Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

what progress has been made. And to coincide with the UN Human Rights Council
in March 2011, our mission in Geneva is planning an exhibition to showcase the
Government’s work to support disabled people through the London 2012 Paralympic
Games. The exhibition will demonstrate how sport can be used to promote
inclusiveness and tolerance, and empower disabled people.
In 2010, we played a full part in discussions on a code of conduct to allow EU
ratification of the convention. The code of conduct, which was adopted by EU
ministers in December, sets out the arrangements for representation, monitoring and
reporting where there is overlap between the areas of competence of the EU and
member states. With the code of conduct in place, the EU formally ratified the
convention in January 2011. For the first time in its history, the EU has become a
party to an international human rights treaty in its own right, and is the first
intergovernmental organisation to do so. In November the EU also adopted a new
“European Disability Strategy 2010–2020: A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free
Europe.” This will complement and support actions by EU member states on
disability policies and focus on eliminating the barriers that exist for disabled people
within the EU through eight main areas for action – accessibility, participation,
equality, employment, education and training, social protection, health, and external
action. We will work to ensure that implementation of the strategy focuses on those
areas which can make a real difference to achieving equality for disabled people
across Europe.
In addition to our work through international organisations, we also supported a
number of national projects to support disability rights in 2010. As Jeremy Browne
said in his statement to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3
December: “I am committed to ensuring that the UK keeps its own promises on
human rights, through work to support and protect the rights of disabled people
globally.”
In Russia we funded a project to help local NGOs advocate for the implementation
of the UN convention in Russia. In India, we worked with civil society organisations
to raise the profile of disability issues. Their work helped lead to important changes
in the Indian 2011 census. For the first time, the census will register all people with
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