Last week, 13 and 14 December 2021, in collaboration with the African Disability Forum (ADF), the West Africa Federation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (WAFOD) and the Fédération des associations des personnes handicapées du Benin (FAPHB), the International Disability Alliance (IDA) held a two-day workshop on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Committee´s review process. This workshop was in preparation of the process of review of Benin by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, beginning March 2022 with the adoption of the List of Issues by the Committee.
The workshop brought together 25 participants from organisations of persons with disabilities and other civil society allies from the capital of Benin and other regions of the country. The activity included initial presentations on the CRPD and on the process of review by the CRPD Committee. More specific presentations addressing key issues, notably around Article 4.3 (consultation and involvement of persons with disabilities in policy design and implementation), Article 33 (national implementation and monitoring), and Article 27 (right to work and employment) also took place.
The participants actively engaged in addressing proposed exercises, holding group discussions on the situation of the rights of persons with disabilities in Benin, and reviewing the Initial Report of the State and a draft alternative report produced in 2018. The outcome of these conversations will contribute to the work of the Fédération des associations des personnes handicapées du Benin in the CRPD Committee review process.
