Introduction More than one billion people in the world live with some form of disability, of whom nearly 200 million experience considerable difficulties in functioning. In Latin-American and the Caribbean there are at least 80 millions person with disability and the majority live in extreme poverty

Across the world, people with disabilities have poorer health outcomes, lower education achievements, less economic participation and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. This is partly because people with disabilities experience barriers in accessing services that many of us have long taken for granted, including health, education, employment, and transport as well as information. These difficulties are exacerbated in less advantaged communities.

To promote effective inclusion, there were adopted various international instruments, which recognize the dignity of all human beings as a fundamental principle and state that disability does not affect dignity: Inter-American Convention and Program of Action Persons with disabilites are full rights holders The prohibition of discriminating based on disability

The Inter-American Convention The Inter-American Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities was adopted by the General Assembly of the OAS on June 7, 1999, and entered into force on September 14, To date, this Convention has been signed by 20 OAS Member States and ratified by 18. This convention is a pioneering instrument in the Americas and worldwide since it is responsible for providing the conceptual basis on disability, providing a much broader regulation than contained in general human rights instruments within the Inter-American System. List of rights that persons with disabilities should enjoy and under no circumstances be deprived or restricted by reason of disability Conceptual framework on disability

Activities States submitted their first report on the alignment of public policies and plans regarding the Convention Celebration of the Third CEDDIS Meeting in El Salvador on April 2010 Celebration of the First Meeting of Working Groups CEDDIS in Washington DC, in October States submitted their first report on the alignment of public policies and plans regarding the PAD. Planning and management of the reviews of the Technical Secretariat for the Decade of the Americas for the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities “SEDISCAP " Second Meeting of Directors of Institutions and Policy- makers for People with Disabilitiesin Buenos Aires, Argentina, on August 2010 People with Disabilities Achievements 1. Boosting of the American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities “CEDDIS” 2. Support for the Program of Action for the Decade of the Americas for the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (PAD)

Main Outcomes Publication of 5,000 copies of the Inter-American Convention and PAD in the four official languages of the Organization. Institutional support for and/or attendance of international events of regional authorities on the matter of disability, to broadcast the Inter-American Convention and the PAD Implementation of two resolutions by the OAS General Assembly stressing the importance of the topic, AG / Res (Xl-O/10), AG/RES (XL-O/10) Network of cooperation and collaboration whith CONADIS representatives from Argentina, Brazil and Dominican Republic, and civil society in order to assess the situation of the disabled population in Haiti after the earthquake. This group was in Haiti from April 5th to April 20th of 2010 People with Disabilities Activities 3. International promotion of the two main instruments of the Inter-American System to guarantee the rights of people with disabilities 4. Development of Haiti Mission

NEXT STEPS Second Request of compliance report to Member States part of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities The Celebratory Year of "Human Rights and People with Disabilities“ III Meeting of Heads of Institutions and Policy- makers for Persons with Disabilities III Regional Meeting of Civil Society Organizations. Tentative date: October of 2011 Presentation of comparative studies on the exercise of legal capacity of persons with disabilities in the region III Meeting of Successful Inclusive Projects People with Disabilities

Main Outcomes AG/RES (XXXIX-O/09) Human Rights and Older Persons, resolution AG/RES (XL-O/10) Human Rights and Older Persons Participation of national representatives and experts from the academic sector and civil society, as well as from international organizations, who shared information and best practices and examined the feasibility of preparing an inter-American Convention on the rights of older persons Older persons Activities 1. Implementation of two Resolutions by the OAS General Assembly stressing the importance of the topic 2. Special Meeting of the Permanent Council on Human Rights And Older Persons

Synergies between both Conventions Objectives: Inter-American Convention 1999 United Nations Convention 2006 Article II The objectives of this Convention are to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities and to promote their full integration into society. Article 1 The purpose of the present Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.