“Ten years since the entry into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – the road towards full implementation”

Belgrade - National conference "Ten years since the entry into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - the road towards full implementation", jointly organized by the Ministry for Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs and the UN Country Team in Serbia was held with great participation of organizations of persons with disabilities from whole Serbia. 

The conference was jointly opened by Zoran Đorđević, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs and Steliana Nedera, Resident Coordinator ad interim of the United Nations in Serbia and the audience of more than 100 participants was also addressed by Stana Božović, State Secretary of Ministry, Suzana Paunović, Director of the Office for Human and Minority Rights, Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality and the representatives of the organizations of persons with disabilities and civil society.

On the same occasion, the project "Autonomy, voice and participation of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Serbia" was launched. The project is implemented in the partnership with Ministry, organizations of persons with disabilities and civil society over the next two years with an aim to achieve stronger and more equal enjoyment of human rights of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Serbia. The project is financed by UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD).

The goal of the national conference was to underline the significance and the effects of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to offer the overview of the priorities in implementation of the Convention in the Republic of Serbia since its ratification in 2009. The conference has also given the opportunity to the representatives of the Government, United Nations, organizations of persons with disabilities and civil society organizations to exchange the views and sum up the impressions of achievements in the implementation of Convention's standards and the next steps, especially taking into account the recommendations which were received by the Republic of Serbia from the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2016.

The conference conclusions will serve as a basis for further project activities which are supported by UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD).

These activities are part of the Development Partnership Framework between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and UN Country Team (2016-2020) in line with the UN Agenda 2030 (especially goals 5, 10 and 16) and with the process of European Union accession (chapters 19 and 23).