The NUJ’s Disabled Members’ Council and Ethics Council invite you to a webinar on the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People.
During March, the UK and devolved governments face international scrutiny at the UN in Geneva on their track record of addressing disabled people’s human rights. It marks one of the most significant opportunities for the disability movement to hold the state to account.
Open to all members, our webinar will explain the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (UNCRDP), the monitoring process and how to understand and report on disability issues as the Governments present their evidence to the UN Committee.
Join NUJ President Natasha Hirst and Disabled Members’ Council chair Ann Galpin in conversation with leading disabled author and activist Ellen Clifford. There will be an opportunity for questions from the audience.
Find out:
- About the latest evidence on the adverse impact of UK Government legislative and policy proposals on disabled people’s human rights
- Work undertaken by UK and devolved governments on disability rights
- How to understand and scrutinise state evidence when reporting on the monitoring process
- How to engage with the disability movement to find contributors and case studies to bring these stories to life during a year that will also include UK elections and the Paralympics.
Further information:
On 18 March 2024 the UN is set to examine the UK government’s progress in implementing the recommendations from the UN Committee for the Rights of Disabled People’s 2017 investigation which found evidence of grave and systematic violations of deaf and disabled people’s rights due to welfare reform and austerity measures.
The session on 18 March is a rescheduling of the oral evidence session on 28 August 2023 that the UK Government pulled out of attending. It will be viewable online.
The UK Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations CRPD Monitoring Coalition (DDPO Coalition) is finalising the civil society shadow report update of developments impacting disabled people in the UK since the August 2023 sessions when the DDPO Coalition and the national human rights institutions gave their evidence.
The review will focus on information about the Convention Articles 19 (Living independently and being included in the community), 27 (Work and employment) and/or 28 (Adequate standard of living and social protection).
Although this review doesn’t cover Ireland (which hasn’t ratified the UNCRDP) it will give journalists in Ireland a clearer understanding of how to identify and report on issues impacting on disabled people.
Further webinars will be organised on reporting on disability and the Paralympics, and aspects of the NUJ Code of Conduct.
