UfM I Conference on Disability and Social Inclusion in the Mediterranean will take place on 26 and 27 of January 2022
The I Conference on Disability and Social Inclusion in the Mediterranean is a regional event that addresses the rights, challenges, and limitations of persons with disabilities in the Euro-Mediterranean region. It is an opportunity to bring together national and regional policy makers, civil society actors, experts as well as private and public actors in order to share adequate recommendations, policies and practices for post-COVID agendas and recovery programmes in the region.
The situation of persons with disabilities in the Euro-Mediterranean region is far from being fully satisfactory. Many countries have improved their legislative environments, with advances affecting positively this social group throughout the last years. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go.
This year, the Union for the Mediterranean, in collaboration with ONCE Social Group, organizes a conference on Disability and Social Inclusion in the Mediterranean in order to analyze three key issues in the post-COVID era that are: the challenges and limitations that persons of disabilities face in order to access human rights and employment, the importance of a gender perspective in future agendas and recovery programmes and the role of accessible tourism in the inclusion of persons with disabilities in this sector as a solution for the crisis recovery in the region.
The conference will take place at the UfM premises, Palacio Real de Pedralbes-Barcelona. The event will also be livestreamed (opening and closing sessions) but only registered users will be able to participate. The event will be in English, French, Arabic, Spanish and Sign Language.
Follow interactive seminars, dialogues, and roundtables with high-level international experts, and heads of national and regional disability policies, regional umbrella disability organisations.
Learn about how to place the needs of persons with disabilities in governments and IGOs´ agendas and recovery processes.
Take part in the practical workshops and join a network of civil society actors and institutional participants.
Civil society actors
Policymakers
Business experts
NGOs and IGOs representatives
Persons with disability organizations
Women organisations
The event will be in English, Arabic and Spanish
1st DAY (January, 26th)
9:00-9:50 hrs: Opening Remarks
Nasser Kamel- Secretary General UfM.
Patricia Sanz- Second Vice President of Equality, Human Resources, Institutional Culture, and Digital Inclusion of the ONCE Social Group
Ms. Anna Figueras i Ibáñez, Secretary of Social Affairs and Families.
Mr. Joan Ramón Riera Alemany- Councillor for Children, Youth and the Elderly and President of the Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities (IMPD)- Barcelona City Council
Ioannis Vardakastanis- President of the Euromed Follow-up Committee of the European Economic and Social Committee, President of the International Disability Alliance, President of the European Disability Forum.
Dr. Nawaf Kabbara- President of the AOPD.
9:50- 10:00: Keynote Speech: Helena Dalli – EU Commissioner for Equality.
10:00- 10:20 hrs: 1st Thematic Block
Keynote Speech: Social Inclusion of persons with disabilities in the Mediterranean Countries.
Speaker: Tarek El Nabulsi- Director of development and social polices Department. League of Arab States.
10:20-10:45 hrs: Coffee Break
10:45-11:30 hrs: Round Table– Human Rights and Accessibility: limitations and challenges in a post-COVID era.
Speakers:
Moderator:
11:30-12:30 hrs: Practical dialogue
Representative European Commission TBC
Carolina Serrano- Senior Consultant Public Affairs- Atrevia Brussels
Suvad Zahirović- Director of IC Lotos (Information Centre for Persons with Disabilities), Tuzla, Bosnia.
12:30- 13:45 hrs: LUNCH
13:45-14:45 hrs: Round Table– Employment of persons with disabilities: Regional overview
Speakers:
Moderator:
14:45-15:45 hrs: Practical dialogue
Stefan Trömel- Senior Disability Specialist- International Labour Organization.
María del Mar Logrono Narbona- Technical Consultant, Citizenship Education- UNICEF MENA Regional Office
15:45-16:00 hrs: 2nd Thematic Block
Keynote Speech: Disability and Gender Equality: Intersectional approaches.
Speaker: Ana Peláez- Vicepresident CEDAW.
16:00-16:45 hrs: Round Table– The gender perspective within the region: national disability agendas and recovery programmes.
Speakers:
Moderator:
16:45-17:30 hrs: Practical dialogue
Patricia Sanz. Vicepresident of Equality, Human Resources and Institutional Culture- ONCE Social Group.
18:00 hrs: Closure of the 1st day
20:30 hrs: Dinner at Ilunion Barcelona Hotel- Poblenou
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2nd DAY (January, 27th)
09:00-09:15 hrs: Welcome.
9:15-9:30 hrs: 3rd Thematic Block
Keynote Speech: Persons with disabilities in the Tourism sector.
Speaker: Igor Stefanovic- Technical Coordinator at Ethics,Culture and Social Responsibility – World Tourism Organization.
9:30-10:30 hrs: Round Table– Accessible tourism and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the Touristic socioeconomic sector: A solution for the crisis recovery in the Mediterranean.
Moderator:
10:30-11:30 hrs: Practical dialogue
Jose Luis Borau- Head of Department – Physical ,Environment, accessibility – ONCE Foundation
11:30-12:00 hrs: Coffee Break and Networking
12:00-13:00 hrs: Presentation of the conclusions and recommendations of the Conference
Speakers:
13:00: Conference Closure
