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On 2 September, a meeting organized by UNESCO and SG-Reform of the European Commission took place online, with the aim of promoting the exchange between Portugal and Greece in the sharing of good practices, experiences and challenges related to the monitoring of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The meeting was part of the project “Strengthening the capacity of the Coordination Mechanism for the Support of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Greece”, funded by the European Union through the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by UNESCO, in cooperation with the Task Force for Reform and Investment of the European Commission. This initiative is part of a series of peer learning exchanges designed to support the development of stronger coordination and monitoring mechanisms in Greece.

The National Institute for Rehabilitation (INR, I.P.) was represented by Vice President Marina Van Zeller and Marisa Lourenço of the Technical Support Office. The Greek delegation included representatives from the Presidency of the Government and the National Coordination Mechanism for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as the Greek National Human Rights Commission.

During the meeting, the INR, IP presented its role as the National Coordination Mechanism of the CRPD, highlighting its main tasks: interministerial articulation, systematization of information through the construction of a monitoring matrix, operation of an informal interministerial working group and elaboration of a synthesis document resulting from the collection of contributions from the various sectoral areas. Challenges have also been identified, including political instability and recent governance changes, which require a constant update of the ministerial focal points and a persistent articulation with the entities involved.

The session also included a presentation by Greece on the organisation of its National Coordination Mechanism, highlighting the role of the Cabinet of the Minister of State, the participation of the Presidency of the Government and the General Secretariat for Coordination, as well as the intervention of the Greek National Human Rights Commission as an independent monitoring mechanism.

In the Q&A space, the INR detailed the importance of vertical coordination between the central and local levels, the progress in the process of drafting the new Strategy 2026-2030, which will be presented very soon. Reference was also made to the role of the National Mechanism for Monitoring the Implementation of the CRPD (Law No 71/2019), based in the Assembly of the Republic and with the active participation of civil society and organisations representing persons with disabilities.

The meeting reinforced the importance of inter-institutional and international cooperation, highlighting that the effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires an effort of technical coordination, political commitment and administrative continuity.

At the close, representatives of UNESCO and the European Commission thanked all participants for their collaboration and spirit of cooperation, underlining that sharing good practices, experiences and difficulties enriches joint work and contributes to strengthening the monitoring mechanisms of the Convention.