Brussels, 19 March 2025
Dear Prime Minister, Dear Ministers,
On behalf of the European Disability Forum (EDF), the umbrella organisation advocating for the rights of 100 million Europeans with disabilities, and our co-signing partners , the Italian Forum of Disability, the National Assembly of People with Disabilities (Ukraine) and the League of the Strong (Ukraine), we write to you regarding the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference, set to take place on 10-11 July 2025 in Rome.
Since the escalation of the war in Ukraine, the European Disability Forum (EDF), its members and partners have been actively engaged in promoting a disability-inclusive approach to recovery and reconstruction. We strongly believe that the rights and interests of persons with disabilities, along with the principles of accessible reconstruction, must be prominently reflected in the conference agenda. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction underscores the importance of inclusive reconstruction to build back better after crises, making it essential to ensure that Ukraine’s recovery efforts leave no one behind.
In this regard, we would like to:
- Ensure that the conference venue and all services provided are fully accessible to persons with disabilities, enabling their unrestricted participation. We are particularly concerned about the lack of accessibility during the Business Dimension Preparatory Event ‘On the Road to URC 2025’ on March 5th, which highlighted ongoing barriers to inclusive participation.
- Facilitate the inclusion of EDF and its members, Ukrainian and Italian organisations of persons with disabilities as speakers and participants, ensuring that the voices of persons with disabilities are meaningfully represented.
- Incorporate disability rights and accessible reconstruction as a key theme within the official conference programme, reinforcing the need for inclusive rebuilding efforts.
- Seek your support in organising a side event on disability-inclusive recovery, co-hosted by EDF, Ukrainian and Italian organisations of persons with disabilities, to further highlight best practices and key challenges.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference presents a critical opportunity to champion an inclusive and accessible reconstruction process. In alignment with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), it is essential to guarantee the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in shaping Ukraine’s future. We look forward to working with you to ensure that accessibility and inclusion are at the heart of Ukraine’s recovery efforts.Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We would be pleased to discuss this further at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Yannis Vardakastanis, President, European Disability Forum
Antonio Cotura, Vice President, Italian Disability Forum
Viktoria Nazarenko, Secretary General, National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine
Daria Kukurika, Executive Director, The League of the Strong (Ukraine)