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6th International SOFT Assembly
EUROPEAN STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL
INCLUSION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABLITIES:
ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES FOR THE CIVIL
SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENTS
Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, September
28 – 29, 2007
The International SOFT Federation (ISF) in co-operation with the
Association for Charity and Social Assistance ACASA and the Parliament of the
Republic of Moldova organises an international conference on public and civil
partnerships in combating social exclusion of people with disabilities. The
focus is on Eastern Europe in general and on Moldova in particular. This
conference takes place within the framework of the 6th international
assembly of ISF, the latter being an umbrella NGO of Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian,
Moldavian, Romanian and Ukrainian NGOs working in behalf of disabled children
and youngsters in Central Eastern and Eastern Europe. The previous
international SOFT assemblies have been held in Hungary, Romania and Ukraine.
Aims
The 6th international SOFT assembly (ISA)
aims at the transfer of knowledge and information in view of the furthering the
social inclusion of people, in particular children and youngsters, with
disabilities in the region covered by ISF activities, particularly in Moldavia.
Special attention will be paid to innovative community-based care strategies
and to good practices of co-operation between NGOs and governments on distinct
levels, to training parents of disabled children and youngsters as well as to
the development and implementation of programs to answer the educational needs
of professionals and volunteers working with and/or in behalf of disabled
children and their parents. The 6th ISA also aims to promote the
social inclusion of disabled people by informing policy makers about the
special needs in the concerned sector of society and by attracting mass media
attention to society’s responsibilities with regard to the disabled.
Backgrounds
After Romania’s accession in 2007 to the European Union, the Republic of
Moldova became an immediate neighbour of the EU. By presenting already in September
2003 a Concept for the Integration of the Republic of Moldova
into the European Union it made clear that its objective is joining the EU.
Moldova has subsequently recognised the importance of the EU’s Neighbourhood
Policy for its internal reform process. Striving at European integration implies
the implementation of EU strategies for social inclusion in general and that
for the social inclusion of persons with disabilities in particular. These
strategies are based on human rights standards and encompass the involvement of
stakeholders, specifically civil society organizations and governments on
national regional and local levels. There are in Moldova many civil society organizations dealing actively
with the rights of the disabled and developing public – civil partnerships in
the field. They have achieved much, but they are facing challenges as well.
After all, declarations on observing European standards and their incorporation
in national legislation cannot ensure their effective observance and protection
in daily practice.
Reflecting on
practices of social inclusion of persons with disabilities, the International
SOFT Federation and ACASA strive for the creation of a learning environment in
which people from Moldova and abroad can exchange information and knowledge
concerning effective partnership building in the field.
ISF
came into being after the successful completion of a Dutch-Hungarian-Romanian
project that has been implemented with the financial support of the European Union.
In 2001 twenty-eight NGOs from Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania and Ukraine
issued a Declaration of Intent envisaging the establishment of a federation of
NGOs working for or with disabled children and young adults. In 2002, ISF has
been formally established. It works under Hungarian law and has an
international board moreover a secretariat in Debrecen, Hungary.
The Association for Charity and Social Assistance
ACASA has been established in 1998 and joined ISF in 2006. Its members are 29
NGO’s and 27 private persons. The mission of ACASA is to contribute to the
promotion and support of civil society initiatives through social, health and
educational programs, network capacity strengthening and promotion of partnerships
for the lasting development in the Republic of Moldova. In view of this, ACASA
develops its activities within five Departments: Education
Department, Social Care Department, Health care Department, Fundraising and
Communication with Donors Department and Information and Communication department.
Conference venue
Chisinau is
the administrative,
political, economic, scientific and cultural centre of the Republic of Moldova
crossed by two rivers, the Bic and Isnovat. The first historic record of its
name goes back to 1436. The city is located on seven hills and stretches over
120 km2. The population is over 752 thousand. The climate
is moderate continental and the whether at the end of September is usually
nice. The conference takes place in the Palatul Republicii (The Palace of the
Republic) and the participants will be accommodated in hotels.
Conference languages
The
conference languages are Romanian, English and Russian. Simultaneous
translation is provided.
Provisional programme
(The final
programme is available at the registration desk)
Friday, 28 September
9:00 – 10:00 Registration
10:00 – 10:30 Welcome
Dr. ing. Ioan Moca (Romania), president of ACASA
Association
Prof. Dr. József Katus (The Netherlands), president of
the
International SOFT Federation
Opening
Mr. Marian Lupu, President of the Parliament of the
Republic of Moldova
10:30 – 10:40 Communications
on the conference agenda
Mrs.
Felicia Cretu (Moldova)
Executive
director of ACASA Association
10:40 – 11:40 Coffee
break
11:40 – 13:00 Workshops
- Motivated parents: Community
based settings and social inclusion
Moderator: Drs. David C. van de Velde (The Netherlands),
SOFT Tulip Foundation
- Potentials and achievements of networks
and partnerships in the field of
social inclusion of persons with disabilities
Moderator: Mrs.
Lucia Gavrilita Vice- Minister, the Ministry of Social
Protection, Family and Child,
Moldova
- Results and problems of the educational
inclusion of children with disabilities
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Valentina Pritscan (Moldova), dean of the Faculty
of Social Work and Pedagogy, Balti University
- Achievements and challenges for
the inclusion of people with disabilities in
living and in working communities
Moderator: Mr. John Verrijk (The
Netherlands), SOFT Tulip Foundation
- Partnerships: Parliament/Governments/Civil Society- opportunities
for
development
Moderator: Drs. Eric Bloemkolk
(The Netherlands), Socires Foundation
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 Workshops
15:30 – 16:30 Coffee
break
16:30 – 17:30 Workshops
18:00 – 20:00 Reception
Saturday, 29 September
9:00 – 9:10 Communications on the conference agenda
Mrs. Felicia Cretu (Moldova), ACASA
Association
9:10 – 11:30 Plenary reports of the workshops (Report of
the Observers)
Discussion
Moderators:
Mrs. Felicia Cretu (Moldova), ACASA
Dr. Ilona Darvas (Romania), International SOFT Federation
Dr. Irina Roshkovich (Ukraine), Medical and Social
Rehabilitation Center Way of Life, Uzhgorod
Prof. Dr. Zsuzsanna Vekerdy (Hungary), SOFT Foundation
Mr. Willem de Gooijer (The Netherlands), SOFT Tulip
Foundation
11:30 – 12:00 Coffee break
12:00 – 13:00 Plenary reports of the workshops (Report of
the Observers)
Discussion
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
15:30 – 16:00 Proposals for further co-operation within the framework of the
International SOFT Federation
Mrs. Alisa Costin (Moldova), ACASA Association
16:10 – 16:30 Concluding remarks and closing
Mrs. Valentina Buliga (Moldova), President of the
Parliamentary Commission for Social Protection, Health and Family, Republic of
Moldova;
Dr. ing. Ioan
Moca (Romania), president of ACASA Association
Prof. Dr. József
Katus (The Netherlands), president of the International SOFT Federation
Printable version
Preliminary programme
Registration form
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