International Day of Persons with Disabilities, held on 3 December every year, was established by the United Nations in 1992. It aims to "promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life."
The CPA works to empower persons with disabilities in a number of ways. The mission of the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network, established by the CPA in 2017, is:
to encourage Commonwealth Parliaments to enable effective and full participation of persons with disabilities at all levels.
Disability is also one of the six thematic priorities in the CPA's Strategic Plan 2022-2025. We are committed to mainstreaming disability considerations throughout our operations and workstreams.
Date: 2 December 2021
Time: 12:00 - 13:30 UTC
To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Commonwealth Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (CFNHRI) are hosting a workshop on how NHRIs and Parliaments can protect and promote disability rights.
The workshop will be translated in American Sign Language (ASL) and live transcription will be provided by a palantypist (speech to text reporter).
The next issue of the The Parliamentarian, the Journal of Commonwealth Parliaments, published by the CPA, will explore the following theme:
The challenges and barriers facing people with disabilities in the Commonwealth – what role can Commonwealth Parliamentarians play in advancing and supporting people with disabilities?
The publication will feature contributions from Parliamentarians and experts on issues related to this theme and will be released around the time of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Look out for the launch on the CPA's social media channels.
