2009 Expert Group Meetings and Panel Discussions

DSPD-DESA in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare of the Government of Ghana is organizing an Expert Group Meeting on "Practical Strategies to Promote Social Integration: Lessons learned from existing policies and practices" from 17 - 19 November 2009, in Accra, Ghana, as part of the preparations for the 48th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD), which is scheduled to take place in New York from 3 to 12 February 2010.

The meeting is convened in the context of ECOSOC resolution 2008/19 in which the Economic and Social Council decided that the priority theme for the 2009-2010 review and policy cycle of the Commission should be "Social integration", taking into account its relationship with poverty eradication and full employment and decent work for all. The outcomes of the meeting will be important inputs to the work of the Commission, in particular contributing to policy-oriented sessions geared towards promoting social integration.

"Policies to Advance Social Integration" convened in preparation for the 48th session of the Commission for Social Development .

The expert group meeting is convened in the context of Economic and Social Council resolution 2008/19 in which the Economic and Social Council decided that the priority theme for the 2009-2010 review and policy cycle of the Commission for Social Development should be “social integration”, taking into account its relationship with poverty eradication and full employment and decent work for all. The outcomes of this expert group meeting will provide important inputs to the work of the Commission.

The meeting will allow for an interchange of experiences and ideas among approximately 15 experts, acting in their individual capacity, who are drawn from academia, research institutions, government, and the United Nations system. The interaction among the experts, who hail from across the globe, is intended to stimulate thinking on how to incorporate social integration policies and principles into broader poverty eradication and employment policies. At the same time, participants will explore how efforts to eradicate poverty and promote full employment and decent work can help to advance social integration, particularly of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable persons and groups in society.

Following presentations and dialogue, the meeting will produce a set of independent recommendations which will assist the 48th session of the Commission for Social Development in its deliberations on the theme of social integration.

“Rights of Older Persons” organized by the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in Bonn, Germany. The overall objectives of the Expert Group Meeting are to explore how fundamental human rights of older persons could be assured and deepened and how the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing could be better implemented concerning the rights of older persons. In this context, analysis, approaches and documents of rights enforced in the past, of institutional settings, and of overall capacity to further implement policies and laws concerning the rights of older persons will be discussed during the meeting. Specific objectives of the meeting:

1. Identify and evaluate good national practices regarding protecting and promoting the rights of older persons, including measures to prevent discrimination, neglect, abuse and violence

2. Select innovative approaches to widening and deepening the rights of older persons nationally and internationally

3. Identify capacity tools that are required and could be recommended to policy makers when addressing the rights of older persons

4. Elaborate recommendations on how to promote the rights of older persons at the level of member states and the United Nations

5. Explore feasibility and possible approaches to elaborating an international legal framework on the rights of older persons, including

(a) declaration on the rights of older persons,
(b) enhanced UN Principles for older persons,
(c) convention on the rights of older persons,
(d) special rapporteur on the rights of older persons

Aide Memoire

Annotated Agenda

List of Participants

Report of the Meeting

"Cooperatives in a world in crisis" organized by the Division for Social Policy and Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and   Social Affairs (UNDESA) in coordination with the International   Cooperative Alliance (ICA) in New York. The EGM will discuss broadly the   role of cooperatives in a world in crisis. Specifically, the EGM will:

1. Assess the contributions of cooperatives to socio-economic development   especially in poverty reduction, employment creation and safety net   provision, focusing in particular, on the role of agricultural and   financial cooperatives in light of the current food and financial crisis;

2. Provide the forum for the sharing of national and regional   experiences and lessons learned on strengthening cooperatives and to   identify policy measures to enhance and scale up the impact of   cooperatives on socio-economic development;

3. Discuss the proposed   International Year of Cooperatives, and lay the groundwork for setting   objectives, desired outcomes, programs and activities, resource   requirements and partnerships.

"Mainstreaming Disability in MDG Policies, Processes and Mechanisms: Development for All" organized by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNDESA) in collaboration with the World Health Organization is organizing an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The EGM will review existing policy frameworks, resources, mechanisms and tools for mainstreaming disability in the implementation of the MDGs. It will also provide policy recommendations that will link the MDG processes with other internationally agreed development goals.

"Family policy in a changing world: Promoting social protection and intergenerational solidarity" in Doha, Qatar. The Meeting is organized by the Division for Social Policy and Development of UN DESA in cooperation with the Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development.

International Expert Workshop on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Manila, Philippines. The International Expert Group Workshop will be organized by Tebtebba Foundation in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The workshop will provide the opportunity for dialogues among participants with the aim of improving the situation of indigenous peoples in relation to extractive industries.