31.08.2015 Geneva marathon – week three
Although it is a national holiday on Monday 31st August back home it in UK, the CRPD Committee marathon is picking up its pace. For the next two weeks it is heads down and closed doors to the public.
We start with adopting recommendations for Ukraine in the morning, followed by a briefing by Handicap International on the forthcoming World Humanitarian Summit at lunchtime – for which the Committee has prepared a statement. CBM’s Emergency Response Unit are also preparing ahead of the Summit.
We then adopt the recommendations for Gabon in the afternoon; when we adopt concluding observations in plenary, all 18 members must agree on the exact wording for any concerns it has regarding disability rights and all of its recommendations. It is a time to put those mindfulness meditation skills into action when you are the Rapporteur!
On the morning of Tuesday 1stSeptember the Committee will adopt recommendations for Mauritius. No time for a leisurely lunch as we are briefed by University College London on article 31 (data and statistics) before adopting the recommendations for Brazil. But I must find some time to buy some new running socks in the evening.
In the morning of Wednesday 2nd September the two working groups on general comments for education, and women and girls, will present an update to the plenary. Following our first proper lunchbreak since we started, the Committee will adopt recommendations for Qatar.
Thursday 3rd September is the day we’ll adopt recommendations for the EU in the morning, followed by another session on communications received under its Optional Protocol (OP) in the afternoon. To refresh you, this is where individuals or groups of people from countries who have ratified the OP can petition the CRPD Committee with complaints about their human rights.
It’s the last day of week three, Friday 4th September and the Committee will spend the morning discussing our general comment on education, followed by an afternoon conversation about our methods of work. Twelve members will finish their marathons in record time and return home, while six of us will continue to work for another week.
You can also see the Committee work via twitter using #CRPD14
You can also read summaries of the examinations on the UN media website in Geneva.