The Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) recently published its Concluding Observations adopted at its 82nd session in which it reviewed States reports from, and held interactive dialogues, with Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Portugal, Türkiye and United Arab Emirates.
The Concluding Observations include several recommendations to States to enhance implementation and protection of the rights of women and girls with disabilities including living independently and being included in the community, access to inclusive education, health care, employment, social protection, housing. For instance, the Committee recommended to Namibia to “[F]ully implement the Sector Policy on Inclusive Education (2013), and ensure support to girls with disabilities in schools and the accessibility of school buildings, toilets and learning materials” and to Portugal to “[A]dopt effective measures to guarantee the right of women with disability to live in the community and to their full inclusion and participation in it, ensuring in particular that they have the opportunity to choose their place of residence and where and with whom to live, access to decent and accessible housing, and access to a range of in-home assistance, including personal assistance”.
For this session, IDA supported and collaborated closely with the Namibia Association of Differently Abled Women (NADAWO) and National Federation of People with Disabilities in Namibia (NFPDN). Their contribution including an alternative report and oral statement resulted to substantive recommendations on women and girls with disabilities as evident in the Observations. The alternative report is available on the Website of the 82nd session.
All other documents related to the 82nd session can be found on the CEDAW Committee’s website, accessible here.
