12 June 2014: Delegates at the Seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) discussed incorporating the provisions of the CRPD in the post-2015 development agenda and national implementation and monitoring of the CRPD.
A background paper on incorporating CRPD provisions in the post-2015 agenda recognized three options in this regard: establishing a stand-alone goal on disabilities; applying indicators for inclusion to the thematic areas of education, health, work and employment; and examining data in relation to inequalities relating to gender, age and disability across the different themes. The background paper noted “encouraging signs of willingness” to strengthen the focus on disability statistics in the new development agenda.
In opening remarks, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) 2013 High-Level Meeting on Disability and Development (HLMDD), which had identified priorities for promoting the disability agenda, including education, social protection, financial inclusion, statistics and the inclusion of disability in humanitarian programming. He urged delegates to ensure disability concerns are incorporated in the post-2015 agenda and to ensure persons with disabilities are able to meaningfully take part in shaping the new agenda.
President of the Seventh COP, Macharia Kamau, Kenya, who is also serving as the Co-Chair of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG on SDGs), noted that 147 States have become parties to the CRPD, reflecting a high level of international commitment on disability issues. He drew attention to the opening of the Accessibility Centre at UN Headquarters, which enables greater participation of persons with disabilities in intergovernmental processes. He noted the UN Secretary-General’s appointment of Lenin Voltaire Moreno Garces, former Vice-President of Ecuador, as his Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility.
The seventh COP, which took place from 10-12 June 2014, in New York, US, also featured an informal panel on youth with disabilities. [Meeting Web Page] [UN Press Release] [Secretary-General’s Remarks] [Meeting Agenda] [Background Paper on Incorporating CRPD Provisions Into the Post-2015 Development Agenda]