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The Barcelona Declaration ProjectFacilitating Local Authorities in creating a more inclusive society |
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The Barcelona Declaration made its first appearance at the 1995 conference The City and the Disabled. This was a major event with high-level Spanish and European support and attended by people from all over Europe. At the conclusion of the conference, 56 mayors and chairmen of European municipalities signed the Declaration in person and a further 86 indicated their intention by post and fax to sign in the immediate future. The Mayor of Drogheda, Mr Tom Godfrey, attended and signed. As of July 2000, 320 cities and towns have adhered to what is the most important European convention on accessibility. The Declaration is a simple but powerful document. It has no legal force but, by committing municipal authorities to a wide range of actions, it is a major instrument of change. It is also subtle, in that while entirely non-threatening, the measures, which follow on its adoption, are wide-ranging. For example, an adhering city or town undertakes to produce a plan for the implementation of the Declaration and to establish structures for ongoing consultation with people with disabilities and their representatives. To complete the formalities of registration, the Municipal Authority which decides to adhere to the Barcelona Declaration must register with Barcelona by sending a certified copy of the minutes of the Council meeting that adopted the resolution. The primary author of the Declaration is Francesc Aragall, the President of the European Institute for Design and Disability (EIDD). At the beginning of 1999 the IDD launched a yearlong programme, CITIZEN 2000, to promote the adoption of the Barcelona Declaration in Ireland. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Senator Joe Doyle, gave his full support to the campaign and, as a result, Dublin Corporation adopted the measure. The public was introduced to the Declaration at the City and Town for All conference in April 1999 and considerable interest was aroused. Sponsorship was secured from the Ireland Fund and others to promote the Declaration throughout the North and South of Ireland. At its Annual General Meeting in May 1999, the IDD undertook to extend the campaign to run for two years and to contact every city and town in Ireland North and South. To date, 101 councils have adopted the Declaration.
The text of the Barcelona Declaration Download the Barcelona Declaration The text of the Declaration has been prepared in single or double column formats. Please download a copy and circulate it to all your friends. |
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