PGA Remarks at the Annual High-Level Panel Discussion on Human Rights Mainstreaming HRC

Remarks by President General Assembly

As Delivered

 

Your Excellency, Mr. Omar Zniber, President of the Human Rights Council,

 

Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

 

Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,

 

Excellencies, Distinguished participants,

 

Let me begin by thanking the President of the Human Rights Council for the honour and privilege of addressing this High-Level Panel.

 

Today’s focus – harnessing multilateral efforts to embed, amplify and realize the rights of persons with disabilities – is integral to the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

It is central to unleashing the power of multilateralism to achieve peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all – the four pillars of my Presidency of the General Assembly.

 

Our engagement on these issues comes at a pivotal time.

 

As we passed the midpoint of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 1.3 billion persons around the world who are differently abled continue to face systematic discrimination and other barriers preventing their full and meaningful engagement in, with and by society.

 

They are more likely to live in developing countries, to experience multidimensional poverty – and to be pushed further to the margins of life in times of crisis.

 

During conflict and displacement, those who are differently abled face added risks of abandonment and neglect – compounding their vulnerability and often leaving them unable to have access to food, shelter, and other basic requirements.

 

This is equally true for those living in low-lying and coastline communities, who face heightened risks amid the impacts of climate change and sea-level rise, coastal erosion and other climate induced disasters.

 

Women and girls with disabilities, in particular, face systematic marginalization – increasing their vulnerability to violence and hindering their access to the basic human rights of education, employment, justice and health care, including sexual and reproductive health.

 

We have the power to turn this reality around.

 

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the first comprehensive human rights treaty to address the rights of differently abled persons within the context of social development.

 

Its historic adoption in 2006 sparked a movement to engage persons with disabilities as active contributors to all aspects of social, economic, cultural, and political life – and to understand that access and inclusion are key to unlocking this potential.

 

The fact that nearly all Member States have ratified this instrument – that is, 190 states parties – speaks volumes about the awakening and solidarity it has engendered to protect the rights of those living with disabilities.

 

It is high time to implement this treaty fully – I repeat, fully – and for there to be complete respect for its provisions across our societies.

 

Excellencies,

 

Access starts with a real seat at the table – ensuring that persons with disabilities participate in decisions affecting their lives in every aspect.

 

Access means systematically guaranteeing equal opportunities and the ability to use physical infrastructure – transport, hospitals, schools and other public facilities – as well as online spaces bolstered by assistive devices.

 

And it means urgently providing quality, inclusive education, especially for girls and children with disabilities, young people in crisis settings and marginalized groups.

 

As President of the General Assembly, I will do my part to ensure that the doors of the UN – digital, physical, and informational – are open to all persons, especially those who are differently abled.

 

In that regard, my team has been instructed to request CART services and sign-language for all GA high-level and other events at UN Headquarters, as available.

 

With this in mind, I am proud to support the work of the Steering Committee on Accessibility.

 

I have appointed two co-chairs – the Permanent Representatives of Panama and the United States – who are working diligently with Member States, the Secretariat and civil society organizations on ways to further improve the accessibility of UNHQ, ensuring that the UN empowers participation as distinct from inhibiting it.

 

It is my intention to work with all Member States and stakeholders to institutionalize the Steering Committee and to enhance its institutional memory – making it a mandated process under the General Assembly.

 

In addition, I will continue the excellent initiative of organizing accessibility training and sensitivity awareness for delegates and the UN staff, in collaboration with the Secretariat.

 

This practice is vital to fostering an inclusive working environment and I hope that all UN offices away from headquarters – here in Geneva and elsewhere – will join this initiative.

 

Excellencies,

 

In the words of civil rights advocate Judith Heumann: “Disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to provide the things, we need to lead our lives.”

 

This is about building resilient societies.

 

It is about pursuing inclusive sustainable development – that places human dignity at its core.

 

I urge all Member States to work shoulder-to-shoulder with persons with disabilities to design and deliver impactful solutions based on equal rights and social justice in every country and community without exception.

 

Let us take robust action to close the gaps to implementation.

 

Let us move away the inhibitors of harmful stereotypes and stigma.

 

Let us celebrate and further empower the diversity within our societies and open the door to a safer, more inclusive, more just future for all.

 

I wish you a productive session and look forward to hearing your perspectives on these most consequential issues.

 

I thank you.