FIMITIC

2 September 2010 - All 147 countries who signed the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities are meeting once a year to exchange views on how to put it into practice. The 3rd Conference of State Parties since the Convention entered into force in 2008 is held in New-York from 1 to 3 September 2010. EDF is proud to announce that two of its executive members are now part of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Thursday, August 19 and Friday, August 20, 2010 the Annual General Assembly of AHNR has been hold in Arad.

Four years after the death of Monica Antoci - the founder and the president of AHNR – the relay was taken by PhD. Ion Adrian Mihalcea. Mr. Ion Adrian Mihalcea was unanimously elected as the new president of AHNR for the next four years.

The European Parliament promotes equality of opportunity and encourages applications from women and men with disabilities for its traineeship programmes. In 2006 the European Parliament launched a specific traineeship programme for people with disabilities.

4 August 2010 - The European Disability Movement met the European Ombudsman to make sure rights of persons with disabilities will be better protected in Europe. Since 1995, the Ombudsman has to investigate complaints about the administration of the EU institutions. How does that work? Can he really improve the life of persons with disabilities in Europe?

Brussels, 27 July 2010 – The European Commission announces the launch of “Access●City Award”, the first European Award for Accessible Cities. This annual award aims to highlight the European cities that are taking the most effective and innovative action to improve their accessibility for disabled citizens.

It will celebrate and showcase the most successful initiatives that allow people with disabilities to participate fully in society. Accessibility is not difficult to implement, this is the initiative’s key message.

09 June 2010 - The European social affairs Ministers met 7-8 June in Luxembourg and adopted a resolution on the new European disability framework. Although the Council is calling for the inclusion of persons with disabilities by mainstreaming disability issues, the European Disability Forum (EDF) urges the Ministers to define concrete indications, targets and commitments to concretely improve the life of 65 millions Europeans with disabilities.

EDF President met the European Ombudsman on 28 May in Athens to discuss possible ways of cooperation.

More issues were on the agenda of the meeting, among which the Article 33.2 of the CRPD and the relations with the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).

The complete minutes of the General Assembly will be soon available on the Members’ Only website. In the meantime, here there are a few highlights of this year’s AGA.

Slovakia and Lithuania ratified the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

However, the Lithuanian Parliament ratified the UN Convention and the Optional Protocol with a reservation on article 25, which is as follows:

As part of the PROGRESS programme, which supports national activities raising awareness of discrimination and promoting equality, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) has published a handbook and DVD in the UK on the Disability Equality Duty. This legislative tool requires that public authorities actively promote the equality of disabled people when carrying out their functions. It lays down specific legal responsibilities, including the elimination of discrimination and harassment and the need to take account of a disabled person's disabilities.