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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.
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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:
- 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.
- 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,
- ‘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
Click here to download our guide with practical and logisitical information for the Forum)
