Side event to the 16th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

13 June, 9:45 am – 11 am, UN HQ Conference Room 11

The ongoing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has disproportionately impacted persons with disabilities, who face significant challenges in accessing basic services, information, protection and humanitarian assistance. Before the Russian full-scale invasion started on the 24 February 2022, around 2.7 million people in Ukraine were recorded to be living with a disability. Ukraine has one of the highest rates of institutionalization of children and adults with disabilities in Europe.

The United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UNPRPD MPTF) with additional funding from Finland has funded a national joint programme in Ukraine to support mainstreaming disability in the humanitarian response, continuity of services for persons with disabilities affected by the war, alongside building the capacity of organizations of persons with disabilities. In addition, the UNPRPD has launched a multi country initiative in Georgia and Moldova to support Ukrainian refugees with disabilities.

Building on these efforts, the event will focus on the journey from resilience to recovery for persons with disabilities in Ukraine. It will explore the immediate needs of persons with disabilities in conflict-affected areas, showcasing the ways in which organizations of persons with disabilities can be supported in driving and supporting recovery plans.

Speakers will share important lessons on disability inclusion and ongoing challenges faced by persons with disabilities learned from the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The side event aims to contribute to building a more inclusive future for all.

Objectives

This side event aims to bring together multiple stakeholders from UN, governments, organisations of persons with disabilities (OPD) to share learnings on what works and what can be enhanced to address the rights and needs of persons with disabilities in the context of the crisis in Ukraine. These reflections will be based on the experience from UNPRPD joint programmes in both Ukraine and neighboring countries (Georgia and Moldova).

The discussion will also focus on what needs to be in place to ensure a more systematic approach to address the rights and needs of persons with disabilities in current discussions around recovery and reforms to accelerate CRPD implementation and the adoption of a rights-based model of disability to ensure inclusive and accessible policies, programs and services, including the shift to community and family care based services. 

Specific attention will be given to:

• Government’s capacity to deliver inclusive services and adopt a human rights-based and disability inclusive approach to recovery plans to accelerate the CRPD implementation.
• Technical and financial capacity building of OPDs, including most marginalized groups of persons with disabilities, for their systematic meaningful engagement in humanitarian response and development programmes and planning. 
• Coordination and complementarity with humanitarian response to achieve long term impact and seize long term system change opportunities.

Format

• The event will include opening remarks from distinguished speakers, and presentations from partners with practical country examples.
• The event will be held in hybrid mode.
• The session will be held in English only.
• International Sign Language will be available.

Session Outline

Moderator: Leyla Sharafi, Senior Gender Advisor, UNFPA

Opening remarks 

• Elina Kalkku, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN
• Nazar Tanasyshyn, Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Ukraine

Experience from UNPRPD MPTF programmes in Ukraine and neighboring countries 

• Jaco Cilliers, Resident Representative of UNDP Ukraine
• Satish Mishra, Technical Officer, Disability, Rehabilitation, Palliative and Long-term Care, WHO/Europe

The importance of OPDs participation and their pivotal role  

• Gunta Anca, Vice-President European Forum of Persons with Disabilities

Looking into early recovery and supporting long term policy changes through coordinated action 

• Ola Abualghaib, Manager Technical Secretariat, UNPRPD Fund

Closing remarks 

• Dragoş Pislaru, Chair of the Employment Committee, European Parliament
• Mitch Fifield, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Australia to the UN

UNPRPD in collaboration with International Disability Alliance, International Disability and Development Consortium, Global Greengrants Fund, and Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network Disability-Inclusive Climate Action working group will host a side event to the 16th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 'Towards Disability-Inclusive Climate Action: Do We Have All Tools for Change?' on 15 June, 9.45am to 11am, Conf Room C

Abstract:

This session provides the most recent update on four main pillars of disability-inclusive climate action and outlines some practical next steps for strengthening them:

• Relevant data and evidence-based knowledge;
• Disability-inclusive policies and commitments;
• Participation of persons with disabilities and their organizations; and
• Access to funding.

Background and rationale:

Despite explicit obligations to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all areas affecting them articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the mandate to ensure addressing the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities in the Paris Agreement, reviewing the international decisions on climate change as well as national policies and commitments clearly demonstrates lack of concrete measures to address the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities and removing barriers for their participation as climate actors.

In recent years, climate change has been increasingly prioritized by the disability movement as an area of concern leading to strong calls by persons with disabilities, their organizations, and allies for more inclusive and participatory climate processes and policies at all levels. As a result, a number of valuable resources have been developed, and some initiatives have emerged to address the lack of tools required to enhance disability-inclusive climate action. Persons with disabilities, their organizations, and allies are in a critical moment to transform the climate action agenda to be more accessible, inclusive, and participatory.

The annual Conference of States Parties to the UN CRPD Convention provides a unique opportunity for key stakeholders active in this area to get together, share what they have produced and achieved, strategize on the next steps, and initiate new collaborations. The present event is being organized to provide such an opportunity.

Objectives:

The purpose of this event is to serve as an open and critical discussion on achievements, gaps, and opportunities to address the systematic exclusion of persons with disabilities from the climate action agenda at national and international levels. At the end of this event participants will gain the most updated information on the following questions:

1. The available evidence and data on the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities;
2. The current status and gaps on disability-inclusive climate policies and decisions at national and international levels;
3. Barriers for active engagement and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in climate justice processes and mechanisms;
4. Barriers to access funding to advance disability-inclusive climate action and initiatives to address them.

Agenda and Format:

The event will be an interactive round-table with the participation of four stakeholders actively engaging on disability-inclusive climate action.

Round-table participants:  

• Moderator: Ola Abualghaib, Manager Technical Secretariat, UNPRPD 
• Opening Remarks: Diana Dalton, Deputy Director and Head of Gender and Equalities, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
• Panelist: Yolanda Munoz, Coordinator of the Disability Rights and Climate Justice Advisory Board, Global Greengrants Fund (GGF)
• Panelist: Mary Keogh, Vice Chair, International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC)
• Panelist: Elham Youssefian, Inclusive Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Advisor, International Disability Alliance (IDA)

Persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities often cannot exercise their political rights. Distinguished panelist moderated by disability rights expert Oliver Lewis discusses the rights-based approach with the co-authors of Zero-Project-Award-winning book on this subject.

Panel:

• Ola Abualghaib, Manager Technical Secretariat, UNPRPD MPTF

• Oswald Foellerer, Self-Advocate

• Dan Malinovich, Electoral Policy Specialist, UNDP