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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> Pacificcbidnetwork <pacificcbidnetwork-bounces@lists.pacificdisability.org> on behalf of Soloveni Vitoso <infor@pacificdisability.org><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 3, 2019 4:08 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> pdflist@lists.pacificdisability.org; pdf-fullmembers@lists.pacificdisability.org<br>
<b>Cc:</b> Dpo-officemanagers@lists.pacificdisability.org; pacificcbidnetwork@lists.pacificdisability.org; ipwd-network@lists.pacificdisability.org<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Pacificcbidnetwork] DISCUSSING HOW TO MAKE SURE TAX PAYERS’ MONEY IS SPENT ON ACCESSIBILITY</font>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:#AD2019; text-transform:uppercase">DISCUSSING HOW TO MAKE SURE TAX PAYERS’ MONEY IS SPENT ON ACCESSIBILITY</span></b></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:#AD2019; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">28 June 2019</span></i></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt; background:white; vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">US$ 9.5 trillion is the estimated amount spent worldwide on the public procurement market per year on products, services, and infrastructure which are fundamental in people’s everyday
lives: transport, healthcare, education, social protection, technologies or how our cities are designed. If accessibility is required, public procurement can be a means to support the inclusion of persons with disabilities, and to implement the UN Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">To discuss different approaches to accessibility and public procurement, on June 13<sup><span style="border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">th</span></sup>,
the European Disability Forum, with support of the European Commission, the International Disability Alliance, the Pacific Disability Forum and Siteimprove organised a side event at the Conference of State Parties to the UN CRPD.
</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">The discussion was facilitated by the moderator <b>Catherine Naughton</b>, Director of the European Disability
Forum, with questions to the panelists as well as from the audience.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">Katherine Eng</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">, Senior
ICT Accessibility Specialist at the <a href="https://www.access-board.gov/"><span style="color:#075D8C; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">US Access Board</span></a>, explained the legal framework for the US federal public procurement. As part of this
legislation, its <a href="https://www.section508.gov/"><span style="color:#075D8C; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">Section 508</span></a> sets out the technical accessibility requirements that are required for ICT that is procured, developed, maintained
or used by the federal government.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">Very much aligned with the US, European Public Procurement legislation makes accessibility compulsory. Recently
the European Union has passed a new legislation, the <span style="border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in"><a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2019.151.01.0070.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2019:151:TOC"><span style="color:#075D8C">European
Accessibility Act</span></a></span>, that provides accessibility requirements to be used in public procurement. <b>Inmaculada Placencia Porrero</b>, Senior Expert on Disability of the European Commission, presented the provisions in EU law that makes accessibility
as a mandatory consideration in public procurement, as well as allow for its use as an award criterion, so the procurers can choose the most accessible solution proposed by the bidders. She indicated the availability of EU level accessibility standards to
facilitate and support the procurement process, such as the <a href="https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/301500_301599/301549/02.01.02_60/en_301549v020102p.pdf"><span style="color:#075D8C; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">European Standard for accessible
ICT</span></a>.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt; background:white; vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">Alejandro Moledo</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">,
EDF Policy Coordinator, reminded the audience about the position of the CRPD committee at the <a href="https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRPD/C/GC/2&Lang=en"><span style="color:#075D8C; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">General
Comment nº2 on accessibility</span></a>, calling State Parties to include accessibility in their public procurement legislation. Moledo also stressed the key role of representative organisations of persons with disabilities in shaping those policies and the
accessibility standards to underpin the laws, and regretted the lack of redress mechanisms for citizens when they find out that a publicly procured product, service or infrastructure doesn’t live up to these standards.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt; background:white; vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"> <img border="0" width="680" height="510" id="x_Picture_x0020_13" alt="Alejandro speaking during the panel" data-outlook-trace="F:1|T:1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D5326C.5C379160"></span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt; background:white; vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"> Alejandro speaking during the panel</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">Laisa Vereti</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">, Manager
– Planning Policy and Advocacy at the Pacific Disability Forum presented the situation in the Pacific region, where there is not a comprehensive understanding of accessibility beyond the built environment yet. Vereti also shared the experiences of organisations
of persons with disabilities in the region catalysing the process to come up with a “<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/case-studies/rationale-pacific-blue-print-comprehensive-accessibility-standards_en"><span style="color:#075D8C; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">blue
print</span></a>” for different accessibility domains to guide the governments to ensure that procurement of goods and services is accessible and inclusive of persons with disabilities.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:10.5pt; font-family:"inherit",serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt; background:white; vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"><img border="0" width="681" height="511" id="x_Picture_x0020_14" alt="Laisa Vereti speaks" data-outlook-trace="F:1|T:1" src="cid:image006.jpg@01D53271.EF705F70"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"></span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Laisa Vereti speaks</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">Representing Siteimprove, an international Software-as-a-Service, <b>Stein Erik Skotkjerra</b>, Head of Accessibility
Relations, emphasized that there is a positive trend towards having legal requirements for accessibility in public procurement. In his experience, legal requirements are one of several triggers that increase the focus on accessibility in general, along with
awareness and training on accessibility, as proved by their work with the <a href="http://accessibilityworldmap.org/"><span style="color:#075D8C; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">Accessibility World Map</span></a>. However, Skotkjerra also pointed
out that there is the need for sharing knowledge so that more manufacturers know how to create accessible and user-friendly products. Besides the obvious business case to do so, without this knowledge sharing, vendors will not be able to deliver accessibility,
despite the legal requirements in procurement policies.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background:white; vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:black">Finally, <b>Ursula Wynhoven</b>, representative of the International Telecommunication Union to the UN, showed
the different resources that they have developed to support countries to mainstream accessibility in their procurement policies, such as <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Digital-Inclusion/Persons-with-Disabilities/Pages/Self-Paced-Online-Training-on-ICT-Accessibility.aspx"><span style="color:#075D8C; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">trainings</span></a>, <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Digital-Inclusion/Persons-with-Disabilities/Documents/ICT%20Accessibility%20Policy%20Report.pdf"><span style="color:#075D8C; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">policy
models</span></a>, checklists and <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/accessibility/Pages/default.aspx"><span style="color:#075D8C; border:none windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in">guidelines for accessible meetings</span></a>.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt; background:white; vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt; font-family:"inherit",serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt; background:white; vertical-align:baseline">
<a href="http://www.edf-feph.org/newsroom/news/discussing-how-make-sure-tax-payers-money-spent-accessibility"><span style="color:blue">http://www.edf-feph.org/newsroom/news/discussing-how-make-sure-tax-payers-money-spent-accessibility</span></a><span style="font-size:10.5pt; font-family:"inherit",serif; color:black"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.5pt; font-family:"inherit",serif; color:black">**********************************************************</span></p>
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Have a great weekend!</p>
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Regards.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt; background:white; vertical-align:baseline">
Solo </p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:#1F497D">Soloveni Vitoso</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif; color:#1F497D">Public Relations & Communication Officer</span></b></p>
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