Human Rights and Disability A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions Chapter 6: Regional human rights instruments and disability KEY QUESTION • How do the existing regional human rights instruments reflect the move to the human rights frame in the context of disability? The paradigm shift in disability away from charity and towards human rights has been reflected in the way in which existing regional human rights instruments have been interpreted and applied. This has helped to reinforce the goals and principles of the UN CRPD at a regional level. This chapter provides an overview of some of these interpretive trends. Only some of the major regional organisations are covered. Before engaging with these instruments, it is important to recall that NHRIs can and have been active on disability issues through their various regional groupings. 6.1. REGIONAL GROUPINGS OF NHRIs AND THEIR WORK ON DISABILITY European Network of National Human Rights Institutions The European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI)198 works on a broad range of human rights issues, including the rights of persons with disabilities (and also the rights of older people where there is some overlap). The regional coordinating body runs an NHRI Academy that provides workshops and training for NHRIs on different aspects of their work. It also established a Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Working Group in 2010. One of the goals of the Working Group is to “[i]dentify, develop, and promote good practice guidance on the role and actions of NHRIs in promoting, protecting and monitoring implementation of the Convention in the European Network and internationally”. It also promotes ratification of the UN CRPD by States across Europe. ENNHRI makes regular appearances before the CRPD Committee and submitted a parallel report to the Committee based on the European Union’s Initial Report. It has also organised a number of side panel discussions. It coordinates the input of NHRIs into European-level developments, especially within the European Union, and has begun the practice of submitting joint amicus curia briefs before the European Court of Human Rights, including DD v Lithuania (2008), involving civil commitment and the loss of legal capacity, and Gauer v France (2011), which concerned the forced sterilisation of women with disabilities. 198 80 More information on ENNHRI is available at http://ennhri.org.