Jačanje političkog učešća osoba sa invaliditetom u Republici Srbiji Strengthening political participation of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Serbia Fixed Amount Award No. AID-169-F-15-00010 under RFA-169-15-000009 “Strengthening political participation of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Serbia” Milestone 3 Report Annex 2 Study Visit Report Submitted by Centre for Independent Living Serbia (CIL), Project Lead in partnership with National Association of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities Serbia (NOOIS) Submitted: July 22, 2016 Introduction The SPPPWD Project consists of a combination of new and tried elements, with a dynamic progression built in the Project design. Thus, the Parliamentary Disability Caucus Group has already been established and tested in the National Assembly but under a very different set of circumstances and the PDGC previously organized under the SPPPWD is more focused and more operational. Still, the Project partners are always looking for opportunities to improve design and maximize impact of project investment. Thus, it is good practice to explore similar experiences in other countries, especially EU countries with solid solutions in place regarding independent living of persons with disabilities. By exposing local actors to experiences representing a closer match to the end goal from the perspective of the disability movement, it is hoped that they will open up more, understand better the requested changes and more actively contribute to making them happen. Put simply, the study visit is both the collection of new knowledge and experience, as well as an advocacy tool for the future work of disability movement. Within the SPPPWD project, Study visit is planned as one of the important project activities. This activity included the following organizational tasks: Selection of study visit destination Study visit preparation Composing the SPPPPWD Delegation Finalizing participant list and logistics Pre study visit meeting Study visit held Meeting summaries Study visit report Selection of study visit destination The SPPPWD Project Team examined different EU countries looking for parliaments with a parliamentary group on disability in place. Apart of Parliamentary Group established in the European Parliament, there were only two options we managed to find about, where such groups are still operational: Parliament in UK and Parliament in Scotland. The oldest and most functional group was found in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and has been operational ever since. Secondly, the Serbian disability movement has close ties with the disability movement in the UK and the concept of independent living has traveled to Serbia form the UK and Ireland, through personal transformative experiences of some of the movement leaders. Thirdly, the UK disability movement has a very strong and mature portfolio of policy advocacy by disabled persons’ organizations. Fourthly, the UK is undergoing austerity measures – as is Serbia and they have adversely affected level of support for persons with disabilities ever since the universal antidiscrimination act was introduced in 2010. All vulnerable groups have been lumped together and the integrity of each group suffered as a result as the government sought to reduce welfare expenditure. As there are talks in Serbia regarding similar changes, the Project Team wanted to seize this opportunity to discuss relevant issues with policy makers and DPOs in presence of a similar mix on our end. The project team and DPOs in Serbia are less familiar about the election legislation in the UK, therefore the Team found it important to get more information on that subject from the first hand, as the better access of PWD to elections is also one of the components of SPPPWD project. Study visit preparation Once the study visit destination was decided upon, it was important to benefit as much as possible from the stay in London, UK. The Project Director launched a campaign to establish contacts with the UK counterparts. This proved to be very difficult and time consuming. Overall, it took three 2 months to come up with a draft agenda. The main issue was that it is not a habit for MPs in the UK to communicate directly with citizens outside of their constituency. Coming from a Serbian civil society organization, a request for a meeting represented the most unusual practice and was often left without an answer or it took a very long time to say that this was not a good entry point but nobody could really say who to start from in the UK Parliament. Overall, the SPPPWD Project Director exchanged over 70 e-mails and phone calls with the UK counterparts in order to finally get through to All Party Parliamentary Group on Disability and All Party Parliamentary Group on Serbia. This breakthrough was made possible owing to support from Disability Rights UK and the European Network on Independent Living. The first draft agenda for the study visit was agreed in the second half of May and finally created 29th June 2016.Simultaneously, all information for a cost estimate and visa application procedures were also acquired. To make things more complex, the Serbian parliament was dissolved and no assistance could be asked from the Parliament Speaker or other PDCG members, firstly because of their involvement in political campaigns and secondly because they did not feel like they could undertake international initiatives until the new convocation, which finally was constituted on 22nd June 2016. In addition, it was necessary to place the time for Study visit while UK Parliament is still having sessions. The latest date for a visit was between 27th June – 14th July. For a while it seemed like the study visit was in question. The entire time, however, individual MPs from the previous Parliament legislature continued to be supportive of the idea and the project. They just did not feel like they had the power to leave Belgrade at such a sensitive political moment when the most important parliamentary session supporting the new government was very likely to be schedules. A relatively modest majority of 130 MPs made things even more sensitive for individual MPs who were to break that decision to their caucuses. Therefore, it was out of question for the Speaker and PDGC Chair to go. The Vice Chair of PDGC, Vesna Rakonjac fell ill and cancelled the travel in the last moment, though she had applied for the visa. SPPPWD Project Director consulted with the Speaker’s Cabinet and was told to it was highly unlikely that any MP form the ruling coalition would get a permission to go away in early July. Luckily, the other MP who was a planned member of the delegation, Dubravka Filipovski, New Serbia political party Deputy President, PDGC member and one of Women’s Parliamentary group coordinators, member of the ruling coalition mastered the courage to go. The SPPPWD Delegation As stated in the SPPPWD Work plan, the delegation was supposed to include two MPs, one Republican Election Commission member and SPPPWD Project Team. In fact, we had managed to form the delegation consisted of: one MP, Dubravka Filipovski, a Republican Election Commission representative, Maja Pejčić, working with Serbia Development Agency, a representative of Commissioner for Equality Protection, Tijana Milošević and the following members of SPPPWD Project Team: Gordana Rajkov, Project Director and Component 1 Coordinator (Cooperation with the Parliament), Sanja Nikolin, Project Manager, Mimica Živadinović, Project Coordinator , Ivanka Jovanović, Component 3 Coordinator (Local activities), Sofija Mandić, Component 2 Coordinator (Electoral Reform). In addition, the 10 members’ strong delegation included 2 personal assistants for members who are disabled wheelchair users, Biljana Ducic, PA to Ivanka Jovanovic and Andjelka Janicijevic, personal assistant to Gordana Rajkov. All members of the delegation speak English and have area-specific expertise (parliamentary operation, policy cycle management, election process, community-based social services provision, welfare systems, disability rights, independent living and CRPD, social services innovation, etc.). It was noted by the UK counterparts that this was both an all women and a highly competent delegation. 3 Finalizing study visit participant list and logistics The project team organized applications for all members of the delegation for a business visa to UK (which is very complicate and time consuming procedure) with G solution group support. The hotel, air fares, transfer and per diem were all pre-paid for by CIL on 30th June 2016. The total cost of the study visit amounted to $ 17,980.10. The study visit participants flew on Air Serbia economy class and they were accommodated in double rooms of the Premier Inn hotel in London. This particular hotel was selected for accessibility and proximity to Parliament building. Pre-study visit meeting The pre study visit meeting was organized on 23rd June 2016. It was held in the Parliament building in presence of delegation members and USAID AOR Aleksandra Kržić Zorić. The following meeting agenda was followed: purpose of the visit; expected results; check Study visit agenda, define roles of member delegation at individual meetings; decide who would in some way in front of the team played a leading role in the conversation; and go through some technical and logistic issues. Participants concluded that members of the delegation will jointly attend most meetings in order to benefit from the different perspectives and experiences