In collaboration with the Fédération National des Associations Personnes Handicapées du Senegal, the OHCHR – West Africa Regional Office, and Sightsavers, on June 1st and 2nd 2018, IDA held a 2 days’ workshop on the CRPD review process. This workshop was developed in the lead up to the process of review of Senegal by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, beginning next September with the adoption of the List of Issues by the Committee.

The 2-day activity gathered 20 participants from organisations of persons with disabilities and other civil society allies both from the Dakar and from other regions of the country. IDA thanks the OHCHR-West Africa Regional Office for having hosted the workshop at its offices in Dakar and to all the partners for their collaboration.

The activity included initial presentations on the CRPD and on the process of review by the CRPD Committee. It was a great opportunity for all the participants to learn about the CRPD review process and the many ways in which civil society is invited to engage and contribute to the drafting of the alternative reports. A specific presentation on Article 24 of the CRPD (Right to inclusive education) was provided on the second day to trigger the debate among the participants. This particular issue is in the pipeline of national discussions related to the rights of persons with disabilities.

The participants actively engaged in addressing proposed exercises, holding group discussions on the situation of the rights of persons with disabilities in Senegal, and reviewing the Initial Report of the State and the draft alternative report of the Fédération. The outcome of these conversations will contribute to the final stages of the drafting of an alternative report by the Fédération National des Associations Personnes Handicapées du Senegal to the CRPD Committee, prior to its adoption of the List of Issues.