F I M I T I
C
ACTIVITY
REPORT
OF THE
PRESIDENT
2001 –
2003
TO THE
DELEGATESÂ’ CONFERENCE
APRIL 5,
2003
ROME,
ITALY
PREFACE
At the end of October 2001 in Prague the
cornerstone was laid with clear signals for innovation in accordance with
FIMITIC´s far reaching office
restructuring, the work concept and the new leadership.
A positive response to the initiated FIMITIC
project work and the Prague Employability Congress has given rise to significant
interim results.
However it was noted that a co-responsible
aggravation of social conflicts in the different regions could endanger the
efforts to improve the stiuation of persons with disability becoming more
vulnerable as well.
Peacefulness is a didactic task of
socialisation. Nobody should be allowed to shun this
responsibility.
INTRODUCTION
Another quite short period but of hard work has
passed and again we can highlight some major successes within the urgency
programme level decided on the ocassion of the DelegatesÂ’ Conference 2001 in
Prague. The report can illustrate a part process that started and will continue
as follows:
– Realisation of
the events marking the European Year of People with Disabilities – EYPD
–
2003 in Italy, setting up the vision, concept and
objectives
– Project work
continued after the Prague Congress on Employability 2001 and on the basis of
the results obtained
there
– Publication of the final Congress
documentation by the member association in Slovenia
-ZDIS-
– Clear mission for project work priorities
in the field of Employability, Barrier-free
Environment/Accesssibility, Social Policy and Social Security in
Transition and Women
with Disability
– Confirmed Expert
groups/Commission
- Expert Group Accessibility
(Transport, Accomodation and Construction) (Coordinator
RR Georg
Leitinger, Austria)
- Expert Group Employment
(Coordinator Agostino Bravaccini, Italy) - Expert Group Internet Networking
(Coordinator Marjan Kroflic, Slovenia) - Expert Group Social Policy
(Coordinator Dr. Csaba Chikán, Hungary) - Expert Group Social Security
Research (Coordinator Gianni DÂ’Alfonso, Italy) - Expert Commission Women and
Disability (Coordinator Elisabeth Szöllösi, Hungary)
– Search for Funding, launched
by FIMITIC by an coordinator to find means for project
activities and coordinated action by the members, especially for research
into social policy
market economy and disability in the whole Europe with view to an
international
Conference in Budapest in 2004 and to support members while looking for
other project
funding and submitting
proposals
– Intensified information and communication
work to build up the image
– Effective presentation in
the mass media (Executive Board meetings and awards to the
model employability examples in Hungary and Italy and support to the
regional cooperation
activity between Croatia,
Hungary and Slovenia, honoured by the signature of the
agreement
protocol in Croatia,
continuous regional cooperation between Austria, Italy and
Switzerland
in Trentino etc.)
– Internet accessibility, Website under
restructure
– Strengthening the Internal
and External relations
– Strengthening of the
organisations´s structure, building a sense of self responsibility as
a
stronger getting awareness by the members, task splitting through
governance, roles and
responsibilities
– Cooperation with the
International Associations and Institutions, regular reports to
the
United Nations, Council of Europe, International Labour Office, European
Disability
Forum and briefing,
discussion and submission of contributions and
comments
(f.e. CE Concept paper of
proposal for the European Disability Policy Agenda for the
next
Decade, ILO Paper on Restructuring of Disability
Pension Schemes, EDF working areas
of Non-discrimination, European Year of People with Disabilities 2003,
Mainstreaming of
Disability, Disability Specific Directive, Enlargement
etc.)
ACTIVITY REPORT
During the period covered by the report the FIMITIC Board held the following
meetings
October 27, 2001
Prague, Czech Republic
April 5-6, 2002
Budapest, Hungary
May 28, 2002
Varazdinske Toplice (Spa), Croatia
September 27, 2002
Forli, Italy
Expert
Groups/Commission
exchange of information and initiatives, see also the reports submitted to the
Delegates´Conference, with view to improve the social, occupational and societal
conditions of people with physical disability f.e. the Hungarian project ot
examine the socio-political situation
in relation of the market economy and disability in the
frame of the globalisation, the Slovene efforts to develop a better
communication strategy and the Women and Disability Commission launch of two
questionnaires, one on the legal regulations and the second one on the situation
of women with disability in different spheres of life.
Events and Activities
Within the scope of the FIMITIC work the
following events and activities organised by FIMITIC or in co-operation,
participation and with contribution of FIMITIC need to be pointed out:
–
European Congress on People with Disabilities on “Non Discrimination – Positive
Action –
Integration” March 20-23, 2002 in Madrid, Spain, elaborating the “Madrid
Declaration”
–
MEOSZ-Seminar “A World to be Used by Everyone” and “Human rights in Declarations
and
in practice, May 2-3,2002 in Budapest, Hungary
– EDF-Annual General Assembly, May
17-19,2002 in Madrid, Spain and EDF-General
Council Meeting
– 7th Croatian Symposim on
Persons with Disabilities on “Asistive Technology – Added
Value
to the Quality of Life, May 26-28,2002, in Varazdinske Toplice (Spa),
Croatia
– Annual Meetng of Poliomyelitis
Federation Germany on June 15, 2002 in Kromsdorf nearby
Weimar, Germany
– 5th Plenary Meeting of
the EDF Southern Europe Disability Committee, June 13-16,2002 in
Rome,Italy, launching the Rome Declaration
– University Briefing on Legislative
Medicine, June 20,2002 in Milan, preparatory work for the
ICF-Conference 2003,
FIMITIC´s advisory role
– 6th World Assembly of
Disabled Peoples´ International with the theme “Freedom from
Barriers:Celebrating
Diversity and Rights”, October 15-18, 2002 in Sapporo,
Japan
– EDF-Council of Europe
enlargement countries Seminar of East and Middle-East
European
Countries November 8-9,200 in Thessaloniki, Greece
– Danish Presidency Seminar on
Disability “Quality of Life and Quality in Services for
People
with Disabilities”, October 30-November 1, 2002 in
Copenhagen,Denmark
– EDF General Council Meeeting,
November 2nd, 2002 in Copenhagen,Denmark
– Women Roundtable SOIH/HSIR,
November 22-24,2002 in Lovran nearby Opatija, Croatia
– ILO/Czech Ministry of Labour and
Social Affairs Tripartite regional Conference on “The
Restructuring of Disability Pensions”, December 12-13, 2002 in
Prague,Czech Republic
– Opening Event of the European Year
of People with Disabilities January 26th,2003
in
Athens, Greece
– International Disability NGO´s
visit to the Council of Europe and to the Pariamentary
Assembly, Reporting on “Towards Full Social Inclusion of Persons with
Disabilities”
January 29, 2003 in Strasbourg, France, launching the NGO´s
Declaration
– Council of Europe Working visit,
26th February – 2nd March, 2003 in Budapest,
Hungary
–
1st International Spanish Women and Disability Congress on
February 27th – March 1st, 2003
in Valencia, Spain
– Joint EDF/ETUC Conference “Access
to lifelong education and vocational training as key
issue in access to
employment and career development of people with disabilities”,
March 1-3, 2003 in Thessaloniki, Greece, adopting the “ Thessaloniki
Declaration”.
New members in
Europe:
1. Cyprus Organization of Physically Disabled Persons – POAA-,
Lefcosia
2. Croatian Union of Physically Disabled Persons Associations – HSUTI -,
Zagreb
3. The Paraplegic and Tetraplegic Association – HUPT -,
Zagreb
4. People With Disabilities in Ireland Ltd. – PWDI –
Expanded liaison outside of
Europe:
The Physically Disability Council of Australia – PDCA -, Sydney
(for the Asia Pacific Region)
CONCLUSIONS
Towards developing a Framework for Security in Insecure
times
The three most important areas in need of
reform today are the employment market, social security systems and education. I
would like to address the problem in precisely that order. Far too little growth
is generated to be able to relieve pressure on the labour market long term. It
is not enough to find jobs for disabled people better and faster. The pie has to
be enlarged to be distributed. Only
then can we hope to avoid the intensifying struggle for a share. The aging of
the population wil also cause largescale structural
changes.
The most practicle way of making a society open
and accessible can be achieved on national level.
FIMITIC can promote the collection, exchange
and development of comparable information and statistics and good practices,
encouraging the mainstreaming of disability in policy formulation and generally
raising awareness of disability issues.
Raising awareness means to encourage
reflection, discussion and action on measures to promote equal opportunities.
FIMITIC considers that people with disabilities should be directly involved into
the planning, monitoring and evaluation of changes in programs that affect them.
FIMITIC is committed to involving the social
partners to integrate people with disabilities into the labour
market.
FIMITIC can only be active as far the member
associations are supporting the federation. Only an interchange of shared
responsibility and joint action will bring us together a step forward on the
realisation of an social Europe for all!
A challenge for FIMITIC and its members, since
solidarity gives us power and generates synergies to continue in promoting the
equalisation of opportunities for persons with physical disability and in
fighting against their discrimination.
Since January 2001 FIMITIC has a new and
independent office in Bonn, the place of its registration.
A very special thanks to all those who have
contributed with their time and invaluable experise to empower FIMITIC to
continue its work followed up at international and national level benefitting
disabled people in their daily lives.
signed Marija Stiglic
Bonn,
March 25,
2003