RESOLUTION ON “THE FUTURE OF FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF CIVIL PARTICIPATION OF THE MOVEMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN EUROPE”

The delegates of European Disability Forum (EDF), the voice of 80 million persons with disabilities in Europe, during its Annual Conference, taking place in Zagreb on 17-18th May 2014, worried by the impact of the current economic crisis on the capacity of the disability movement to participate in society through effective civil dialogue.

They have approved the following resolution on the future of financial sustainability of the civil participation of persons with disabilities in Europe:

Whereas that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) in its articles 4.3 and 33 clearly establishes that ‘In the development and implementation of legislation and policies to implement the present Convention, and in other decision-making processes concerning issues relating to persons with disabilities, States Parties shall closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, through their representative organisations’

Highlighting that persons with disabilities have been severely affected by the impact of the financial crisis as:

- they do not have the same opportunities, meet barriers, face discrimination, stigma and prejudices that hinder full participation in equal basis as the others;

- 40% of persons with severe disability and 25% of all persons with disabilities, in the EU, are at risk of poverty;

- only 45% of persons with disabilities are employed; - 22% of students with disabilities are school leavers in the EU (45% in

some countries); - 11% of persons with severe disabilities face material deprivation and are

therefore unable to pay their bills, to afford a decent meal with meat or fish, to have a telephone or to heat adequately their home.

Recognising that the only way to improve the situation of persons with disabilities is to implement the UN CRPD through policies and legal instruments responding to the real situations on the ground and based on real participation of representative organisations of persons with disabilities in a new governance of political, social and economic affairs.

Recognizing that poverty brings more barriers to full participation of persons with disabilities as a human right.

Committing to work constructively to find new efficient policies, economically sustainable and technically sound in order to ensure the participation of all persons with disabilities in the European political, economic and social areas.

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The delegates urge the European Union institutions and consultative bodies, as well as EU governments to:

- Ensure that that EU and national governments take actions in support of the inclusive civil dialogue, in which representative organisations of persons with disabilities can effectively participate.

Call on the EU member states to:

- Refrain from cuts on disability related benefits, community based services, health services, training and education programmes that will be against the UN CRPD and will increase even more levels of poverty and social exclusion;

- Develop new policies and programmes that will enhance participation of persons with disabilities in the community and combat social exclusion;

- Ensure that funding mechanisms such as national civil society participation programmes, lottery funds for good causes, corporate and private contributions, are preserved and expanded for social inclusion of persons with disabilities;

- Ensure that the existing funding mechanisms are not used for fiscal consolidation of general State budgets;

- Funding to representative organisation of persons with disabilities should not hinder their autonomy, and their inclusion in all related decision-making processes as per UN CRPD and disability movement’s motto “Nothing About Us Without Us”;

- Fund advocacy activities of representative organisations of persons with disabilities in order to ensure that sound policies can be implemented based on acceptance of the disability movement;

- Support national, regional and local organisations of persons with disabilities representing and providing them with their services in the community;

- Secure adequate funding for and encourage national, regional and local organisations of persons with disabilities to be formed and fulfil their mission of connecting, promoting and representing the interests of persons with disabilities;

- Ensure that funding to national, regional and local organisations of persons with disabilities is enshrined in the appropriate laws and regulations in accordance with the obligations derived from articles 4 and 33 of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Call on the European Union to:

- Ensure participation of organisations of persons with disabilities in the European Semester process through the evaluation of national policies and follow up of country specific recommendations. Ensure mainstreaming of the social and economic rights of persons with disabilities in the preparation of the Annual Growth Survey and of country specific recommendations;

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- Ensure as foreseen in article 6 of the European Social Fund regulation on capacity building that financial support for organisations of persons with disabilities is included in the national programming of the European Structural funds;

- Provide enough financial support to representative European umbrella as well as disability-specific organisations of persons with disabilities to advocate for the implementation of the UN CRPD in Europe.

The delegates believe that the future of the European Union will come from a solid social inclusion of all citizens. Europeans with disabilities are ready to contribute with their knowledge and capacity. They need the clear support from the EU and its member states in the funding of their activities for advocacy and basic service provision that in the last years have been dramatically reduced.

This resolution is disseminated to the relevant public authorities, at EU, National and local level.

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