The Kanchi Blog

Posted on

23rd January 2012

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Caroline Casey,Disability,Education

Caroline Casey is moderating the Zero Conference in Vienna today, the first conference of its kind which will bring together around 240 parliamentarians, NGO and foundation representatives, academics and activists from the rights for the disabled movement.

The conference aims to act as an “International Think Tank” to accelerate the implementation of the UN Convention and will focus heavily on extensive country comparison and identifies solutions in order to exert constructive international pressure in favour of accelerated implementation. It aims primarily at identifying positive examples as well as laws which have eliminated social, legal, economic, political and environmental barriers to the rights of persons with disabilities.

Prior to the Zero Conference Caroline Casey said; “The fact that this conference has been totally over subscribed, with participants from 35 countries, with multi stakeholders is testament to the approach it is taking – one based solely on solutions and ideas that work and can be replicated. Too often we focus on the problems and obstacles and not so much on the opportunities and successful practices. The 8 solutions being discussed today come from 7 countries and I believe are an exciting step towards an inclusive society.”

The Zero Conference is the Essl Foundation’s second long-term project (in addition to the annually awarded Essl Social Prize), The focus of the Zero Project website will be officially launched at the conference today, these include Good Practices and Good Policies identified in the report. As an interactive platform for persons with disabilities, NGOs, policymakers, research and business, the page will facilitate a variety of forms of participation.

The Zero Conference was organised at the initiative of the Essl Foundation in cooperation with the Hamburg-based foundation, the World Future Council, and its founder Jakob von Uexkull.