Anna Lawson (University of Leeds, United Kingdom) provided an introduction to methods of monitoring the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, with a view to helping design future measure for the effectiveness of EU policies.

We are interested in organisations and projects that are already monitoring disabled people's rights (anywhere in the world). Examples of good practice can suggest the kinds of indicators that could be used to monitor practical implementation of the Convention in the EU and European countries.

Finding examples of good practice can suggest actions that the Commission could take to support Member States in practical implementation of the Convention. Learning lessons from existing projects will help researchers to develop methods and tools to support this work.

Research Leader and Rapporteur: Anna Lawson (University of Leeds)

The European Union played a leading role in development of the United Nations Convention, which came into force in May 2008, but monitoring progress will present significant challenges. The EC and its institutions will need to implement the Convention at the European level, in the context of the EU Disability Action Plan. States will need advice and guidance on the indicators they can use to monitor practical implementation.

During 2008 we have reviewed some of the working methods and indicators used by other organisations internationally to monitor disabled people's rights. The report on this, Monitoring the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Europe, is now available.

If your organisation is involved in monitoring the practical implementation of disabled people's rights then we would like to hear about your experiences. You can contribute through our online survey questionnaire or contact the Task Leader by email.

The purpose of the questionnaire is to collect examples of methods and indicators that could be used to monitor implementation of disabled people's rights in European countries. Such examples could come from anywhere in the world.