HR/5152
States Parties to Convention
on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
5th Meeting (AM)
Closing the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities today, its President told delegations that the lessons learned over the last three days needed to be taken home and implemented.
Macharia Kamau ( Kenya) emphasized in his concluding remarks that the Conference relied on delegations making their voices heard in their capitals to ensure the full realization of the Convention’s provisions and of a sustainable future without discrimination, where disability was accepted as part of human diversity.
To help States parties push forward disability-inclusive development, United Nations bodies from across the system were trying to integrate the needs of people with disabilities into the services they offered, and representatives of the United Nations system had given presentations about their efforts during an interactive panel discussion.
Panellists addressing the Conference were Daniela Bas, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Rosangela Berman Bieler, Chief of the Disability Section, Programme Division, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Aleksandra Posarac, Team Leader, Disability and Development, World Bank; Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction; Kazi Afzalur Rahman, Deputy Special Representative of the World Tourism Organization to the United Nations; Jahan Selim, Director for Poverty Practice of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Charles Radcliffe, Chief of the Global Issues Section in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes, Chair of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Committee; and Shuaib Chalklen, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development.
Describing progress made by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in carrying out its functions under the Convention and its Optional Protocol, Ms. Reyes said it had examined complaints from persons with disabilities, and while some had already been resolved, many more were still being addressed. The Committee emphasized the need to finalize drafts, general comments and create working groups to examine the vulnerabilities of by women and girls with disabilities.
Mr. Radcliffe, speaking from a human rights perspective, said OHCHR was using the Convention as a framework for action. Stressing the importance of accountability in ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities and special needs, he said OHCHR’s more than 20 field presences were working with States, national rights institutions and civil society to move forward obligations arising from the Convention.
Ms. Bas said the issue of accessibility had arisen in almost all presentations, and cited efforts made at Headquarters to ensure that persons with disabilities could participate in United Nations conferences. Emphasizing the importance of making all parts of the United Nations accessible to all people, she said the construction of a technology centre that would allow persons with disabilities to access computers and other resources during the forthcoming General Assembly High-level Meetings on Disability and Development, needed an additional $30,000 in funding.
Other presenters tackled the issue of adequate standards of living and inclusive development from the specific perspectives of disaster risk reduction, tourism, Africa and children.
Ms. Bieler, presenting on behalf of UNICEF, said that protecting the rights of children with disabilities was integral to the Fund’s programming. Calling attention to The State of the World’s Children report, which focused on disabilities, she said the last two years had been particularly fruitful, with the Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities establishing a 240-member network to advocate at the global, regional and country levels.
Mr. Chalklen emphasized the importance of strengthening the voices of persons with disabilities in Africa, especially in international forums such as the United Nations. Although more than half of African countries had ratified the Convention, they faced persistent challenges in the area of implementation, he said.
When the floor was opened to questions, several delegates responded to the point about the Convention’s status in Africa. The representatives of Sudan and Senegal were among the speakers who underlined the importance of establishing equal opportunities for people with disabilities, while Kenya’s delegate asked about UNDP’s activities in Africa.
Mr. Selim responded by pointing to the monitoring and data-collection efforts made on landmine survivors in many parts of Africa, including Mozambique.
Also participating in the interactive dialogue were representatives of Panama, Honduras, Republic of Korea, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya and Colombia.
Delivering statements as Conference concluded its general debate were representatives of Albania, Ecuador, Namibia, Malaysia, Estonia, Belgium, Japan, Republic of Korea, Brazil, Myanmar, Cuba, Indonesia, Cyprus, Uganda, Sudan and Sierra Leone.
Representatives of Rehabilitation International and Disabled People International also spoke.
On 23 September, the General Assembly will hold its High-level Meeting on Disability and Development under the theme “The way forward: a disability-inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond”.