20 February 2015: Three UN human rights advisers called for including the rights of persons with disabilities in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in order to uphold the principle of “no one left behind.” The designated experts on disabilities, the right to food, and human rights of older persons released their statement through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) during the second session of intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, which convened in New York, US, from 17-20 February 2015.

Catalina Davandas Aguilar, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, said people with disabilities had been “invisible” in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and called for the situation to be remedied under the SDGs. She added that a commitment to the inclusion of persons with disabilities must also be reflected in the outcome of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD 3).

Hilal Elver, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, called on States to ensure that a disability perspective is integrated in policies relating to maternal and child health, nutrition, and other health initiatives.

Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, noted that disability is frequent in old age, and recommended paying particular attention to the situation of the aged in education, healthcare, social protection, and poverty reduction programmes.

The three advisers are part of the UN Human Rights Council’s (HRC) Special Procedures mechanism, which engages international experts in a voluntary capacity to provide independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms on various human rights issues. [OHCHR Press Release] [IISD RS Coverage of Second Session of Post-2015 Negotiations]