UN High Level Meeting on Disability and Development (UN HLMDD)
The United Nations General Assembly is holding a High-Level Meeting on Disability and Development (HLMDD) on Monday 23 September 2013 with the overarching theme of “The way forward: a disability inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond”. The meeting will take place on the Monday before the start of the general debate of the sixty-eighth session at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The HLMDD is also taking place in advance of the Special Event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on 25 September which will take stock of the progress made to-date on achieving the MDGs. The timing of the HLMDD is strategic. It is taking place five years after the entry into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), two years after release of the first World Report on Disability, and two years away from MDG 2015 target and commencement of the post-2015 agenda and new development priorities.
Disability was not referred to in the MDGs. However, in recent years there has been growing recognition that disability needs to be included in the framework of the next set of development goals.
What will happen at the HLMDD?
The HLMDD will comprise of a plenary meeting and two consecutive informal interactive round tables. Participation in each round table will include Member States, observers and representatives of entities of the United Nations system, as well as representatives of civil society, organisations of persons with disabilities (DPOs) and the private sector.
The meeting will commence with open plenary featuring statements by the President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General, and the Chair of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Other speakers will include representatives from the international disability community. Two consecutive informal interactive round tables will follow under the following themes: international and regional cooperation and partnerships for disability-inclusive development and the post-2015 development agenda and inclusive development for persons with disabilities.
Activity leading up to the HLMDD
DPOs and civil society, including IDDC and its members, have played a central role in the lead up to the HLMDD and their efforts are expected to strengthen the process and the final outcome document – similar to the development of the CRPD. Many international, regional and national organisations have been planning and engaging with their members and governments in the lead up to the HLMDD.
What will the HLMDD accomplish?
The Meeting will present a historical opportunity to translate the international commitment to disability inclusive society and development into concrete action and changes on the ground, and to mainstream disability in the global agenda towards a post-2015 development framework.
The HLMDD is expected to result in a concise action-oriented outcome document to provide policy guidance and strengthen efforts of the international community to ensure accessibility for and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of development efforts.
Important events and dates
UN High-Level Meeting on Disability and Development (HLMDD) – Monday 23 September
In 2011, the General Assembly decided to convene a one-day high-level meeting of the General Assembly on disability (HLMDD) at the level of Heads of State and Government on 23rd September 2013, the Monday before the start of the general debate of the sixty-eighth session. Under the theme: “The way forward: a disability inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond.” For more information on the High-Level Meeting, please visit the United Nations Enable website
Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities Forum – Tuesday 24 September
On September 24th UNICEF will host the second gathering of the Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities. The partners will evaluate the work undertaken since the first Forum in September 2012 and discuss plans for future steps for the partnership. IDDC Chair, Catherine Naughton, will represent IDDC while facilitating Session 4: Global Action – How to promote an Inclusive Future for All.
Special Event of the President of the General Assembly towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals – Wednesday 25 September
At the 2010 High-Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Member States requested “the President of the General Assembly at its sixty-eight session to organise a special event in 2013 to follow up efforts made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.” For more information please see http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/specialevent.shtml
IDA-IDDC side event reception, “Including People with Disabilities in the UN Development Agenda” – Wednesday 25 September
International Disability Alliance (IDA) and International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) are jointly hosting a side event with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day as the Special Event on the MDGs. The event entitled ‘Including people with disabilities in the UN development agenda’ aims to raise awareness of UN member states, and in particular members of the Open Working Group for the Sustainable Development Goals, of the need to include persons with disabilities in the next development framework.
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