SKOPJE CONFERENCE MANIFESTO

“Towards living in the community: The actual conditions and future challenges”

Abstract

On the 7th and 8th of October 2010, the Skopje Conference brought together 220 representatives of  international organisations, public authorities, service providers for persons with disabilities, professionals from the sector, families of service users and persons with disabilities themselves, as well as the scientific community.

The conference, opened by the Macedonian Minister of Labour and Social Policy, was placed on the calendar of major events of the Macedonian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. For the first time in the EASPD history, an annual conference presented the simultaneous participation of representatives from the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

All participants took this unique opportunity to discuss the way forward in the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Persons with disabilities, especially by having a comprehensive look over the issues at stake in the region of South-Eastern Europe. It also enabled key stakeholders to build concrete bridges of knowledge and practices across geographical and cultural borders.

Delegates shared their experience of the dramatic impact of the economic and financial crisis over the social services and expressed a strong disagreement towards follow up measures taken by many governments across the continent, especially the radical cuts of public funding targeted for the sector.