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A Pan-African conference on the rights of people with disabilities and the launch of the African Disability Rights Yearbook and the final round of the first Southern African Disability Rights Moot Court Competition will be hosted by the Centre for Human Rights on 5 and 6 November 2013. The theme of the conference is ‘Overcoming obstacles: towards the effective implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in Africa’. The conference will reflect on the relevance for Africa of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which the UN adopted in 2006.

The opening address at the conference will be delivered by Charlotte McClain, previously a member of the South African Human Rights Commission. A total of 28 pre-selected papers will be presented, dealing with topics ranging from promotion and awareness-raising around disability rights to equality and disability.

Justice Zak Yacoob will launch the African Disability Rights Yearbook on 5 November. The Yearbook is the first of its kind in Africa. It covers academic papers on the rights of persons with disabilities in Africa, and provides an update of developments in this area in selected African states. The Yearbook is edited by Prof Charles Ngwena, from the Centre; Prof Helene Combrinck, University of the Western Cape, Dr Ilze Grobbelaar-du-Plessis, University of Pretoria and Dr Serges Kamga, University of South Africa.

The conference an launch take place in the Law Auditorium, on the ground floor of the Faculty of Law building on the main campus of the University of Pretoria. The conference starts at 08:30 on 5 and 6 November and the launch takes place at 18:30 on 5 November.

Students from Southern African countries will also argue a hypothetical problem, dealing with psycho-social disability, in the first Southern African Disability Rights Moot Court Competition. The final round will be judged by Justice Yacoob and other experts in the field, including a judge of the Kenyan High Court. The final takes place in the Moot Court room, ground floor, Faculty of Law at 15:00 on 6 November.

For more information, please contact

Thuto Hlalele,
Centre for Human Rights,
Tel: 012-420-3587
Email:  thuto.hlalele@up.ac.za

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