Conference of States Parties to UN CRPD: CEC Approved as Accredited NGO

Last week, CEC’s Associate Executive Director for Policy and Advocacy, Deborah Ziegler, Ed.D, attended the fifth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) September 12-14 at the U.N. Headquarters in New York City, New York. The conference focused on women and children with disabilities with representatives from various attending nations presenting on subjects such as children with disabilities, assistive technology, implementation of the CRPD, and participation of persons with disabilities in the process of developing post-2015 humanitarian goals.

Addressing the conference for children with disabilities were Ms. Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities of South Africa; Mr. Nick Alipui, Director of UNICEF Programmes; Ms. Ximena Rivas, National Service for Disability of Chile; Ms. Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and Ms. Jenny Nilsson, World Federation of the Deaf - Youth Section. This panel discussed inclusive education, protecting children with disabilities who are more vulnerable to violence, and government and NGO support for parents of children with disabilities.

This conference also served as an opportunity for the United Nations to recognize the role of civil service and NGO participation in implementation of the CRPD and in advocating for persons with disabilities. On Wednesday, September 12 the UN accepted 10 applications for accreditation, including an application from CEC which was approved by the committee.

For more information, please see the UN Enable website.

Comments

[Ted Mauro]

Please also check out the CEC Division of International Special Education and Services (DISES) website at http://www.dises-cec.org/index.html

[Eileen Raymond]

Thanks to Deb Ziegler and all CEC members and staff who have made this recognition possible. As the premier special education organization in the world, it is right and proper that our efforts are acknowledged in this forum.