accessibility

Multi-stakeholder meeting on older people’s human rights

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is organising a multi-stakeholder meeting on 29-30 August 2022 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, room XVII. This hybrid meeting will take place both in person and online.

NGOs are encouraged to attend in person if possible. You do not need to have ECOSOC status to participate. You can register now via the Indico system here.

The multi-stakeholder meeting is a follow-up to the Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 48/3 (read more here) and will discuss the recent report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Further information and relevant documents are available here.

Objective:

This two-day meeting will bring together key stakeholders for a discussion on the gaps in the existing human rights protection system for older persons and the dispersiveness of international human rights law. The meeting will take stock of the progress made, assess the remaining challenges, identify opportunities and develop concrete proposals to accelerate efforts to close the gaps in the existing human rights protection system for older persons.
The report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the normative standards and obligations under international law in relation to the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons (A/HRC/49/70) will inform the discussion.

Outcome:
A summary report with conclusions of the meeting that includes recommendations on addressing possible gaps and the dispersiveness of international human rights law with regard to older persons, will be submitted to the Human Rights Council by its fifty-second session.

Mandate:
In its resolution 48/3, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human to convene a multi- stakeholder meeting to discuss the report of the High Commissioner on the normative standards and obligations under international law in relation to the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons.

The meeting will be fully accessible to persons with disabilities, and held with the participation of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, human rights experts and expert representatives of Member States, the treaty bodies and the special procedures, regional mechanisms, the United Nations system, academia, national human rights institutions and civil society, including with the meaningful and effective participation of older persons and of persons of different ages.

The meeting will consist of an opening segment followed by a series of interactive panel discussions and a closing segment. Initial presentations by the panelists will be followed by two segments of interventions by participants and concluding remark from the panelists. A maximum of one hour will be set aside for the podium, which will cover the panelists’ presentations and their responses to questions and concluding remarks. The remaining hour will be reserved for two segments of interventions from the floor, with each segment consisting of interventions from States, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. Speaking time for participants wishing to take the floor will be two minutes.

29 August Agenda

Opening session

Session 1: Gaps and challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the deficiencies in international and national frameworks for older persons in dramatic and tragic ways. While the pandemic seriously affected many groups, its consequences have been amplified by existing structures of inequality and disadvantage. This session will focus on identifying existing and emerging human rights protection gaps and particular risks facing older persons, as well as promising practices in responding to them.

Session 2: Adequacy of existing mechanisms in responding to the challenges

The aim of this session is to discuss current practices and identify recommendations on how the UN human rights mechanisms (Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures and Universal Periodic Review) can enhance the integration of the human rights of older persons in their work. As noted in the report of the High Commissioner (A/HRC/49/70), the engagement of the UN human rights mechanisms on the human rights of older persons is not adequate, systematic nor sustained. The session will also highlight lessons learned from the Inter-American system of human rights on the protection of older persons as well as the important role played by national human rights institutions.

30 August Agenda

Session 3: Strengthening coordinated actions for the protection of older persons
This session will identify opportunities for strengthening synergies and joint actions across global and regional networks and initiatives on ageing to integrate and promote the human rights of older persons.

Session 4: Towards strengthening the protection of human rights of older persons
The objective of this session is to develop proposals and recommendations for strengthening legal frameworks at both the national and the international levels to protect the human rights of older persons for further consideration by the Council and other relevant bodies, including the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing.

Closing session

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

 

WSIS Forum 2022 Opening Ceremony: CoNGO President Speaks

View the full list of speakers and register here: itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2022/Agenda/Session/252

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum is a multistakeholder platform to coordinate implementation activities, exchange information and knowledge, showcase innovation, share best practices and foster partnerships to ensure ICTs remain a key enabler in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Under this year’s theme, ‘ICTs for Well-Being, Inclusion and Resilience: WSIS Cooperation for Accelerating Progress on the SDGs’, the WSIS Forum continues to highlight the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The WSIS process is aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is highly dependent on ICTs for its implementation.

The Opening Segment will inaugurate the Final Week of the WSIS Forum 2022 and will consist of opening statements from the WSIS Forum 2022 co-organizers, UN partners, sponsors, and representatives of stakeholders engaged in the WSIS Process.


 

Mr. Houlin Zhao
Mr. Houlin Zhao, Secretary-GeneraI
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

 

Ms. Isabelle Durant
Ms. Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

 

Dr. Tawfik Jelassi
Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

 

Mr. Haoliang Xu
Mr. Haoliang Xu, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (RBPPS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP
H. E. Engineer Majed Sultan Al Mesmar
H. E. Engineer Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Director General,
Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), United Arab Emirates (Platinum Partner)

 

H.E. Dr. Mohammed Saud Al Tamimi
H.E. Dr. Mohammed Saud Al Tamimi, Governor
Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Saudi Arabia (Gold Plus Partner)

 

Mr. Masahiko Metoki
Mr. Masahiko Metoki, Director General
Universal Postal Union (UPU)

 

Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton
Ms. Pamela Coke-HamiltonExecutive DirectorInternational Trade Centre (ITC)

 

Mr. Edward Kwakwa
Mr. Edward Kwakwa, Assistant Director General
World Intellectual Property Organization

 

Rev. Dr. Liberato “Levi” C. Bautista
Liberato C. Bautista, President
Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (USA/Switzerland/Austria)

View the full list of speakers and register here: itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2022/Agenda/Session/252

______________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at fmhult@umbc.edu or tonkin@hartford.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org

 

15th Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted by the General Assembly by its resolution 61/106 of 13 December 2006. It came into force on 3 May 2008 upon its 20th ratification. Article 40 of the Convention stipulates that “The States Parties shall meet regularly in a Conference of States Parties (COSP) in order to consider any matter with regard to the implementation of the present Convention.”

The Fifteenth Session(in-person format) will take place on 14 to 16  June 2022 both virtually and onsite at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, during which an election of nine members of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be conducted.

All meetings will be streamed live on UN Web TV at: https://media.un.org.

Overarching theme: Building disability-inclusive and participatory societies in the COVID context and beyond

Sub theme 1: Innovation and technology advancing disability rights
Sub theme 2: Economic empowerment and entrepreneurship of persons with disabilities
Sub theme 3: Participation of persons with disabilities in climate action, disaster risk reduction and resilience against natural disasters

Civil Society Participation

___________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. For more information on the NGO Committee for Rare Diseases, please visit ngocommitteerarediseases.org.

Access to Justice at the Intersection of Disability and Older Age: A Moderated Discussion

Access to Justice at the Intersection of Disability and Older Age

This event includes a dynamic high-level moderated discussion between two UN experts, the UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, Ms. Claudia Mahler, and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Gerard Quinn. Time will also be devoted to Q & A with registrants on Zoom.

Access to justice is a basic principle of the rule of law: a guarantee for people to exercise their rights, and hold perpetrators and decision-makers accountable. However, both older persons with or without disabilities, and persons with disabilities regardless of their age, are disproportionately impacted by abuses to their right to access to justice.

Register here!

Virtual Format Accessibility: The International Disability Alliance will support accessibility and inclusion of participants by providing International Sign (IS) and communication access real-time translation (CART).

Contact: Erin Hardin ehardin@ida-secretariat.org

______________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

COVID-19 and Older People: Maximizing the Longevity Dividend

Join IFA for the latest installment of their Virtual Town Hall Series, “COVID-19 and Older People: Maximizing the Longevity Dividend” on Friday, November 20, 2020.

In an environment significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgency to inform policies and share good practices to re-evaluate the narratives around longevity and ageing. Within this context, Mr. David Sinclair, Director of the International Longevity Centre in the United Kingdom leads a discussion on the future of ageing, and opportunities to equate health with wealth.

This town hall takes place at 7:00 am EST (additional time zones below):

Geneva, Switzerland: 13:00
Lagos, Nigeria: 13:00
New Delhi, India: 17:30
Perth, Australia: 20:00

This town hall will be recorded and streamed live on Facebook. Should you be unable to participate, a recording will be available on the IFA Facebook page.

More information on the world’s ageing population here: https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/news/world-population-ageing-2020-highlights

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-New York, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com.

{Webinar} COVID-19, Amplifying Voices:  Our Lives, Our Say

The NGO Committee on Ageing calls your attention to a webinar on “COVID-19, Amplifying Voices:  Our lives, our say” being organized by the World Blind Union (WBU) on Friday, 4 September 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. EST


The aim of the webinar is to share the findings of a study conducted by the World Blind Union (WBU)examining the extent to which COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some deep structural inequalities in society. Data gathered from the study is evidencing that persons with disabilities, older persons, and persons from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds are among those hardest hit by the pandemic. While this report puts a spotlight on the voices of blind and partially sighted persons, many of the experiences shared strongly resonate with numerous other studies that are also highlighting how marginalised groups have been affected by this crisis. Through this report, WBU hopes to raise awareness on the specifics of what those challenges have meant in reality for its constituents, as well as shed light on what have been effective resilience strategies for them. The study was made possible with the support of CBM Global.

Panellists will include:

  • Ms. Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes, the UN Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility;
  • Mr. David Bainbridge, the Executive Director of CBM Global;
  • Mr. Danlami Umaru Basharu, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD);
  • Ms. Rosario Galarza, member of the Executive Committee of Latin American Union of the Blind; and
  • Dr. Fred Schroeder,WBU President.

The webinar will be moderated by Mr. Jose Viera, Chief Executive Office, WBU.

REGISTER HERE:  https://geneva-academy-ch.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CSD5yzvFTxSBwSuFCINSKg

Accessibility: Realtime captioning and International Sign Language will be provided. The webinar will be available in English, French and Spanish.

The webinar will be broadcast live on WBU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlindUnion

The study report is available in various accessible formats and languages  at http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/resources/Pages/General-Documents.aspx

______________

CoNGO Notes: CoNGO and its substantive committees are actively working on issues related to ageing, older persons and intergenerational solidarity. For more information: NGO Committee on Ageing – Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org.  NGO Committee on Ageing – New York, please visit www.ngocoa-ny.org.  NGO Committee on Ageing – Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.orgNGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, email the Chair, Rosa Perla Resnick at  rositaresnick@yahoo.com or the Vice Chair, Susanne Seperson at susanneseperson@gmail.com.