Yesterday, on Monday March 6th, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has initiated its 28th session. Throughout this session the Committee will review the states' reports and hold public constructive dialogues with 6 countries: Angola and Georgia between Wednesday 8 to Friday 10, and Tunisia, Peru, Argentina, and Togo, during the second week of the session (March 13th to March 17th).
The CRPD Committee will also hold a Day of General Discussion (DGD) on Article 11 of the CRPD on situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies. The DGD will have a regional focus and will consist of three regional consultations with online participation, taking place on March 7th and March 8th. More info is available at the specific CRPD Committee Website here.
All the documents related to the reviews, including previous CRPD Committee documents, States Reports and public alternative reports by organizations of persons with disabilities, civil society organizations and national human rights institutions can be found on the CRPD Committee’s website dedicated to the session 28th.
Please find the full Programme of Work of the session here.
All public meetings will be webcasted live by UN Web TV.
The opening session: Statement by International Disability Alliance and election of the bureau of the CRPD Committee
The public opening session started at 10 am CET and was held for 1 hour 40 minutes. Following the representative of the Secretary General, several organizations of persons with disabilities delivered a statement before the Committee.
Mr Klaus Lachwitz, IDA’s Board Member, delivered a statement on behalf of the International Disability Alliance. Among other things, Mr Lachwitz called the CRPD Committee to ensure that future general comment on article 11 of the CRPD covers the diversity of situations of risk as well as their impact on persons with disabilities. He said: “The challenges caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, by armed conflicts in Syria and Ukraine and by natural disasters like forest fires and immense floodings all over the world have shown how vulnerable persons with disabilities are and that many of them were left behind. To the extent possible IDA recommends a slower pace and a careful planning, given the great importance and complexities involved in a general comment that must cover the diverse situations of risk mentioned in Article 11 of the CRPD.”
Following the public session, the CRPD Committee moved to a private meeting to elect the bureau of the Committee for the next 2 years. IDA will be announcing the bureau composition in its communication channels once they are made public in full by the CRPD Committee.
A great level of engagement from organizations of persons with disabilities at the 28th session of the CRPD Committee
National organizations of persons with disabilities of the six countries under review are actively engaging with the CRPD Committee during the session, through their alternative reports and through their participation and private briefings with the CRPD Committee at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, as foreseen by the CRPD Committee’s informative note, available here. All the public alternative reports can be found here.
We at IDA have supported OPDs from the 6 countries involved in different ways, among other things by providing comments and suggestions to draft reports, sharing information on the review process and on opportunities to participate. IDA has also provided financial and logistical support to ensure the participation of OPDs representatives from Angola, Georgia, Tunisia, Peru, Argentina and Togo in Geneva, Switzerland.