| Programme : Presentation on Day
1 Text version of a PowerPoint Presentation:
The Purpose of the
Workshop
Presented by Kay Nagata
Disability Focal Point
UN ESCAP
Slide 1
UNESCAP/APDF Workshop on
Regional Follow-up to the Third and Fourth Sessions of the
Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International
Convention on the
Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with
Disabilities
11-12 October 2004
Bangkok
The purpose of the Workshop
By Kay Nagata, UNESCAP
2
Preamble
Beijing, 1992
Launch of Agenda for Action, Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled
Persons, 1993-2002
Resolution 58/4 (May 2002)
Promoting an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for people
with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region in the twenty-first
century (2003 – 2012)
Paradigm shift
From charity-based approach to inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based
3
Seven priority areas for action
- Self-help organizations of persons with disabilities and
related family and parent associations;
- Women with disabilities;
- Early detection, early intervention and education;
- Training and employment;
- Access to physical environments and public transport;
- Access to information and communications, including ICT;
- Poverty alleviation .
4
Strategies to achieve the BMF targets
Disability issues should have:
- National plan of action
- A rights-based approach (International convention for PWD)
- Statistics and common definitions for planning
- Strengthened community-based approaches to prevention of causes,
rehabilitation and empowerment of PWD
5
What is the Convention on Promoting and Protecting the Rights and
Dignity of Persons with Disabilities?
- No. 8 International Convention for Persons with Disabilities, similar
to CRC, CEDAW, etc.;
- Establishment of the Ad-Hoc Committee to elaborate the Convention
(e.g. preamble, structure, elements, monitoring mechanisms, etc.);
- What is the difference between the International Convention and other
forms of UN or international norms and standards (e.g. The Standard Rules
of Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities; the World
Programme of Action)
- Ratification by Member States (including reservations of some
articles), implementation (including revision of domestic laws and
regulations), enforcement, and monitoring;
- Monitoring at the national (e.g. through national human rights
commission, equal opportunities commission, national monitoring mechanism,
etc.) and international levels;
- State’s obligations, reporting by the signatories to the international
monitoring mechanism and the means of remedies.
6
Possible remedies
- Individual negotiations with employers, educational institutions,
etc.;
- Filing the case to the third party monitoring mechanism (such as a
national equal opportunities commission, national human rights
institution, etc.);
- Use of the 3rd party interventions, such as negotiation,
reconciliation, etc.
- Use of the judicial system (a case in the court of justice);
- Use of administrative system.
7
ESCAP mandate
-
General Assembly Resolution 57/229 of 18 December 2002 further
encouraged Governments, United Nations bodies, including regional
commissions, and other organizations to make available to the Ad Hoc
Committee suggestions and possible elements to be considered regarding the
proposed Convention.
8
Expert Group Meeting and
Seminar on an International Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and
Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
Bangkok, Thailand, 2-4 June 2003
Outcome: Bangkok Recommendations, submitted to the Second Session of
Ad-Hoc Committee on the Convention, held in NY, 16-27 2003 by UN ESCAP.
Base for the Bangkok Draft (full text version of
ESCAP workshop outcome document, October 2004)
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3rd session (May/June) and 4th session
(August/September) of the Ad Hoc Committee
- The “Bangkok Draft” was used as a basis for the Chairman’s Text during
the first Working Group Session, which took place at New York in January
this year;
- The network of NGOs was named the “Asia-Pacific Disability Forum (APDF)”;
- Increasing responsibility now rests with government delegates at the
global inter-governmental forum;
- Dialogue and negotiation between the disability community and the
governments of some countries of our region (good practices).
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The expected outcome of this workshop
- NGO and government joint political statement to support the process
towards the Convention;
- Report of each discussion groups:
Working Group Discussions
- Ratification/State Obligations/Application of the Convention;
- Monitoring mechanism at international, regional and national levels;
- Capacity building of self-help groups and technical cooperation;
- Development of national legislatives and a comprehensive policy
11
Thank you
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