Jyrki Pinomaa, president of Inclusion Europe, writes his annual end-of-year letter to our members:
Dear members.
Europe still has a long way to go to become inclusive.
This is the conclusion that one unfortunately has to come to, following the publication of Inclusion indicators 2024. The report was launched at a high-level conference in the European Parliament, organised by High Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity.
The event was opened by the European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, and by the European Parliament vice-president Younous Omarjee.
Younous Omarjee said that people with intellectual disabilities and their families are all too often victims of segregation, deprived of their basic rights. He also said that much remains to be done to allow everyone to participate in our societies. His promise was that the European Parliament stands by us.
I want to thank you all who have contributed to this report. It is a strong tool, and it is made to be used. So please, use it.
Organise your own high-level conferences and show your politicians the scores of your countries. Use this report to show them what needs to be done. Tell them that inclusion is the right thing to do. It is a human right.
Another year comes to its end. Another year with many great activities and events highlighting the need of full inclusion of European people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
Visiting and meeting with many of our members this year, I have been introduced to your work and its results, and have been impressed by the skills and talents of many self-advocates. So many inmemorable moments and experiences. Thank you!
This was also the year of our Europe in Action conference, hosted by our Scottish member Enable.
The conference gathered more than four hundred of us in Glasgow in May, also to join the celebration of Enable’s 70th anniversary. A big thank you to the Enable team for the most succesful conference!
I wish to express my gratitude to all of you, our loyal members, who have supported our work. It not only shows your support and dedication, it gives us the necessary resources and security to continue our work.
I also want to thank our partners and funders – your support makes our work possible.
Thank you, as always, to our Secretariat. Your hard work is highly appreciated.
Thank you also to the Board of Incusion Europe. For me personally it means a lot that we have come back to in-person meetings. They give us much more space to real interraction and deep discussions.
I am looking forward to working together with you all again next year.
I wish to you all a succesful new year 2025!
Jyrki Pinomaa, president of Inclusion Europe