CVIA Expands Partnership to Support Policy Dialogues for Persons with Disabilities

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – During the 32nd Session of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Centre supported a global organisation of persons with disabilities in participating in the treaty-body system.  

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international treaty with 164 signatories and 192 parties, ensuring the fundamental economic, social, and civil rights for persons with disabilities. The European Union’s compliance with the CRPD was slated for review this session. 

AccessibilityAtlas, a youth-focused group, works to amplify the role of persons with disabilities in all aspects of the public and political life. Recently, they have been aiming to reverberate their mission at the international level, amplifying a core part of their constituency from the European Union.  

The Centre’s strategic objective of ensuring civil societies can engage in global dialogue and decision-making positions were the core foundations of supporting AccessibilityAtlas. Over the course of several months, staff worked to guide AccessibilityAtlas throughout the treaty body process, helping amplify marginalised disabled European civil society voices in the review. 

Article 9 issues, focusing on accessibility, were the core focus of the report. Addressed topics included inconsistent legal standards for accessibility across the EU, lack of accessibility for disabled persons in new technologies such as AI, and more. According to the report, nearly 80,000,000 persons in the EU have disabilities, and a variety of factors stifle their public and political participation. Read the full report here.  

The outlined suggestions were warmly welcomed by the Committee. Ms. Laverne Jacobs, Committee Expert from Canada, utilised several of the report contributions in her enquiries towards the European Union’s delegation. Questions included “What measures would be taken to extend accessibility to areas currently not covered by the European Accessibility Act?” In addition, the Committee experts further enquired, “What measures were being taken to inform the enforcement of digital accessibility laws?” and “What measures were being adopted to ensure accessibility standards were integrated into the development of rapidly growing technology such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality?” 

Constructive dialogue is core to achieving policy change. As a result of AccessibilityAtlas’ efforts supported by the Centre, the European Union responded that “the scope of European Union legislation in the area of accessibility was affected by the competences of the Union and the principle of subsidiarity”.  

Our work across multiple areas and issues of the globe points to one common theme: the need for all persons to have their voice heard and represented in society. Supporting less experienced groups with the knowledge and context required to make change is the core of our mission, and something we will continue doing in the coming months.

This partnership was made possible with the support of Dinu Antonescu, Executive Director of AccessibilityAtlas. If you have any enquiries on partnership with the Centre, or would like us to support your work in achieving change, do not hesitate to contact Assistant Director for Public Diplomacy Antonia Gouvis. 

The Centre joined European-based AccessibilityAtlas staff at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland to support their participation in the 32nd session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.