Fostering greater exchange to enhance inclusion of people with disabilities at the focus of the Regional Conference

Representatives of national human rights institutions, persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, civil society representatives from the Western Balkan region, along with their peers from other European countries, and other organizations participated in the regional conference organized by the Ombudsman and the United Nations family in North Macedonia, yesterday.

The participants of the conference “Strengthening National Human Rights Institutions as independent monitoring mechanisms for the implementation of the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)” had a unique chance to share experiences, good practices, challenges, opportunities, and initiatives on the existing monitoring frameworks.

“Societies can never achieve the Sustainable Development Goals without the full participation of everyone, including people with disabilities. Recognizing their rights and ensuring their engagement is critical.  Progress has been made in the countries in the region, but a lot remains to be done to accelerate disability inclusive development,” says Rossana Dudziak, UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia. “Only through a dialogue and by working together – across governments, international and regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector – can we effectively fulfil the CRPD and Agenda 2030 commitments.”

The goal of this conference is to encourage a constructive, action-oriented dialogue on accelerating inclusive, equitable, sustainable development in the Western Balkans, guided by the international human rights standards and the 2030 Agenda’s promise to leave no one behind.

“We have a long way with a lot of challenges on it, before we can talk about full inclusion and integration of persons with disabilities, as per the Convention, which is a tool that can help us in achieving these goals. In that sense, I strongly believe that the conference will open up a lot of discussions and initiatives how to achieve the desired progress,” says Naser Ziberi, Ombudsman.

Focusing on strengthening the role and the collaboration among national human rights institutions in the region, the conference seeks to inspire and guide future action to be pursued by NHRIs, disability movements and other partners across the region.

In addition to further enhancing regional exchange, participants of the conference agreed to ensure that the good practices and lessons learned on including civil society in the monitoring process from the conference will be included into their work and future activities, and that they will continue to support the independent monitoring, and leverage on human rights agenda across the region.