Announcement! Presentation of an analytical overview of accessibility of education and employment for persons with disabilities in St. Petersburg

WHERE: Library of Fundamental Science of Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (‘Winter Garden’ hall) Moika emb., 48

WHEN: Thursday, 6 August 2009, 11:00-14:00

The UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities came into force in May 2008. The Russian Federation signed the Convention in September 2008. One in 11 Russians has a certain form of disability. Nationwide, this amounts to 13 million people with special physical, mental or intellectual needs of varying degree.

In this regard, the conclusions and recommendations of the new analytical overview, “Russia: on the Path to Equal Opportunities”, look particularly relevant. The study commissioned by the United Nations in Russia, was prepared by a group of national experts under the leadership of Mr. Evgeny Gontmakher, Dr. Sc., Professor, Head of the Centre on Social Policy of the Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences.

The publication is dedicated to issues of access to education and employment for persons with disabilities in the context of the UN Convention. One of the main ideas of the Convention is that disability is caused not by health problems associated with a particular medical condition but rather by the status of the development of a given society which impedes, by the barriers it creates, the exercise of rights and freedoms by individuals with health problems.

The UN in Russia joint publication is based on a wide range of statistical and empirical data describing - in a concise and clear form general tendencies and concrete examples of the development of state policy in Russia and other countries, targeted at the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities for education and employment as well as at social integration and economic independence.

The United Nations Office in the Russian Federation will conduct the discussion of the conclusions and recommendations of the Overview, in cooperation with the St. Petersburg ‘Strategy’ humanitarian and policy centre and Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia. Representatives of government bodies, United Nations system, expert community, diplomatic missions and civil society will take part in the discussion.

Information support is provided by Garant Information agency, ‘Information for All’ NGO, and the Public Council for Social Advertising of the North-Western Federal District.

For accreditation, please, contact Ms Victoria Zotikova, UN Office Communications Analyst, at: 787 21 15/769 97 91, or by e-mail: victoria.zotikova@undp.org before 18:00, 4 April 2009