EU high-level meeting on disability from May 11-12

The high-level meeting on disability will focus on labour market participation and the rights of children with disability

During the High Level Meeting the achievements in the field of disability since the EU joined the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (Convention) in 2011 will be analyzed.

The Meeting will begin with the gathering of the government representatives of EU Member States at which the necessary measures at European Union level that are required for supporting the efforts of the states in the implementation of the Convention will be discussed. Also the major required measures regarding the inclusive education and support for mastering a profession will be discussed to ensure that persons with disability are integrated into the labour market and are economically independent in future.   After the meeting of government representatives of EU Member States there will be a conference analyzing the measures implemented by the Member States.

The conference aims to ensure the equal possibilities for persons with disability in compliance with the human rights model defined in the Convention. During the conference sessions a special attention will be focused on the situation of children with disability in order to analyse the existing obstacles and to provide proposals regarding the promotion of inclusive education and mastering a suitable profession.

There will be approximately 140 participants of the conference including the ministers and high level officials of EU Member States, representatives from the European Commission, other EU institutions and the Council of Europe, representatives of non-governmental organisations and experts on disability issues.

The High Level Meeting was organised with the co-financing of the European Commission and will be broadcasted live on www.eu2015.lv.