First e-meeting of the IDA Stakeholder Group for Persons with Disabilities reviewing Voluntary National Reviews
On January 12th, the
International Disability Alliance (IDA) held an online meeting (in English and
Spanish) on the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encourages member states to “conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels, which are country-led and country-driven” (paragraph 79). These national reviews are expected to serve as a basis for the regular reviews by the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). The Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
During IDA's e-meeting, the
participants were presented with information about the participation of persons
with disabilities at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2016, the importance
of connecting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), as well as
information about HLPF 2017.
The following recommendations were
made for National Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) on how to engage and
prepare to participate in the national review process:
1) Identification and establishment of
collaboration among national DPOs and NGOs advocating for the rights of persons
with disabilities.
2) Defining advocacy messages, and
addressing how to achieve the SDGs for persons with disabilities in the given
national context.
3) Reaching out to government focal
points asking for dates and times of national consultations, and to share the
advocacy messages.
4) In case there is any obstacle to the
engagement in the national consultation, we urge you to reach out for support
to the focal points of this group.
IDA has also created different working
groups to facilitate the collaboration of DPOs in their preparation for the
Voluntary National Reviews and the HLPF. To learn more about the working groups,
please contact José Viera at jose.viera@wbu.ngo. For recordings of the e-meeting, please
visit the IDA HLPF Stakeholder Group page.
Below is a list of IDA's useful
links and resources for the 2030 Agenda: