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Read more No more violence against women with disabilities!
No more violence against women with disabilities!
25.11.2020 European Disability Forum statement on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Today, the 25th of November, recalling that, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in force in the European Union since 22nd January 2011, recognises in the preamble that women and girls with disabilities are often at greater risk, both within and outside the home, of violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation; The 2030 Agenda, through Sustainable Development Goal No 5, seeks to put an... -
Read more Winner of Accessible Airport Award 2020 announced
Winner of Accessible Airport Award 2020 announced
18.11.2020 Winner of Accessible Airport Award 2020 announced As part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by ACI Europe and the European Disability Forum (EDF) in 2016, the Accessible Airport Award honours the best airport in Europe in terms of its level of accessibility as well as the range and the quality of the assistance services offered. It is also intended to encourage other airports to continue their work on removing the barriers that people with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility (PRM) can still face when travelling by air. This year’s Accessible Airport Award went to Copenhagen... -
Read more Rolling out accessibility. Technology as a great ally for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life
Rolling out accessibility. Technology as a great ally for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life
06.11.2020 The whole of Europe is currently experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 infection, even stronger than in March. Equal access to technology is essential to avoid isolation and to improve the inclusion of persons with disabilities. COVID-19 pandemic inevitably boosted the use of technology. Since the onset of the pandemic, online tools and technology-based services played a growing role in many of our lives. Persons with disabilities were by no means an exception. Although barriers remain preventing equal access to the whole range of products and services available, accessibility is increasing... -
Read more i2i inclusive employment programme launches Disability and COVID-19 Influencer Pack
i2i inclusive employment programme launches Disability and COVID-19 Influencer Pack
04.11.2020 A new advocacy resource for anyone wanting to influence decisions affecting the lives of people with disabilities in a pandemic has been formally launched. The Disability and COVID-19 Influencer Pack has been produced by Innovation to Inclusion (i2i), a programme funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and delivered by a consortium led by pan disability charity Leonard Cheshire, and also including the European Disability Forum (EDF), the International Labour Organization and the World Bank. This influencer pack – which is aimed at both individuals (people with... -
Read more COVID-19 and Disability: Urgent actions needed to ensure human rights and an inclusive recovery plan during the pandemic
COVID-19 and Disability: Urgent actions needed to ensure human rights and an inclusive recovery plan during the pandemic
03.11.2020 On Friday 30th October, the event “COVID-19 and Disability” took place together with Lebenshilfe, a German organisation of persons with disabilities that defend the interests of persons with intellectual disabilities persons. The conference funded by the European Union had the participation of the Ministry of Social Affairs of the German Government. Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities in Europe The pandemic is representing a human crisis of unprecedented scale, seriously affecting health and disrupting the livelihood and overall wellbeing of people all over the... -
Read more Why has the European Union not included people with disabilities as a priority in the vaccination of COVID19? Read our open letter
Why has the European Union not included people with disabilities as a priority in the vaccination of COVID19? Read our open letter
29.10.2020 The Commission’s President Ursula Von der Leyen, in her State of the Union speech stated: ‘Europe needs to continue to handle the COVID-19 pandemic with extreme care, responsibility and unity, and use the lessons learnt to strengthen the EU’s crisis preparedness and management of cross-border health threats’. Persons with disabilities have learned in 2020, and they have learned these lessons the hard way. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the rights of persons with disabilities have been violated in all areas of life. Data has shown that they are at higher risks from the virus. A tragic... -
Read more EU Rail Passengers’ Rights: this political deal isn’t the breakthrough we had hoped for
EU Rail Passengers’ Rights: this political deal isn’t the breakthrough we had hoped for
28.10.2020 When the review of the rail passengers’ rights was launched, we had high hopes. After all, with the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), we knew that EU institutions and Member States committed to provide equal access to transport for persons with disabilities. At last, there was an opportunity for us to finally get the right to ‘turn up and go’, the right to make those spontaneous, last-minute trips that most people take for granted. Unfortunately, the political agreement (pdf) the European Parliament Transport committee is... -
Read more Virtual Conference of State Parties of the CRPD (30 November-4 December)
Virtual Conference of State Parties of the CRPD (30 November-4 December)
27.10.2020 The Conference of States Parties (COSP) of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is an annual event that gathers State Parties to the Convention, disability experts, organisations of persons with disabilities, and other civil society organisations, to discuss the state of implementation of the Convention. The session that usually takes place in June, in the headquarter of the United Nations in New York, was rescheduled due to the global pandemic. It will take place virtually from 30th November to 4th December. 30 November: opening and CRPD Committee’s... -
Read more Let’s aim for an ambitious European Disability Rights Agenda 2021-30
Let’s aim for an ambitious European Disability Rights Agenda 2021-30
22.10.2020 Last Friday the EC published its roadmap on the post-2020 European Disability Strategy, to be adopted in the 1st quarter 2021. EDF advocates for a comprehensive Strategy covering all aspects of the lives of persons with disabilities. All areas contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) should be part of the Strategy. We welcome the current areas listed in the roadmap. In our views, the current adopted approach offers opportunities to meaningfully deliver to citizens with disabilities – if clear and ambitious objectives are adopted in each sector. Now it’s... -
Read more Success for the first VIVID-T conference on inclusive volunteering and humanitarian action
Success for the first VIVID-T conference on inclusive volunteering and humanitarian action
21.10.2020 On the 21st October 2020, the consortium members of the EU-funded VIVID-T project launched its first conference on inclusive volunteering and humanitarian action. The online event, led by our partner Viatores Christi with the support of CBM Ireland, saw about 70 participants brought together to discuss the future of international volunteering. The audience was diverse with representatives of the Irish government, the EU as well grassroots organisations from Africa and Asia. Viatores Christi took this opportunity to present the results of its new report on online volunteering, while various...
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