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“The Convention is like a bird in cage and must be released to fly away from a cage with barriers of attitudes” said Yannis Vardakastanis, President of EDF, when opening the seminar. “For too long, participation and rights of persons with disabilities have been disregarded. The CRPD offers a unique opportunity for persons with disabilities to act at the forefront of all decisions concerning their lives and recognizes that only persons with disabilities themselves would be able to bring the necessary content to the definition of human rights”. He underlined that “Focal points shall have a real say within governments, this is the only way to ensure that no policies or legislations are in contradiction with the principles of the CRPD”. He added: “To free the bird, we need efficient implementing bodies at least at prime Minister level, we need mechanisms with the capacity to enforce disability rights, we need a paradigm shift in enforcement”.

Hywel Ceri Jones, Co-Chair of the European Consortium of Foundations on Human Rights and Disability, underlined that “Changes require a new dynamic of reform to be embedded in processes at all levels. The Convention set out a new architecture to enable this change. If we get it right, the machinery will unleash its full potential”. He challenged the European Commission and Parliament to design innovative solutions to truly make the European Communities an international leader in human rights ensuring full involvement of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations. He furthermore expressed the wish “to reconnect the world of disability foundations and human rights foundations” which are key to change the concept of disability into a human rights issue.

•  programme
•  Speech of EDF President, Yannis Vardakastanis
•  Key note speech "National implementing and monitoring bodies: obligations derived from the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities", by Ms Silvia Lavagnoli, Human Rights Officer, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
• The UK experience, by Neil Crowther, Director on Disability Issues of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
  •  The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s planned programme on UNCRPD
  •  National frameworks for the promotion and protection of persons with disabilities
•  The German experience by Dr Valentin Aichele, LL.M., Head of the CRPD national monitoring mechanism, German Institute for Human Rights
• The Spanish experience: "A new paradigm for the rights of persons with disabilities",  (powerpoint), by Ana Sastre Campo (CERMI)
• Tha Austrian experience:  "Federal Disability Act: Independent monitoring committee for the implementation of the CRPD" (unofficial translation)
• The European approach to Article 33:
  • by Inmaculada Placencia-Porrero, European Commission (powerpoint)
  • Commission proposal for the Council decision on the conclusion of the UN CRPD by the European Community
  • by Rodolfo Cattani, European Disability Forum
  • by Geoffrey Harris, European Parliament
•  EDF views on the structure and role of national mechanisms for the implementation and monitoring of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

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