Ombudsman’s Office takes part in European meeting on the rights of people with disabilities

The Ombudsman’s Office took part in the meeting of the Working Group on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), which took place in Berlin on 31 March and 1 April, on the sidelines of the Global Summit of People with Disabilities.

The meeting brought together representatives of the members of this working group and regional partners such as the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Disability Forum (EDF), providing two days of sharing experiences and learning to advance the rights of people with disabilities.

Discussions focused on key and challenging issues such as legal capacity and guardianship regimes, deinstitutionalisation, the impact of austerity policies on the monitoring of the CRPD and strategies to strengthen the promotion, protection and monitoring of the rights of people with disabilities.

The Ombudsman’s Office reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of the CRPD and the defence of the rights of people with disabilities, through its work in monitoring, recommending measures and promoting good practices, highlighting in particular the recent publication of its report on the System for the Allocation of Support Products (SAPA), but also through its representation on the National Mechanism for Monitoring the Implementation of the CRPD.

The event was organised by ENNHRI and the German Institute for Human Rights, offering an opportunity to strengthen international cooperation and exchange experiences in the promotion of human rights.