Looking ahead, DPI sees vast potential for this new Convention. We also recognize, however, that the challenges are many as we move forward. Most persons with disabilities live in poverty and were unable to play an active role during the treaty negotiations process. The majority of the 650,000 million persons with disabilities worldwide, of whom 80% live in developing countries, have little or no concept of the meaning of human rights or even see themselves as rights-bearing individuals. Women, children and indigenous persons with disabilities are particularly in need of support. Millions of women with disabilities, for example, continue to be among the poorest and most marginalized persons in the world. They have little, if any, education and/or training and employment opportunities. They are victims of violence and other abuses, unaware of their basic human rights, and have little access to sexual and reproductive health services.
A critical next step is to ensure that persons with disabilities, particularly women, youth and indigenous persons with disabilities, are cognizant of their human rights under the CRPD and involved in active partnerships with governments and other human rights organizations to ensure those rights. The adoption of the CRPD both serves to underscore the need for more knowledge and expertise in this area and at the same time creates a truly wonderful and historic opportunity to do so.
DPI's 7th WORLD ASSEMBLY: To carry out its strategic vision grounded in human rights, DPI seeks to engage persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in (1) discussion of their human rights under the Convention, and (2) laying the foundation for collaborative strategic partnerships with governments and other human rights organizations focusing on ratification and implementation of the Treaty. DPI’s 7th World Assembly will be the venue for this engagement.
The theme for the 2007 event, Our Rights, Our Convention, But For All, will set the stage for the work DPI is doing worldwide towards ratification and implementation of the CRPD. Organized by DPI and DPI-Korea, the 7th World Assembly will be the largest global meeting of persons with disabilities since the CRPD was adopted by the UN General Assembly. This gathering of persons with disabilities and their allies offers an essential opportunity to celebrate the adoption of this historic Treaty, become informed about the human rights elaborated in the Treaty, and commence serious deliberation on collaborative approaches for the ratification and implementation of the Treaty at the national and international levels. Not only will the 7th World Assembly provide the forum for persons with disabilities to discuss their rights under the CRPD and ensure they are upheld, it will also be used as a forum to highlight issues of those persons with disabilities who are most marginalized, women, youth and indigenous persons with disabilities.
Through its 7th World Assembly, DPI seeks to capitalize on the momentum developed during the treaty process to date. Working together, DPI members can be a true catalyst for advancing disability issues on the national human rights agenda of countries and institutions all over the world.
GOAL:
To ensure that the human rights of persons with disabilities, particularly women, indigenous persons and youth, as elaborated by the CRPD, are acknowledged, respected and upheld
OBJECTIVES:
1. To provide an opportunity for persons with disabilities to network, share information and become informed of their rights under the CRPD
2. To support development and implementation by persons with disabilities and their representative organizations of community-based strategies to influence signature, ratification and implementation of the CRPD at the country level
3. To lay the foundation for DPI National Assemblies to build collaborative relations with bi-lateral and multi-lateral development agencies working with client countries who are States Parties to the CRPD
4. To provide (a) a forum for women with disabilities and their networks to discuss their unique rights under the CRPD and (b) the opportunity for them to identify directions to pursue in order to ensure those rights are upheld
5. To provide a forum for indigenous persons and youth with disabilities to discuss their rights under the CRPD and provide DPI with direction on how to ensure those rights
6. To elicit direction of members on content of DPI’s Strategic Plan for 2007-2011
7. To provide a venue for persons with disabilities to hold regional meetings for discussion and strategy development around issues and activities that impact them, e.g. African, Asia-Pacific and Organization of American States Decades on Disability
Source:
http://dpiwa.net/eu/community/press_release.asp?db=press_eng&mode=viewcontents&idx=31&seq=5&page=1