"The Nordic Council of Ministers has an ambition to make the region the best place in the world for children and young people. The Nordic Children’s and Youth Committee (NORDBUK) fully supports this aim. As part of the work towards our goal, this seminar will concentrate on participation and influence for physically impaired youngsters in the Nordic Region," says Martin Dalin of NORDBUK, one of the speakers at the seminar.

Dalin stressed the importance of young people being able to exert influence. "Input from all groups of children and young people provides us with greater knowledge, which we can use in our work and which will help us reach our goals more quickly and achieve better quality," he notes.

The seminar programme includes the UN's new Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and paragraph 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child about the right of the physically impaired to be heard. Other speakers will be Signe Højsteen of the Danish Council of Organisations of Disabled People, Marianne Smedegaard, General Secretary of the Nordic Council on Disability Policy and Ida Gundersen of the Norwegian Federation of Youth Organisations of Disabled People.

The seminar, which has been organised by Nordic Co-operation on Disability (NSH) and the Nordic Children’s and Youth Committee (NORDBUK), will be held in the Nordic Council of Ministers' Secretariat at Store Strandstræde 18 in Copenhagen on Monday 14 April from 10:30 until 16:00.

Programme:

Coffee from 10:00

10:30
Opening address by Karen Klint MP, Danish member of the Nordic Council

10:45
Focus on physically impaired children and young people, Marianne Smedegaard

The Nordic Council on Disability Policy's strategy, by the General Secretary

11:00
Making the Nordic Region the best place on the world for children and young people – NORDBUK and the Council of Ministers' strategy, Martin Dalin (NORDBUK)

11:15
All different, all equal - the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Signe Højsteen, Danish Council of Organisations of Disabled People (DH)

11:50
Are the voices of physically impaired young people heeded? §12 of the Children's Convention, Report from the Equal Opportunity Centre for Disabled Persons, Denmark, Mogens Widerholt, Manager

12:30 LUNCH

13:30 National example:
- Following up on disablement policy in local government, HANDISAK, Ken Gammelgård*
- Children and young people report to the UN about their rights – project feedback from Norway, The Ministry of Children and Equality, Wenche Hellerud, Norway

14:30
Our voices must be heard! Debate input by Ida Gundersen, FFOU, Norway

14:50 COFFEE BREAK

15:15
Debate; Nordic and national challenges facing the aspiration towards participation and influence, Wenche Hellerud,Martin Dalin, Signe Højsteen, etc.

15:45
Conclusions, Marianne Smedegaard

16:00 Close, Martin Dalin