Launch of the European Disability Summit

At the opening of the European Regional Summit on Disability with the main theme: "Prospects for pan-European international cooperation", the President of ESDP, Ioannis Vardakastanis, spoke in his capacity as president of both the International Alliance of Organizations of People with Disabilities (IDA) and the European Disability Forum (EDF), on Tuesday, February 8th, which takes place online. The aim of the European Regional Summit on Disability was to discuss how international cooperation in the wider European region can include people with disabilities and chronic diseases. This was a European exchange at a high level in preparation for the World Summit on Disability 2022 (GDS22).

The speakers and participants took stock of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic on the basis of the common experience of inclusive growth years for people with disabilities and chronic conditions. The event brought together a number of stakeholders working on the rights of people with disabilities and chronic diseases, in preparation for GDS22 – members of governments, members of UN committees, representatives of civil society and representative organisations of people with disabilities and chronic diseases. A concluding document was approved which will be presented in GDS22.