HRC Task Force on Accessibility
After the General Assembly adopted the outcome of the HRC Review process that occurred in Geneva and in New York, the new President of the Human Rights Council for the HRC's sixth cycle (as of June 2011), Ms. Laura Dupuy Laserre (Uruguay), began to convene meetings of the Task Force.
The first two took place in July 2011 and September 2011. A good variety of different representatives from different parts of the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) were invited, including building and operations, information technology, as well as translation, conference services, and the Secretariat of the HRC. Countries forming part of the Bureau of the Council also attended as well as Canada and Mexico.
IDA compiled a list of issues to address based on its contributions to the Review. Stakeholders exchanged views on what needed to be done and the way forward. After this, IDA obtained an analysis and quote on making the HRC and OHCHR website accessible and presented this at the second meeting. Subsequently, the HRC Presidency convened a meeting between the HRC Task Force on Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities and the Chair and bureau of the CRPD Committee. The Committee Chair indicated some problems of accessibility, agreed with what was on the list of issues was sound, and was requested by the Task Force to provide views of the Committee in writing so that these could be included in the concrete recommendations to the Council in March 2012.
