FIMITIC

On the eve of the launch of the European Year on Active Ageing and solidarity between Generations, the EY2012 Coalition presents its joint Manifesto and Road Map and urges all relevant actors at local, national and European level to seize the momentum of the European Year 2012 to commit to creating an age-friendly European Union that will allow everyone to live, learn, work and age with dignity.

On 12th of January, a French court found the British low-cost airline Easyjet guilty of discriminating against three disabled passengers in 2008 and 2009. The French organisation representing people with disabilities Association des Paralysés de France (APF) and the European Disability Forum (EDF) as well as the French National Disability Council (CFHE) welcome this important decision taken by a French court and based on the EU regulation.

6th December 2011 - Today, the first State of the Union on Disability was organised in Brussels. This historic meeting hosted by President José Manuel Barroso gathered Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, Herman Van Rompuy President of the European Council, and Yannis Vardakastanis President of the European Disability Forum: the representative organisation of disabled people in Europe. Together, they discussed how to improve the lives of 80 million Europeans with disabilities and to guaranty their rights and freedom of movement.

Brussels, 1 December 2011 – The Austrian city Salzburg today won the Access City award 2012, the European prize for making cities more accessible to people with disabilities. The annual honour aims to award efforts to improve accessibility in the urban environment and to foster equal participation of people with disabilities. The European Commission commended Salzburg's long-standing commitment, coherent approach and excellent results in improving accessibility, achieved with the direct participation of people with disabilities.

The Symposium entitled “Equitable Health Services for People with Disabilities with a Focus on Low and Middle Income Countries” is being co-organized by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on 8 November 2011.

From 21 to 23 September 2011, the Global Partnership for Disability and Development (GPDD) will hold its 3rd Disability and Development Forum and Membership Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Members and partners will focus on options for action towards the social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities, particularly in light of Article 32 of the CRPD.

Development Partners will review current processes and challenges, as well as explore options to achieve development goals.

The European Commission has opened nominations for the second edition of the Access City Award, the European Award for Accessible Cities.

As part of the EU’s wider effort to create a barrier-free society, this award aims to reward cities which take exemplary steps to improve their accessibility for people with disabilities in fundamental aspects of city living.

Improved accessibility is important especially in the context of demographic ageing; by sharing best practices, the successes of some cities can be an inspiration to many other countries.

The fourth session of the Conference of States Parties will be held at UN Headquarters in New York from 7 to 9 September 2011.

The Conference will include a high-level segment and general debate, as well as two Roundtables entitled “Realizing the CRPD through international cooperation” and “Ensuring effective and full participation in political and public life”. This session will also include an informal session entitled “Realizing the right to work”, as well as an interactive dialogue on the implementation of the Convention”.

On 25 July, DESA hosted an interactive discussion titled “Including youth with disabilities in development”, aimed at ensuring the inclusion of youth with disabilities in all aspects of development.

103 ratifications of the Convention
149 signatories to the Convention

Optional Protocol to the Convention

62 ratifications of the Optional Protocol
90 signatories to the Optional Protocol

Pakistan ratified the Convention on 5 July 2011