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April 2007

MONTENEGRO Drafts Antidiscrimination Law

The final round table on the draft Law on Protecting People with Disabilities from Discrimination was held in Podgorica on April 18th 2007. The round tables are part of the public debate, organized around the country, to both promote the anti-discrimination policy but also to get suggestions from the field.

This draft is the crowning document in the country's policy reform toward a shift in understanding the rights and needs of people with disabilities in Montenegro through a human rights approach. The initial document was elaborated by the Working Group composed of local experts from the Union of Blind and their colleagues from Serbia.

The round table in Podgorica was the fourth and final one. All the stakeholders were present including: governmental, non-governmental, experts and international organizations. The joint conclusion was that the Draft is comprehensive; in line with EU and international policies on non-discrimination and that it will contribute to the full inclusion of people with disabilities but also to the democratization of society in general.

The biggest concern is how the process of adoption and implementation will be carried out and what if any interventions might be made on the Draft. Participants strongly insisted that some parts of the Law should not undergo changes, namely the following: active legitimacy of DPOs in the court, the discriminator's obligation to prove that they were not being discriminatory, and the new institution of 'testator' - a person that will have an advisory role in the preparatory phase of the law suit. 

This initiative was driven in partnership by the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Union of the Blind and was funded by the American embassy in Podgorica. There was some media coverage of the event as well. 

A WEEK TO PROMOTE UN CONVENTION IN KOSOVO

Little People of Kosova are organizing a "Kosovo Week on the Right of People with Disabilities" from the 23-27th of April promoting the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. To commemorate this event, a special edition of postage stamps to promote the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities are being produced, designed by people with disabilities. The PTK, Posts and Telecommunications of Kosovo, will host the opening event on April 23, with wide media coverage. The campaign will also be carried out outdoors, with posters and billboards carrying the motto of the campaign OUR RIGHTS TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE.

March 2007

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER ENCOURAGES GOVERNMENTS TO SIGN NEW UN DISABLITY CONVENTION

Strasbourg, 28.03.2007 - Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, encourages Council of Europe member states to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, when it opens for signature and ratification on 30 March. To raise awareness about the importance of this Convention, the Commissioner has made the following statement:

"Once in force, this long-awaited Convention will fill a gap in international human rights law. The treaty re-interprets our definition of human rights from a disability perspective and clarifies what governments need to do to ensure an effective observance of these rights.
As a key element of protection against discrimination, the Convention obligates states to make adjustments to meet the needs of persons with disabilities (principle of "reasonable accommodation"). The principles of "individual autonomy", "inclusion in society" and "accessibility" are also core guiding principles in the Convention.

The treaty clarifies how these can be ensured through the establishment of specific rights such as the right to make decisions on personal and legal matters (legal capacity), the right to live independently in society, the right to community-based support services and health-care and the right to inclusive education and equal work opportunities.
In addition, the Optional Protocol will allow individuals and groups to take complaints to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, once all national recourse procedures have been exhausted.

The disability movement and National Human Rights Institutions have been instrumental in the development of this Convention, and they will continue to play a crucial role to ensure an effective monitoring of its operation. Governments will also be assisted by the European Disability Action Plan - an efficient tool in the implementation process."

With questions and queries, please contact Zsofia Szilagyi, Mob: +336 6114 7037, Email: zsofia.szilagyi@coe.int

January 2007

ROK ZA PODNOŠENJE PREDLOGA PROJEKATA ZA "ADVOCACY IN PRACTICE" GRANTOVE, OBJAVLJENOG OD STRANE INSTITUTA ZA ODRŽIVE ZAJEDNICE, CSAI PROGRAMA U SRBIJI, POMEREN JE NA 15. FEBRUAR 2007

Formular za budžet je izmenjen. Novi formular možete naci na www.iscvt.org ili u dodatku ovog Email-a.

Institut za održive zajednice održace prezentacije o ovom konkursu kao što je navedeno u rasporedu u donjoj tabeli. Organizacije gradanskog društva zainteresovane da prisustvuju treba da potvrde svoje ucešce slanjem poruke na e-mail adresu: isc@iscserbia.org najkasnije dan pre zakazane prezentacije.

- 17. januar 2007, 11:00-12:30, Leskovac, Dom kulture "Žika Ilic Žuti", Bulevar Oslobodenja 101;
- 17. januar 2007, 16:00-17:30, Paracin,"Vila Nikolic", Branka Krsmanovica 45;
- 18 januar 2007, 10:30-11:00, Novi Pazar, "Urban In", Tržni centar VAKUF, 1. Maj bb;
- 19. januar 2007, 12:00-13.30, Subotica, "Otvorene perspektive", Prokes palata, Korzo 15/ 20;
- 23. januar 2007, 12:00-13:30, Beograd, "VOS", Bulevar Vojvode Bojovica 4.

Sva pitanja u vezi konkursa postavite pismenim putem slanjem mail-a na adresu: isc@iscserbia.org.

ISC ce periodicno objaviti odgovore na web sajtu: www.iscvt.org.
(Institut za održive zajednice)

Za dodatne informacije molim vas kontaktirajte osoblje Instituta za odrzive zajednice ili njihove partnerske organizacije.

December 2006

The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

New York, 13 December 2006 - The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This convention will be fundamental to some 650 million persons with disabilities all over the world.

This landmark Convention is the first major human rights treaty of the 21st century. It will be opened to the 192 member states for signature and ratification in March 2007. It will enter into force when ratified by 20 countries.

Disability advocates from around the world were instrumental in drafting the treaty - representing government delegations, national human rights institutes and organizations of persons with disabilities.

Human rights advocates hope that the Convention will finally ensure that governments are no longer be allowed to relegate persons with disabilities to the margins of society.

Countries that ratify it will have to put it into practice by introducing laws ensuring that persons with disabilities are treated fairly.

The treaty will be signed by the European Union as a legal entity - a first in the field of human rights.

Attitude change
When the text was agreed earlier this year, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan described it as "an historic achievement". This is the first human rights treaty of the 21st Century and sets out in detail the rights of people with disabilites. It covers civil and political rights, accessibility, participation and inclusion, education, health, employment and social protection.

The treaty also recognises that attitudes need to change if persons with disabilities are to achieve equality. Countries that adopt the treaty will have to abandon the laws, customs and practices that discriminate against persons with disabilities.

An optional protocol to the treaty will give groups and individuals the right to petition the Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities once they have exhausted all avenues within their own country.

A committee of independent experts will receive reports from states that have ratified the convention on the progress made in meeting their obligations.

full text of the Convention in English | full text of the Convention in Serbian | full text of the Convention in Albanian

Regional conference on the UN Convention on the rights of people with disabilities

European Disability Forum (EDF) held a regional conference "The UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities: From words to deeds" supported by Handicap International SEE in Tirana, Albania from 18-19 December, 2006.

This conference is part of EDF's project "Support to disabled people's umbrella organisations in the Western Balkans" funded by CARDS.

The conference gathered representatives from disabled people's organisations as well as members of government from around the region including: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and UN administered province of Kosovo.

The aim of the meeting was to present the key concepts of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and discuss the ratification, signing and implementation processes.

Conference Objectives
- Increasing knowledge amongst DPOs on the main elements of the Convention
- Providing ideas for the production of national action plans to sign, ratify and implement the Convention
- Promoting a partnership approach among DPOs and Governments in this process.

Participants
- 5 DPO representatives per country, including the presidents of national disability umbrella organisations
- 1 Government official per country and the person likely to be in charge of implementing the Convention
- Representatives from EDF, Landmine Survivors Network, Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC), Handicap International, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (WNUSP)

At the end of the conference, a resolution was drafted and adopted by the participants.
The full text of the resolution can be downloaded here

Presentations given at the conference include:
Article 32 - International Cooperation
Articles 27 and 28 - Work and Employment and Social Protection
Articles 12 and 14 Legal Capacity and Protection from Forced Interventions

National disability strategy adopted by the Government of Serbia on December 28, 2006
Vlada Srbije je 28. decembra 2006. usvojila Strategiju za unapredjenje polozaja osoba sa invaliditetom

The strategy can be downloaded in Serbian here...
Ovde mozete da preuzmete tekst strategije...

Forum: Deaf people in the Balkans

Belgrade, December 2006 - The Finnish Association of the Deaf FAD, and the World Federation of the Deaf, are organising a joint four-country forum called "Deaf People in the Balkans" in Belgrade. The forum is taking place from the 11th through to the 15th of December 2006 and aims to present the results of the Balkan Survey Project.

The Balkan survey project is an extensive base-line survey conducted by FAD of Deaf communities in four countries - Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey, each to be surveyed separately over the years 2004-2006.

Main objectives of the Survey are to get an insight into the situation for Deaf people in the survey countries including:
1. Current data on: deaf education, deaf advocacy, sign language work, legislation relating to deaf people, access to information for deaf people, support services for deaf people, employment for deaf people, general statistics of deaf people;
2. Overview of the strengths and qualities of the National Association of the Deaf and Republic, Regional and Local Associations of the Deaf;
3. Collection data on the Country Sign Language Interpreters; and
4. Identifying the needs and areas of interest for possible collaboration between the National Association of the Deaf and other National Associations of the Deaf or stakeholders regionally, nationally and internationally.

Draft Program of the Forum:

The Forum will be held in Belgrade, Serbia from Monday, 11th December - Friday, 15th December. The draft program of the forum is as follows:
- Overview on the Summary Executives from each of the country survey reports;
- Deaf People Worldwide: Equality and Quality (including Human Rights, Advocacy and Social Services);
- Deaf people and European Partnerships (including European Union Issues, Access to Employment and Access to Media);
- Sign Language Work;
- Deaf Education included Training for Teacher of the Deaf;
- Sign Language Interpreters;
- Deaf Youth;
- Donor Panel; and
- Future Directions Workshop

The Project is conducted under the auspices of FAD and funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sign interpretation in all languages is being provided.

November 2006

Opening of Toy Libraries for Children with Disabilities

Toy libraries for children with disabilities are a place in the community where children can mix and play in a safe environment while parents share experiences and participate in sessions with trained experts.

The first toy libraries to be opened in Serbia are part of the "Diminishing the Effect of Poverty on Children with Special Needs in Serbia" which is financed by the European Commission, and implemented by Save the Children (UK) in the following towns: Topola, Leskovac, Lazarevac and Ivanjica. The project will last 4 years and every year four more cities will be included. The libraries will be equipped with quality toys and didactic materials, adopted to children of different interests and abilites. The toy libraries will be open to children of kindergarten and primary school age but also their parents.

Their primary purpose is to provide toys and programs for stimulating intellectual, emotional, social, moral and physical development of children through a variety of individual and group activities. The first library has been opened in the Topola, in Milutina Jelenica street 34a. On November 30 the second will be opened in Ivanjica in Milenka Kusica street 106, December 8 in Leskovac in Nikole Skobaljica street 143, and Save the Children (UK) will inform of the precise date the fourth one will be opened in Lazarevac.

The toy libraries are aimed at creating additional playing, recreational and cognitive capacities, in order to expend the range of activities on offer in local communities to children and their families. To that purpose they will offer the following: programs designed and organized for the individual and group play; possibility of renting toys; workshops for making toys; presentations of new games; having birthday parties, counselling on how to include children with developmental disabilities in workshops.

Save the Children stresses that any initiatives from parents and children themselves are welcome. (source: B92)

Regional technical meeting on employment of people with disabilities

BELGRADE, November 2006 - The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Affairs of Serbia hosted a regional technical meeting on employment of people with disabilities supported by HI SEE. The aim of the meeting was to discuss current disability employment policies with various national authorities responsible for disability issues as well as with DPOs in order to evaluate current practices and identify the gaps.

Beyond legislation and awareness raising, other preconditions universally agreed upon are:
- an accessible environment;
- inclusive education;
- support services.

It was stressed that mainstreaming disability in labour force surveys being carried out in the region is important in order to get statistical data on disability and employment.

Mainstreaming disability into national employment policies and economic development strategies is also critical.

Sharing experience about all the steps and different solutions needed to improve the employment of people with disabilities was particularly important for the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Affairs of Serbia as it is in the process of drafting a law on employment of people with disabilities.

Participants were invited from: Bosnia and Herzegovina (both the Federation and Republika Srpska), Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

Representatives included:
- Ministry officials responsible for disability issues;
- Ministry officials responsible for employment issues;
- Officials from sheltered employment associations and national employment service;
- DPOs.

The conclusions of the meeting will be issued shortly.

EDF supports the production of national disability reports by disability organisations

EDF as a part of their project to support the creation of umbrella organisations in the Balkans through CARDS is initiating the second phase of the project: National Disability Reports written by disability organisations.

The reports will cover various issues including, definition of disability, statistics, education, employment, legal capacity, social services and transversal issues including women, children and minorities with disabilities. There will be seven of these reports in the SEE region, covering Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and Serbia.

As a part of this process, HI SEE will give technical support during the drafting of these reports, based on the experience it has accumulated in the region. Each of the 7 reports will be written by a task force designated by the members of the umbrella organization in each country/region. The task force will be responsible for drafting the report and conducting meetings to discuss the research throughout the process and decide upon the final contents.

The reports will cover various issues including, definition of disability, statistics, education, employment, legal capacity, social services and transversal issues including women, children and minorities with disabilities. They will be based on the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities as a way of comparing and contrasting policies that exist on a national level against what needs to be implemented.

The national disability reports have different aims; on the one hand they will serve as a tool for capacity building of disability organisations and on the other, they will be an instrument for lobbying governments. They will also be useful for raising awareness on the UN Convention. On a European level, the reports will be used to push the European Commission to include disability aspects in the accession process.

The reports will be finished in June 2007.

October 2006

HI SEE initiated a disability statistics mission in the region

Belgrade, October, 2006 - Thierry Gontier, Handicap International SEE Consultant on Statistics and Disability, paid a visit to the region, specifically, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania for the purpose of making preliminary assessment of the situation disability statistics. HI SEE is interested in raising awareness on the importance of disability statistics and giving an impulse for their production by relevant authorities.
- Invisibility is among the key disability issues. There is a vicious circle between the lack of statistical data on disability and marginalization of persons with disabilities. The lack of comprehensive statistical information on disability contributes to its exclusion from the political agenda and makes it very challenging to build effective reforms around this issue. Thus people with disabilities end up forgotten and marginalized. This vicious circle can easily be converted into virtuous one by finding the weakest link in the data collection and modifying it – said Mr Gontier.
Read more...

September 2006

Public presentation of the "Tickets for visibility" project

A public presentation of the project Ticket for visibility, implemented by DPO "Live up right" fromBelgrade and their partners, has been held on the 26th of September in the Cultural Centre Stari Grad in Belgrade. This presentation was organized in the frame of Bitef Poliphony - variations for life - The adventure of Theatre in Education for Social Changes. Three scenes were showed: a scene from the public transport, a scene from a hospital and a scene from a restoran. Prezenters were using forum theatre techiques. The spectators were animated to take active participation in the scenes and to change the concept of scenes, which gave the oportunity for changing, finding other solutions and seeing problems and their solutions from other perspectives. The final presentation will be held at the end of the project in midd November. You will find information about their final presentation on our web page.