(Strasbourg) In the run-up to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3^rd December), the general secretary of the Council of Europe, an organisation with 47 member States, “called the European governments to take inspiration from the recently-adopted Disability Strategy 2017-2023,” “to make human rights a reality for everyone”. “Major progress has been made in the last ten years, but we have not yet managed to make everyday reality fit in with the legal rules”, explains the general secretary of the CoE, Thorbjørn Jagland. “Disabled people are still discriminated against in education and at work and in addition they are exposed to a higher risk of violence and abuse”. “We must place emphasis on abilities rather than on disabilities. Law-makers must work out laws, policies and practices that give disabled people independence, freedom of choice, and a full, effective involvement in every dimension of daily life. Our new strategy shows the way to go”. The strategy will be launched during a conference in Cyprus on 27^th and 28^th March 2017.