Topics for the meeting will range from accessibility in the European Commission’s Crisis Management strategy to reflections from disability organizations across the region.

Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania will be represented by its director Helén Nilsson and Vida Gintautaitė, Adviser for Social and Health issues. Haroldas Sabulis, an adviser from Lithuania’s Ministry of the Interior, will present on political strategies and promising practices in crisis preparedness. Additionally, Indrė Sirvinskaitė, President of the Lithuanian Disability Forum, will lead a session reflecting on the role of disability organizations in crisis situations.

The meeting will conclude with a panel discussion and planning session on future Nordic-Baltic cooperation in disability policy and crisis preparedness. Representatives from Nordic Council of Ministers offices in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Nordic Welfare Center and Nordic Council of Ministers Secretariat will share strategies and plans to create a more inclusive and resilient approach to managing emergencies.

This meeting is organized within the framework of a Nordic Council of Ministers’ Nordic-Baltic Cooperation Project on Social Affairs and Health, and is part of the program for the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2024.