Nothing about us without us: Enhancing participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life in Asia and Europe
In collaboration with the International Disability Alliance and CBM, ASEF organised a side-event to the 10th Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP10) that took place on 13-15 June 2017 at the UN Headquarters, New York, USA.
The panel discussion “Nothing about us without us: Enhancing participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life in Asia & Europe†took place on 14 June 2017 from 11:45 am to 1:00 pm in Conference Room 11 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA.
Based on the outcomes of the 16th Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights, this event brought together experts from Asia and Europe to:
- Exchange best practices ensuring meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life in Asia and Europe
- Share recommendations to improve participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political and public life in both regions
- Exchange ideas on how regional processes in both regions can support national implementation
Moderator: Mirjam GASSER, Advocacy Officer, CBM Switzerland
- Nadia HADAD, Executive Committee Member, European Disability Forum (EDF), and Board Member, European Network on Independent Living (ENIL)
- Government official representative (TBC)
- Dr Rosemary KAYESS, Senior Research Fellow, University of New South Wales, Australia
- Sébastien KESSLER, Project Manager, CHUV Hospital and Co-Founder of id-Geo, Swiss Delegation Representative
- Risna UTAMI, Chair of the Indonesian National Consortium for Disability Rights (INCDR)
International Sign Language & Captioning will be provided
A webcast of the event can be found here.
Background
This event was organised in follow-up to the 16th Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights, which took place on 8-10 November 2016 in Beijing, China, on the topic “Persons with Disabilities and Human Rightsâ€.
The Informal Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Seminar on Human Rights promotes mutual understanding and co-operation between Europe and Asia in the area of political dialogue, particularly on human rights issues. It is co-organised by the ASEF, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (nominated by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. ASEF has acted as the Secretariat of the Seminar since 2000.
Funded by the European Union
Project Updates
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The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) organised a panel discussion on participation of persons with disabilities in political and cultural life on 14 June 2017 at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York.
It was held on the side-lines of the United Nations Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN COSP), the largest and most diverse international disability meeting in the world. The UN COSP drew the participation of more than 1,200 representatives of government delegations, UN Agencies, civil society organisations, National Human Rights Institutes, and Disabled Persons Organisations.
ASEF’s event, titled “Nothing about us without us: Enhancing participation of persons with disabilities in political and cultural life in Asia & Europe†was co-organised with CBM International and the International Disability Alliance. It was held as a follow-up to the 16th Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights, which took place on 8–10 November 2016 in Beijing, China, on “Persons with Disabilities and Human Rightsâ€. It provided a unique opportunity to share the outcomes of the Seminar and promote the forthcoming publication, “Human Rights & Disabilities†to an audience of experts in the field of disability.
Moderated by Mirjam GASSER from CBM Switzerland, the panel addressed the importance of inclusion of persons with disabilities in policy processes. Dr Rosemary KAYESS (University of South Wales, Australia) stressed the need for accessible party systems while Nadia HADAD (European Disability Forum/European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) questioned the accessibility standards of voting instructions and information in Europe. Sebastien KESSLER (Swiss Delegation to the UN COSP) highlighted the importance to expand disability across all areas and to assess the effectiveness and influence of inclusion. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were identified by Risna UTAMI (Indonesian National Consortium for Disability Rights) as an opportunity to reinforce the role of persons with disabilities and representative organisations in public policy.
The event was broadcasted live on UN Web TV and is now available on-demand. You can watch the panel discussion here.
