Highlights of Gerard' activities and upcoming events. If you are not on the mailing list and would like to receive his montlhy newsletters via email, please contact us!
COMMENTS ON POLICY & LEGISLATION
THE HAGUE CONVENTION SHOULD BE REPURPOSED TO PROTECT AUTONOMY.
— The European Commission proposed a Regulation on jurisdiction, law and cooperation on the protection of adults, to facilitate the ratification of the 2000 Hague Convention on the protection of adults by Member States that have not done so.
This is a seminal issue of our time as it cuts right through to the topics of autonomy and personhood – something that affects both persons with disabilities as well as older adults.
On August 8, Gerard Quinn and Claudia Mahler, UN Independent Expert on the rights of older persons, released a statement, voicing their concerns about the proposed regulation and making suggestions about the way forward.
Their opinion is based on the findings of a study by Sonia Rolland and Alex Ruck Keene, which interpreted the Hague Convention consistently with the UN CRPD.
COLOMBIA: COURT RULES AGAINST DISCRIMINATORY TRIAGE DURING HEALTH EMERGENCIES.
— On July 26, the Constitutional Court of Colombia ordered the Ministry of Health to regulate so-called “ethical triages” during health emergencies in the country. The Court recognized that the Ministry failed to regulate prioritization decisions for access to health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, jeopardizing the rights of the users of the Colombian health system.
The decision came after 26 people with disabilities, individuals over 60 years of age, and individuals with chronic health conditions filed a “tutela,” against Colombia’s Ministry of Health.
Together with Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the rights of older persons, Gerard Quinn presented an Amicus Curie brief to the court, in support of the case.
GERARD’S LAST ADDRESS TO THE CRPD COMMITTEE AS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR .
— On August 14, Gerard addressed the regular session of the Committee on the rights of persons with disabilities. This is the UN body of experts that monitors the implementation of the CRPD by Member States. In his address, Gerard offered a quick overview of the priorities he undertook as Special Rapporteur, including disability in armed conflicts and peacebuilding processes, addressing the fragmentation of international laws and treaties, and reimagining services for persons with disabilities. You can watch Gerard’s remarks and the full session, by clicking on the button below.
NEW PODCAST EPISODES COMING UP…
WE ARE RELEASING 2 NEW DISABILITY DIALOGUES EPISODES IN OCTOBER:
Linda Steele is Associate Law professor at Sidney’s University of Technology. Her research focuses on law's role in enabling violence, institutionalisation and segregation of disabled people, and in turn the possibilities and limits of legal methods such as litigation, redress schemes, truth commissions and law reform to achieve social justice.
In this episode, Gerard and Linda will discuss legal avenues for redress and the moral repair of the harms done to persons with disabilities in institutional settings and guardianship regimes.
Susan Scott Parker leads the "'Disability Ethical A!?” global community of academic institutions, tech companies and civil society organizations working to prevent discrimination against workers with disabilities through biased AI-powered recruitment processes. Susan is also a well-known leader on mobilizing businesses to include people with disabilities.
In this episode, Gerard and Susan will discuss the opportunities that Artificial Intelligence open up to disability inclusion, and how to minimize the risks.
