Participants in a two-day conference on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which got underway in Kranjska Gora on Thursday, agreed that the EU and its member states need to make sure that the provisions of convention are implemented.
Addressing the conference entitled "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: From Words to Reality?", Labour, Family and Social Affairs Minister Marjeta Cotman said that while the convention is setting high standards, most member states are already meeting them.
The implementation of the convention will meanwhile be proof that the EU has already reached a development stage where it is also aware of its responsibility for protecting the human rights of vulnerable groups, Cotman added.
The minister stressed the need to further develop coordinated policies in the EU, policies that secure all-round social inclusion and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities. Special attention needs to be devoted to dialogue with persons with disabilities and disabled persons' organisations, she added.
The honorary sponsor of the conference, President Danilo Tuerk, made a video address in which he described the convention as an important achievement that brings consensus on ways for securing the equality of persons with disabilities.
"This is an important value, which we can accept easily, but find it hard to attain in practice," he noted.
European Disability Forum (EDF) president Yannis Vardakastanis called for concrete action, including checking national legislation and policies against the provisions of the convention.
We want to see action plans, which need to include clear deadlines and criteria on the basis of which we can measure the progress made, Vardakastanis said.
Also present was Vladimir Spidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, who agreed that political, social and business partners need to join forces to secure that the objectives of the convention are met.
Spidla stressed the need to develop services which target users and secure everyday autonomy for persons with disabilities. What is more, the European Commission needs to make a step towards also protecting persons with disabilities outside their working environment, the commissioner added.
The convention, which entered into force at the beginning of this month, was signed before the end of April by 130 countries and ratified by 24, including Slovenia.
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