IDA CRPD FORUM STEERING COMMITTEE Disabled Peoples International Inclusion

ida crpd forum steering committee disabled peoples international, inclusion international, international federation of hard of hearing

IDA CRPD FORUM
STEERING COMMITTEE
Disabled Peoples' International, Inclusion International,
International Federation of Hard of Hearing People,
Rehabilitation International, World Blind Union,
World Federation of the Deaf, World Federation of the DeafBlind,
World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry,
Arab Organization of Disabled People, European Disability Forum,
Asia Pacific Disability Forum, Red Latinoamericana de Organizaciones
no Gubernamentales de Personas con Discapacidad y sus familias
(RIADIS), Secretariat for the African Decade of Persons with
Disabilities,
Handicap International, Survivor Corps
IDA (CRPD Forum) contribution to the draft declaration on human rights
education prepared by the Advisory Committee to the Human Rights
Council
Introduction
IDA (CRPD Forum) welcomes the initiative of a draft declaration on
human rights education.
IDA is the representative voice of global and regional organisations
of persons with disabilities and its CRPD Forum has been established
to effectively promote the implementation of the Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Persons with disabilities are only since recently considered to be
part of the human rights agenda and the declaration on human rights
education can make an important contribution to ensure that the rights
of persons with disabilities are fully taken into account in all
initiatives in the field of human rights education.
IDA member organisations had sent a joint written contribution to the
Advisory Committee prior to its third session, contribution which is
attached. The main message of that contribution was to ensure that
persons with disabilities will benefit from human rights education and
that the rights of persons with disabilities should be considered an
integral part of any mainstream human rights education-
IDA welcomes the reference to the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (CRPD) in the draft declaration and would like to
make a number of proposed amendments to the proposed draft.
Concrete proposals
It is proposed to add a reference to “disability” as one of the
grounds on which no discrimination should be allowed. The CRPD clearly
establishes the protection of persons with disabilities against any
form of discrimination based on disability.
5. The right to human rights education and training is based on the
principle of equality, in particular the equality between girls and
boys, the equality between women and men; it aims to ensure equal
opportunity through access to education for all, without any
discrimination, particularly without any distinction as to race, sex,
language (ADD “disability”) or religion; it shall lead to the
elimination of discriminations and stereotypes.
The CRPD recognises the need for accessible communication and sign
languages. It is therefore proposed to add a reference to sign
language and other forms of communication as reflected in article 2 of
he CRPD in declarative paragraph 8 as follows:
8. The right to human rights education and training must be adaptable
to different situations, respect cultural diversity and become a lever
for development. It shall be achieved through an appropriation of
rights and by using language suitable to the target audience, through
a systematic effort of taking into account fully cultural references
and of translation into local languages (ADDITION: “and sign
languages, as well as ensuring full accessibility to persons with
disabilities through the use of Braille and other modes, means and
formats of communication”).
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities promotes
social change in many areas including in the way in which society
looks at persons with disabilities. Disability as part of human
diversity is one of the principles enshrined in the article 3 of the
CRPD. The reference to “disability” in paragraph 12 undermines this
approach and IDA therefore proposes to delete this reference. The
proposed additions in paragraphs 5, 8 and 17 are considered sufficient
to ensure that human rights education includes the rights of persons
with disabilities and will benefit persons with disabilities and their
organisations.
12. The right to human rights education and training must fully take
in account vulnerable groups, by ensuring effective access to
fundamental education, as well as to human rights education, so that
each one may effectively exercise his/her rights, particularly in
situations of hunger, (DELETE: “disability”), illiteracy, exclusion or
marginalization, in particular with regard to nomads, migrants,
displaced persons and refugees.
The role of organisations of persons with disabilities is clearly
recognised in the CRPD. They also play an important role in providing
training on the human rights of persons with disabilities. It is
therefore proposed to add a reference to these organisations in
declarative paragraph 17 as follows:
17. The right to human rights education and training requires the
mobilization of all the sectors of the society, not only the State and
the entirety of public authorities, specifically local authorities,
but also the private sector. Enterprises, namely, transnational
corporations, cultural institutions and industries, the media and the
new media technologies should fully assume their responsibility in
human rights education and training. The many actors of civil society,
such as religious institutions, associations, NGOs, professional
associations, teachers and students’ parents associations also have an
irreplaceable role to play. It is an obligation of the State to
reinforce the capacity of NGOs, in particular women’s associations
(ADD: “and organisations of persons with disabilities”) both in urban
and rural areas.