October 3, 2016 to October 5, 2016

Social Forum 2016, Palais des Nations, Geneva

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The Social Forum is an annual event convened by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, that provides a unique space for interactive dialogue between civil society actors, representatives of Member States, and intergovernmental organizations, on a theme chosen by the Council each year.

The theme of the 2016 Social Forum is “The promotion and full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities in the context of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”.  The Forum includes eleven Panels and roundtables.

Click here for the latest photos on our SForum album!

Programme of official sessions

(Click to download full Programme of Work here - English .doc)

3 October 2016 

10h00-10h35              Opening of the Social Forum

10h45-11h30              Setting the Scene: From Needs to Rights - Advances and Challenges

15h00-15h45              Persons with Disabilities and Human Diversity: Embracing Diversity and Awareness Raising

15h45-16h30              Interactive Dialogue

16h30-17h15              Accessibility and Non-discrimination: ‘Leaving No One Behind’

17h15-18h00               Interactive Dialogue

4 October 2016

10h00-10h45               Strengthening Equality and Specific Measures

10h45-11h30               Interactive Dialogue

 11h30-12h15              Meaningful Participation and Empowerment

12h15-13h00               Interactive Dialogue

15h00-15h45               Making Development Inclusive

15h45-16h30              Interactive Dialogue

16h30-17h15              Strengthening Accountability

17h15-18h00               Interactive Dialogue

5 October 2016

10h00-10h45               Roundtable: Informing Policy

10h45-11h30               Interactive Dialogue

11h30-12h15               Realizing the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities

12h15-13h00               Interactive Dialogue

15h00-15h40               Implementation of Agenda 2030 under the CRPD: The Future We Want

15h40-16h10               Interactive Dialogue

16h10-16h50               Implementation of Agenda 2030 under the CRPD: The Future We Want (continued)

16h50-17h25               Interactive Dialogue

17h25-18h00               Summing Up, Conclusions and Closure of the Social Forum                                

Structure

The 2016 Forum aims to underline the importance of coordinated efforts at national, regional and international levels towards the CRPD implementation. Its panels and roundtables are of maximum 45 minutes each, followed by 45 minutes of interactive dialogue. The main purpose of this structure is to introduce open and participatory debates that will arise from sharing of practices, knowledge and experiences, with the objective to equally value participation from the floor as much as panellists’ interventions. This unique aspect of the Social Forum allows for high quality constructive dialogue among UN Member States and relevant stakeholders, including civil society organisations, national human rights institutions, intergovernmental organisations and academics.

Interactive dialogue: the constructive role of DPOs 

The interactive dialogues represent excellent opportunities to advance positions and views of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations. States and other stakeholders are keen to learn from experts with disabilities to better implement the CRPD.

Excepted outcomes:

  1. The discussions themselves: The space for open and constructive dialogue between UN Member States, UN agencies, civil society actors, National Human Rights Institutions, private actors, intergovernmental organisations, academics and others, constitutes in itself a unique outcome, considering the UN machinery and its conventional protocols.
  2. Strengthen CRPD understanding: The Forum will serve as a vector to gather most updated experiences, practices and lessons learned on the CRPD implementation and monitoring,
  3. ‘Call to action’ from DPOs: IDA will aim to present a call to action at the end of the Forum to UN Member States, the Human Rights Council and the OHCHR to strengthen the mainstreaming of the rights of persons with disabilities in their daily work. Side events Side events will be organized, in parallel of those panels, by different stakeholders, including IDA, its members, DPOs, Members States, UN organizations and others.

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Further information can be found at www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/SForum/Pages/SForumIndex.aspx

Microsoft Office document icon Click here to download our guide with practical and logisitical information for the Forum)

3 October 2016, GENEVA

Today was the opening of the Human Rights Council's Social Forum 2016. This Forum is an annual interactive dialogue between representatives of civil society, UN Member States,...

Day two, HRC's Social Forum

Today, October 4th, the discussions and panels of the Social Forum 2016 continued into its second...

HRC SForum 2016 - for 3 days over 200 people registered from over 80 countries across 5 global regions interacting with14 official panels and 10 side events with unlimited possibilities

HRC SForum 2016 - for 3 days over 200 people registered from over 80 countries across 5 global regions interacting with14 official panels and 10 side events with unlimited possibilities

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has compiled statements by panelists and other participants from the SForum

International Disability Alliance - Update

OPENING PANEL

October 2016

The Human Rights Council's Social Forum 2016...

Address: Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

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 Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

  October 3, 2016 to October 5, 2016

Alongside the main events of the Human Rights Council's Social Forum 2016, IDA is co-organising a number of side events, in-between the main sessions, to...