Geneva, 27 March 2015 –
The
Human Rights Council approved a landmark Resolution on the right of
persons with disabilities to live independently and be included in the
community on an equal basis with others.
In
a joint voice along with over 50 co-sponsors, Mexico introduced the
proposal Resolution on the right of persons with disabilities to live
independently and be included in the community on an equal basis with
others to the Human Rights Council recalling that persons with
disabilities represent 15% of the world population, and stressing that
one of main existing challenges is to combat discrimination faced by
persons with disabilities, which often deliberately brings them to
exclusion and segregation.
The Resolution - approved last Thursday without vote by the Human Rights Council - recalls
the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its
Optional Protocol and stresses the need for persons with disabilities to
be guaranteed the full enjoyment of their rights and freedoms without
discrimination.
Legal capacity or forced institutionalization
Following
the spirit and letter of the CRPD, the Resolution emphasises the deep
concern expressed by UN States to the negative impact of laws
or practices on the rights of persons with disabilities that deprive
them of their legal capacity or allow for their forced
institutionalization on the basis of a real or perceived disability.
In that sense, the Resolution urges
States parties to, inter alia, (a) guarantee equal recognition before
the law of persons with disabilities and ensure that they have the
opportunity to exercise control over their lives on an equal basis with
others; (b) prevent isolation or segregation, and take further measures
towards their deinstitutionalization; and (c) provide persons with
disabilities with access to a range of support services that are
responsive to their individual choices, wishes and needs, including for
their deinstitutionalization.
In
addition, the Resolution emphasises that access to physical
environment, transportation, information and communications, as well as
other services and facilities provided to public, are a key to
independent, autonomous living and equal participation in society by
persons with disabilities.
Women and girls with disabilities
The
UN States parties expressed deep concerns that girls and women of all
ages with disabilities are subject to multiple, aggravated or
intersecting forms of discrimination, with particular risk of segregation, violence and abuse. To respond to this, the Council urges States to
take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women
and girls with disabilities and to promote gender equality, in order to
ensure the equal enjoyment of their rights, in particular to live
independently and be fully included and participate in the community on
an equal basis with others.
International cooperation
The Council recognizes
the importance of international cooperation and its promotion in
support of national efforts to promote the rights of persons with
disabilities, including the right to live independently and be included
in the community on an equal basis with others without discrimination,
and in this regard encourages the mobilization of public and private
resources on a sustainable basis to mainstream disability in development
and underlines the need to promote and strengthen international
cooperation at all levels, the exchange of good practices and
partnerships for disability-inclusive development. Furthermore, the
Council encourages States
to engage in international cooperation efforts aimed at enhancing their
national capacities to fully guarantee the right of persons with
disabilities to live independently and be included in the community on
an equal basis with others, and invites the Office of the High
Commissioner and relevant United Nations agencies to consider ways to
foster international cooperation activities in this regard.
The Council also calls
upon States to ensure that all international cooperation is inclusive
of persons with disabilities and does not contribute to creating new
barriers for them.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please visit the website for the
INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY ALLIANCE at www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org
