UNGA79 Third Committee
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities & Chair of CRPD Ms Heba Hagrass & Ms Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame
Statement delivered by Finland on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic countries
4 November 2024, New York
Chair,
I have the honour of speaking on behalf of Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and my own country Finland.
We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s timely report on the participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
We would also like to thank the Committee for its important work and presentation here today. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a critical human rights instrument and all Parties have a duty to respect, protect and fulfil the rights contained therein.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda are mutually reinforcing. Some of the Sustainable Development Goals mention persons with disabilities specifically. Yet, as the Special Rapporteur’s report highlights, the implementation of these Goals is “severely off track.”
Despite some positive examples, States and the United Nations system should step up their efforts to include persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in the review of the Agenda. Meaningful participation would require systemic and accessible consultations. Most importantly, persons with disabilities should have a say in the review of all the SDGs and not just the disability-focused action points. Without disability-disaggregated data, we cannot monitor progress and effectively design policies to improve the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Special Rapporteur’s report states that women, children, young people, older persons, Indigenous Peoples, and persons living in rural as well as in conflict and crises areas, are at most risk of marginalization among persons with disabilities. We would also like to underline that the same applies to LGBTIQ+ persons.
What can member states do to ensure the participation and inclusion of these groups in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda?