Conference of States parties to the Convention on the Rights of persons with Disability convenes to review progress
On 7 - 9 September 2011 at UN Headquarters in New York, the fourth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was held. States Parties to the Convention met this year to discuss the implementation of the Convention, along with other governments, national human rights institutions, and civil society organizations, including organizations of persons with disabilities. Over 600 attendees participated in this year's session under the theme: “Enabling Development, Realizing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through Participation, Employment and International Cooperation.”
The Conference included a high-level segment and general debate, two roundtables entitled "Realizing the CRPD through international cooperation" and "Ensuring effective and full participation in political and public life", an informal meeting entitled "Realizing the right to work", as well as an interactive dialogue on the implementation of the Convention.
WHO participated on the third day in the interactive dialogue on how UN programmes had been used to implement the CRPD, in countries and regions around the world, along with representatives from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Economic Commission for Africa, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Development Group, UN Women and the World Bank.
WHO also co-hosted two side events, one with the World Bank entitled "Implementing the World report on disability" and the second with UNICEF and UNFPA on "Early childhood development and disability". Details of the events will be available at http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1571
For further information, please contact Alana Officer (officera@who.int).