ROUGH EDITED COPY

United Nations HeadquartersConference of the State Parties – CR4

June 15, 2017

This is being provided in a rough-draft format. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings

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>>> So welcome, everybody. I hope you had a fruitful break. We will continue our work with the general debate. And I would like to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Turkey to make his statement on behalf of the MICA country group.

>> Mr. President, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the MICA countries, namely Mexico, Indonesia, republic of Korea, Turkey, and Australia. While considerable progress has been made, the mainstreaming of disability including the rights of persons with disabilities remains a global challenge. We welcome the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The countries recognize that persons with disabilities is integral to the full and inclusive implementation of the sustainable development goals. Further efforts are needed to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in all relevant policies and programs aimed at implementation of the CIPD. We underscore the importance of closely consulting with and actively involving persons with disabilities, including through their representative organizations in the development and implementation of legislation and policies to implement as well as in other decision making processes. Countries are concerned that persons with disabilities continue to place multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and fundamental freedoms as well as participation and inclusion in society.

We are determined to work together with our global partners and with persons with disabilities and their represented organizations in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination and ensure equality for persons with disabilities in all ways of life. Persons with disabilities are often disproportionately affected in situations of risk, armed conflicts, the occurrence of natural disasters and in their aftermath. Migrants have made the urgent need for the development of inclusive action. We welcome participation in this issue. Promotion of inclusive urban development policies is crucial for addressing the challenges pertaining to accessibility of persons with disabilities. We believe that this is particularly important to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life.

Mr. President, MICTA countries underline support of nation efforts aimed at purposes and objectives of the CIPD. We are convinced that leaving no one behind will require firm action at the global, regional, and national levels and remain ready to undertake appropriate and effective measures in this regard. Before closing, countries would like to highlight that the 2018 winter Olympics will be held in republic of Korea. We look forward to the participation of persons with and without disabilities in these Olympic games. Thank you, Mr. President.

>> I thank his excellency, representative of Turkey to the United Nations. And

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now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Azerbaijan. >> Thank you, Mr. President. We appreciate this opportunity to contribute to the

operations and share with the CRPD in 29. We commend the inclusion of disability as an issue in the sustainable development goals. Mr. President, represent approximately 5.5% of our population and the government is committed to create more equal inclusive society so they can enjoy their human rights and realize their full potential. Our main vision for the future contains specific provisions with respect to the rights of persons with disabilities. The effective implementation of the national action plan is yielding positive results. The government important to increase benefits as well as introducing vocational training and support and sub-creation for persons with disabilities including woman. It has been introduce even before the application by Azerbaijan to enable children under special needs to receive schooling at home.

We are very proud of our success in the Paralympic games. Progress has been made in the domestification of the provision of the CRPD. To coordinate the implementation of the provision. Independent monitoring function related to the implementation of the convention. Azerbaijan's initial report in 2014 and commended a number of positive steps taken by the government ranging from various state programs to ensuring accessibility to new court buildings. We reaffirm determination to meet all obligations arising from the CIPD. I thank you.

>> I thank the distinguished representative of Azerbaijan. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Malaysia.

>> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We would like to thank you for committing attention of the conference of the parties to the convention with disabilities. Mr. Chairman, with disabilities on the 19 of July 2010. Never the less, the commitment and the recognition of the government in recognizing the right and effective inclusion of people with disability began even before ratification to the convention. The commitment is the formulation of the policy and for person with disabilities which come into first in 2008. Has also revised and introduced a new policy for the person with disabilities. The revised policy has taken into consideration under the strategies in 2012. Within the time frame of five years, that is until 22. Our government is building a stronger policy framework for person with disabilities in all aspect of life to ensure effective participation of the person with disabilities in the society.

It has to be stress that the empowerment and wellbeing and responsibilities of all relevant industries, non-governmental agencies and the general public. In addition to the policy, the person with disabilities act come into first in 2008 to provide further protection, rehabilitation, development, and wellbeing of person with disabilities which allows for them to achieve full potential. Part three of the act also outlined national council for person with disabilities and the council to oversee, coordinate and monitor the implementation of the policy and nation plan, as well as to ensure a program to ensure it's effective.

Mr. President, the new agenda have been promoting inclusivity. The universal design element in any municipal planning in the future. Element of design are important to ensure accessibility of infrastructure, but particularly for people with disability, independent woman. It will ensure the welfare of independent living group. The important of having universal design and inclusivity has been committed in plan. And the person with disabilities confederation 2016, 2022.

>> I thank the distinguished representative of Malaysia. Now I give the floor to distinguished representative organization of Sudan.

>> Thanks, Mr. President. Excellencies and distinguished delegates, Salaam Alaikum. It is my pleasure to speak to you. It's a public-private partnership founded in

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partnership with the city in nether land. Supported by state government. The volunteers for the project and many partner using for community development. As people with disability supporting member for disability, we are guided by convention of the right of people with disability. In article IX, 12, 21, 24, 27, 30, 31, 32, and 38. And with strong win public people private partnership to achieve these articles. We work on the millennium development goals and move to the sustainable development 17 goals and we work under which is outer lying through initiative of ITU to promote for implementation of the alliance and integrate them with the sustainable development goals.

We work on the U.N. global combat Sudan network ten principles. We work on the center that all foundation and charter session of the connecting people with disability through ICT in the Arab world organized by ITU, World Health Organization and UNIB. We establish centers for people with disability and provide them with three computers to keep at home. For better training and skill development, to practice and sharing knowledge, experience, and best practices. We participated with people with disability in many national, regional, and international conferences for better inclusion, better equality to ensure no one is left behind. Finally, many goals and objectives were achieved, but we faced many challenge including our cities not part of the culture and not a priority to the people with disability. More than 80% of them are very poor. Resistance to change. Finally for more information, look for GDCO Sudan. Thank you.

>> I thank the distinguished representative of digital organization of Sudan. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Togo.

>> Translator: Thank you very much Mr. Chairman. The international community is aiming at the SDG horizon 2030 program so that nobody be left behind and dealing with disabled remains one of the major priorities. So this meeting under the egis of the CRPD reminds us that nobody has chosen to be disabled and how the international community must ensure they can enjoy their dignity and rights. There are 900,000 people living with handicap we gather since the ratification on the first of March of 2011. The government together with civil society has established strategies and wide ranging actions to protect the rights of the disabled. Pursuant to article 35 of the convention, law -- to help handicap people is being scrutinized. Again, the strategic plan 2015 to 2017 means the relevant ministry has been looking hard at access of the disabled and preventing poverty and helping with access to basic social services.

Again, a program for the labor market and professional incorporation of the disabled has been worked out with a program to involve the disabled. The social education policy includes training of teachers and inclusive education and to help with disabled children as you can observe there. My country spares no effort further to improve the situation of those who are disabled in our society in Toga. So the government has subsidized ten specialized centers to deal with children and also subsidize 17 specialized institutions to deal with other disabled children. We've trained 644 teachers, 295 health workers and 143 social workers to look at including disablement agenda. I would also like to say that our program for rehabilitation dealing with disabled children, we've built 80 access ramps and outlying schools. And we also have a national fund for inclusive funding to help the access of disabled women to financial credit.

>> I thank the distinguished representative and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mali.

>> Translator: May I first of all congratulate you most warmly on behalf of the Malian delegation on your election to chair the tenth session of the CRPD. And I would also like to commend the outstanding way in which you're conducting this meeting. Sir,

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the issue of the disabled is at the very center of the concerns and actions of the president and government of our country, defending their rights. We clearly wish to have an environment that can ensure the emergence and development of the disabled. There have been several political statements and specific measures have been taken in the social economic spheres in order to provide help here. I would like to underscore the adoption of legislative and regulatory measures to promote those who are disabled. By way of illustration, civil service rules provides a positive discrimination to the civil service for those who are disabled. And we also have national programs of solidarity with social security, labor, humanitarian action, and vocational training. We, again, are looking at the health plank and developing a community basis in accordance with the human rights approach.

We have a strategic plan in Mali for the promotion of the disabled 2015 to 2024 with a considerable appropriation to provide necessary re-adaptation in the spheres of health, education, and labor and decent work, social security, et cetera. The idea is to ensure pull participation and equality of community for the disabled within the -- pursuant to the line of the CRPD and very firm commitment has been taken regarding SDGs. We have given priority to women and children who are disabled so they can be assured of appropriate legal protection against exploitation, abuse, and violence. And the government today wishing to bring about inclusion is working with many civil society organizations in the Malian federation of the disabled which brings together 20 associations rather and also NGOs looking at disabled issues.

I would like to say the government has spared no effort to protect the disabled. >> I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Malawi. Please be aware

that the time limit should be respected. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. President. My delegation would like to congratulate you and

the other members of the bureau for taking office. We remain very committed to the promotion and the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities and also the implementation of the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Originally in 2009. In light of the intensive discussion on both national and international levels to shape sustainable development goals, we recommend trickle down of site effort to the existing regional and continental levels. Mr. President, in compliance with the convention section 20, subsection A of the Constitution, discrimination of person with disabilities, section 30 subsection one, in particular gives special consideration in the application of the rights to women, children, and persons with disabilities. Disability act 2012 makes provisions for among others the opportunities for persons with disabilities through the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disability.

Mr. President, the government is taking several initiatives in maintaining -- in mainstreaming disability as follows. Development of the national disability streaming strategy, creation of institutional arrangements at the national level, and training and development of sector national plan of action on the programs for children with disabilities, development of national standards of the practice on the accessibility and ability in the built environment. Maintain disability in the national ministry, in the national plan. Mr. President, despite this achievement, persons with disabilities are being abducted, killed and remains exhumed for body parts. Government has taken measures which are reducing as follows. The president, has strongly condemned these atrocities. We have reviewed the Penal Code and act for tougher punishments. Including strengthening policing forums. Intensified awareness. We are thankful to you, U.N. women, UNICEF and UNPA who are supporting some of the areas of the plan. However --

>> I thank the distinguished representative of Malawi. Please be informed that

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the time limit should be respected. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia.

>> Translator: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. In the name of God merciful, Saudi Arabia's government is looking at the rights of the disabled and its obligations regarding the provision of programs and services which are so necessary for this important group of our people with qualities of perseverance and tenacity striking many people. I would just like to say once again that we look both at national and international legislation when it comes to dealing with this sector of our society. In 2008, the kingdom exceeded to the optional protocols so the provisions can incorporate domestic law attributing a priority place to these issues and also bearing in mind sustainable development for 2030. Many legislative provisions have been promoted better to serve the interests of the disabled. Let me mention here the adoption of a national project on attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity and autism. Problems affecting growth, thyroid afflictions, et cetera. Then we have rehabilitation centers with specialized services throughout our kingdom.

A program of health care at home has been adopted. The Saudi federation for sport for the disabled has been established and 15 training centers set up throughout the kingdom to allow access to sporting activities. We have seen these efforts have borne their fruits thanks to the Saudian football team with players with special needs. Again, the disabled are afforded certain privileges. They have a 50% reduction in the charges for public transport and this applies to those accompanying them as well. Then there are appliances to help vision and movement and they have social and medical provisions to ensure that the appropriate equipment is available for them. I would say that the approach taken by Saudi Arabia towards the disabled is a reflection of our sincere resolve to ensure their full integration in our society by smoothing the path to them given the many difficulties they suffer.

>> I thank the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of people with disability of Australia slash national association of community legal centers.

>> Thank you for the opportunity to address this forum this afternoon on behalf of people with disabilities Australia and the national association of community legal centers. We have heard often over the last few days the call for nothing about it without it. This is not new. It was a claim during the convention negotiations. James Carlton words were an ant dote and the powerlessness of the persons with disabilities. To address the failure of public policy to include the voices of experience of people with disability. But we now need to move beyond slogans and to give substance and meaning to this claim to be part of the policy discourse. There are clear obligations on states to work closely with, consult, and include people with disability in implementation and monitoring along with commitments to participation decision making in the goals. These obligations spare the policy cycle from design and planning to implementation and evaluation and go beyond a mere box-ticking exercise.

Article four and 33 are important, but we must not forget article 31. As the special rapporteur has reminded us, quality data is essential to implementation. This includes people with disability and DPOs. People with disability need to define the policy questions and inform the evidence base. Research plays a critical role and people with disability need to play a central role. Operationalizing these obligations needs to be based on principles of respect, transparency, and fit the purpose. Respect is about acknowledging the leadership and expertise of organizations of people with disability. There also needs to be respect and acknowledgement of the level of expertise and work undertaken through the provision of adequate funding and resources to engage

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effectively. Transparency, the need to be transparent -- sorry -- up. Up. There needs to be transparency and clarity behind terms such as consultation, partnership, and co-design. What these policy processes involve. It is not good enough to just have people with disability at the table. State parties need to be transparent about utilizing the expertise of people with disabilities through --

>> I thank the distinguished representative of people with disability Australia. And I give the floor to his excellency, the permanent representative of Maldives.

>> Thank you, Mr. President. Let me begin by congratulating you, Mr. President, and your bureau on your election. Today's team is highly relevant in the context of our efforts to meet the development processes and especially the 2030 agenda inclusive by leaving no one behind. The violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons with disabilities and full and effect active participation and inclusion in society is a high priority for the Maldives. It is for this reason that immediately after ratifying the convention on the right of persons with disabilities in 2010, the Maldives enacted a disability act in the same year. It will be integrating the articles of the convention into broader national policy agenda. The Maldives disability council was subsequently established and was interested with the responsibility of compiling and updating a national database on persons with disabilities and for overseeing monetary centers and formulating guidelines for their effective operation.

Mr. President, the world has made much strides in disability concerns over the years. When the MDGs were first negotiated, it failed to reference persons with disabilities. The 2030 agenda in contrast explicitly includes persons with disabilities in five goals and seven targets. Thus presenting a great opportunity to advance disability responsive development. Today, everyone understands that policy inclusive of person with disabilities are a sound investment in the society as a whole and that excluding them from development programs has economic and social costs that we can no longer ignore. The government of Maldives has placed particular emphasis to ensure that people with disabilities have access to education, health, and employment opportunities free of discrimination. To this end, the government's no child left behind education policy focuses on inclusivity and equal opportunity.

The government's universal health care coverage program also ensures that people with disabilities have equal access to health without any obstacle. One of our foremost priorities has been to ensure that all people have the opportunity for employment, devoid of discrimination. The government of Maldives has introduced key programs to support people in employment with the aim of ensuring that people with disabilities are able to fully participate economically. Earlier this year, the government issued a program for persons with disabilities and has since then provided employment opportunities to a number of persons with disabilities in several state-owned companies. All over the world, persons with disabilities experience exclusion and multiple forms of discrimination and experience vulnerabilities in a heightened manner --

>> I'd like to thank his excellency, the distinguished permanent representative of Maldives. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Venezuela.

>> Translator: Thank you. President, first let me congratulate you, chairman, for the excellent way you have led our conference. Since the approval of the Constitution of Venezuela in 1999, we have developed broad legislation institutionality and due practice when it comes to rights of persons with disabilities. Article 81 states that all persons with disabilities or special needs has the right to full and independent exercise on their capacities and of their community and family integration. The state with the contribution of families and societies will guarantee to them respect for the human dignity, equalization of opportunities, satisfactory working conditions and promote their training,

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capacity building and access to employment. With this constitutional step forward, Venezuela improved the law, aligning progress and promotion of public policies and inclusion on the basis of a project which seeks to change the conception of people -- of those of people with disabilities based on dignity, inclusion and participation.

A program in Venezuela in the context of social missions is the mission integrating policies and projecting and implementing social programs intended to help the most vulnerable and ensure the rights of persons with disabilities who are living throughout the country, providing them free of charge comprehensive health care persons to all persons with genetic disabilities or reasons of accident or other reasons suffer disability with special attention given to those people with the state of greatest economic vulnerability and who live far away from the main cities of the country. Venezuela has 44 primary education centers for persons with disabilities, 341 schools for persons with cognitive disorders, 45 schools for persons with visual disabilities, 16 with other disability -- six with other disabilities and 120 -- 152 educational spaces in the hospital context.

We wish to reiterate in conclusion our commitment in the government's public policy and continue placing at the heart of social and political action persons with disabilities and to guarantee for them a role in all of our -- our -- delivering all the commitments that we undertook as part of the convention. Thank you, chairman.

>> I thank the distinguished representative of Venezuela and I -- I invite to the floor the distinguished representative of the international committee of the Red Cross.

>> Thank you, Mr. President. Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, armed conflict is a major cause of disability around the world. The weapons of war inflict new physical and psychosocial impairments on thousands of people every year. The conditions created by armed conflict impose multiple new barriers around people with preexisting physical, mental, and intellectual impairments to disable them anymore. I would like to call state parties eye tension to three challenges resulting from armed conflict. Increasing impairment, rising barriers and concern for detainees with disabilities. Every day, the ICRC works with people coming to terms with new war-related impairments. People whose arms and legs have been lost by explosive weapons. People whose untreated preventable or chronic diseases leave them incapacitated. The conduct of hostilities determines the level of impairment and disability in armed conflicts.

Today's conflicts involve frequent use of explosive weapons in densely populated urban areas. This is causing an epidemic across several conflicts. We all on all parties to avoid the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area and densely populated areas. The provision of rehabilitation services can influence the impact of a person's disability. The ICRC is working with 34 state authorities to develop modern sustainable rehabilitation services. These meet the needs of newly wounded people and set new standards for people with preexisting impairments. We urge state parties to bring new resources to the needs of people with disabilities during and after armed conflicts to meet rising needs and capitalize on heightened awareness. Here, the ICRC's humanitarian impact bonds is an innovative investment fund intended to reduce people's disability-related limitations. Armed conflict also raises and multiplies disabling barriers. Reasonable accommodations carefully designed by states and local authorities are destroyed by conflict. The accessibility of health services, schooling, information, social networks, water, are abruptly ended by the collapse of vital services and the degradation of universal design, mobility and assistive technologies.

People with disabilities are frequently excluded from community protection strategies like flight and concealment and from humanitarian assessment and dust

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distributions. We urge states to keep a strong focus on basic services in their humanitarian policy and practice in order to lower barriers and enable full inclusion and participation for people with disabilities.

>> I thank the distinguished representative of the international committee of the Red Cross. Now the New Zealand human rights commission has the floor.

>> Thank you, the New Zealand human rights commission designates the CRPD and monitor it and formal partnership with disabled peoples organizations. We encourage and challenge others to better utilize the people in all aspects of their work and better engage and add value to the disability rights. We welcome and hope in the future they can be more involved in conference activities. I support calls to develop a general comment on article 4.3 and simultaneously to develop a general comment on article 33. We look forward to the increased participation of the diversity of the disability community, including people with intellectual, psychosocial and neuro disability and future cost. We would like the CRPD committee to better reflect us. Building up to next year's elections, we would like to support candidates who can add to that diversity. These being women and representatives from intellectual, psychosocial and neuro disability communities. We cannot leave anyone behind.

There has been little progress and legislation policy and practice on support of decision-making. The use of forced treatment, seclusion and restraint are major problems. We have yet to learn from every single institution. It's essential in realizing the CRPD and the SDGs. And that we are transparent in what gets compromised in any tool we adopt. Finally, it is encouraging to see the participation of young people here. Our voices need to be heard and the challenges we face today need to be understood in relation to the convention. I was at primary school when the convention was signed. It has been great to see the recent released of the education general comment, with its uncompromising demand for inclusion. This reflects all general comments such as the one on article 19. The New Zealand human rights commission expects the realization of our rights, the rights of disabled people. It will be more inclusive because of the work we all do today and the commitments to the work tomorrow. Thank you.

[ Applause ]. >> I thank the distinguished representative of the New Zealand human rights

commission. Now I give the floor to the United Nations mind action services distinguished representative.

>> Thank you, chair. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, globally every day, more than 15 people fall victim to land mines and other explosive remnants of war. For those who survive, life is too often profoundly difficult. They have to adapt to living with potentially severe physical and psychological disabilities all while living in a conflict or post-conflict setting. Victims of explosive hazards have specific needs and requirements which must not be forgotten as we consider the inclusion and full participation of persons with disabilities. Acting as voice for survives of land mines and improvised explosive devices. Also provides practical assistance to those whose minds and bodies have been shattered by remnants of war.

Consider Venice. During combat activities, he lost one of his legs in a land mine accident. The impact of this tragic incident was compounded by the reaction of his community where he was ostracized. He now has a small plot of land where he grows corn and peanuts. In addition to that, he joined a local group where he shares his experiences and gives advice to other people with disabilities and to the community at large on disability issues. U.N. secretary-general recently said on the first anniversary of the world humanitarian summit, all people should have access to humanitarian assistance and protection in their time of need and have the opportunity to thrive in the

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long term. Delivering results for him and others in the most difficult of circumstances. In Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Mali and Syria to name just a few.

People living with disabilities in fragile, war-torn communities are at great risk of being left behind. We must continue our work to realize the vision of the United Nations strategy on mine action. A world where the human rights and the needs of mine and explosive remnants of war victims are met and survivors are fully integrated as equal members in their societies. I thank you.

[ Applause ]. >> I thank the distinguished representative of the United Nations mine action

service. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of international disability and development consortium.

>> Chair, the international disability and development consortium is a global consortium of more than 20 organizations. Mainstreaming development NGOs and organizations of persons with disabilities. We are all supporting disability and development work in more than 100 countries around the world. The aim of IDDC is to promote inclusive development internationally. IDCC's priorities include advocacy, collaboration and the global south, and organizational development. Specifically, IDDC encourages that international corporation is increasingly inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities. To achieve those objectives, IDDC's approach is to work in full partnerships with all stakeholders. In particular, IDDC works in partnership with the international disability alliance to promote the rights of persons with disabilities to realize the United Nations convention on rights of persons with disabilities and to ensure that the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development is inclusive of persons with disabilities in all its processes.

Partnership engages in broad programmatic activities including capacity building of organizations of persons with disabilities in the global south. Review of the 2030 agenda and ensuring the implementation and monitoring processes, in particular focus on the global south countries We also focus on the data collection for persons with disabilities, humanitarian and the response, disaster risk reduction and gender equality. Furthermore, it's a joint IDDC initiative supported by the disability rights fund. It's an intensive training program that aims to support disability rights advocates to develop an inclusive and comprehensive CRBD on inclusive processes. To reinforce inclusion of realization of rights of persons with disabilities. We believe that the high expectation set by the SDGs to leave no one behind calls for partnership optimizing the use of existing knowledge and expertise to deliver those commitments in line with the CRBD. We will continue to support partnerships such as glad initiative --

>> I thank the -- I thank -- I thank the distinguished representative of the international disability and development consortium. Ladies and gentlemen, a very short announcement. As I informed you yesterday, our list of speakers has been closed. I have indication that we have some participants who request the floor, but I cannot do that because our list of speakers has been closed yesterday.

So now I would like to give the floor to the world intellectual property organization.

>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Excellencies and distinguished participants, the world intellectual property organization is a U.N. specialized agency mandated with developing effective intellectual poverty system for the cultural and economic development of all. We have a number of activities in increasing knowledge and access to education activities to the persons worldwide that are blind, have low vision, or otherwise printed disabled. The treaty to people who are blind, visually impaired or other printed disabled, makes possible the production and transfer of accessible books across

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national boundaries. This treaty was adopted in June 2013 by the member states of WIPO and came into force after ratification by 20 states. Today, 28 countries have ratified the treaty. WIPO is ready and able to provide support to all states who have not yet ratified the treaty to ensure persons around the world are able to access printed work.

It includes organizations such as the world blind union, libraries for the blind, standards bodies, and organizations representing publishers and collective management organizations. The goal is to increase the number of book s worldwide in accessible forms such as braille, audio, e-text, and live print. We have established seven developed countries to provide training and accessible educational materials in national languages to be used by students who are print disabled. Also has a database of accessible books called the ABC global book service which is an online catalog to make requests for accessible digital books. This international library service allows participating organizations free of charge. Supports initiatives through funding and training and purchase of reading devices and by facilitating involvement of the national libraries for the blind or other organizations serving the print disabled in the ABC global book service.

We're strategically aligned with the inclusiveness of the 2030 agenda supporting education, inequalities and innovation. Also aligned with persons on the rights --

>> I would like to thank the distinguished representative of the world intellectual property organization and --

[ Applause ] -- I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the international labor

organization. >> Thank you, thank you so much Mr. Chair for giving us this opportunity to

update you on the work of the international labor organization to support the CRPD with regard to the right to work and to social protection. We believe that engagement of employers in workers is fundamental implementing the CRPD and realizing the international community's pledge in the 2030 agenda to leave no one behind. In this respect, coordinate the global business network which brings together national companies committed to disability inclusion. More than 20 national business and disability networks as well as global disability rights NGOs. With the support of the global disability network, national networks of disability inclusive companies have been established this year, in particular in Bangladesh and Indonesia. Activities are being organized in the west, south Africa and Peru. We are currently working with the global compact to produce the guide for business on how to protect and promote the rights of persons with disability in the private sector.

The activity involve trade union representatives from around the world have been organized as well to mobilize support for persons with disabilities and strengthen their organizations. On the statistics front, we have continued cooperating with civil society, and with the Washington group of disability statistics in order to improve availability of reliable and compatible labor market statistics, data for persons with disability. I would just like to finish by referring to two mainstream initiatives which are also relevant for person with disabilities. This year, Mr. Chair, we adopt a new international labor standard that will be replacing 71 on decent working transition. The new recommendation will address issues related to employment rights in the context of crisis, fragile states and expected also to address the specific needs of people with disabilities.

Finally, the ILO is carrying out process on violence and harassment against woman and man in the world of work which will also include references to people

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disabilities. I thank you very much for your attention, Mr. Chair. [ Applause ]. >> I thank you for respecting the time limit. I would like to invite to the floor the

distinguished representative of the ARAP organization of persons with disabilities. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. >> Translator: Mr. Chairman, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the Arab

organization of persons with disabilities representing six Arab states has always urged states in the region to ratify and implement the convention the rights of persons with disabilities. It is always urged for sustainable development goals to be implemented by adopting the concepts of human rights instead of concepts of charity and voluntary work while placing emphasis on services to be provided to persons with disabilities. I'd also like to add that we have sought to train persons with disabilities in order to empower women with disabilities. And indeed we have always done such work because we have always had -- we've always faced difficulties and barriers. And currently, we are facing the most acute crisis that we've ever known that has led to the creation of hundreds of thousands of refugees and persons with disabilities. Today, we hold out the hand to you all to all stakeholders on the international scene so that you stay by our side so that you can give us your support and your backing against this violence which affects so many people, affects the lives of so many people including persons with disabilities.

We trust that the states concerned with adopt standards to enable persons with disabilities to receive aid, humanitarian aid. Who hopefully in order to mitigate the suffering of that category of the population which has suffered so, so much from the violence. Thank you.

>> I thank very much the distinguished representative of Arab organization of persons with disabilities. Now I give the floor to the ballerina management institute of India. Which this will be our last speaker for the general debate.

>> To Mr. President and all the delegates present here, thank you for this opportunity. Life is what happens to us when we are busy making other plans. This is what happened to our NGO. We followed the saying, hands which help are holier than the lips that pray. Our NGO concern is little different. It's about creating awareness at the various level of the society. We have been working humbly towards the development of the visually impaired individual and education of the disables and education of their families in India. Awareness at homes, schools, universities, workplaces. I hear mean all the workplaces. Unless you have an aware society, it's very difficult to be kind, to be humble to this cause. Already developed nations have this awareness, but in the remote areas, people are not aware how to handle the situations. Awareness in this regard is very important.

We are trying to create awareness by the various documentaries which are made to make the society aware to the various colorful, to the students who are less fortunate to purchase them or to go to the schools. We are also having a lot of braille magazines which are covering all the colorful events in India and globally so that the people with visually impaired enjoy it when they're going through them. Our braille publishers are White Prints from Mumbai. So this is our humble way of creating awareness first because unless there is an awareness, there will be absolutely no upgrade of the situation. Thank you very much.

[ Applause ]. >> I thank the distinguished representative of the ballerina management institute

of India. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes agenda item five for we have exhausted

the list of speakers for the general debate. Now I'd like to request five minutes break so

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the panelists for our next agenda item six can take their seats on the podium. Thank you.

[ Recess taken ]. >>> Ladies and gentlemen, I call this meeting to order. We begin the last meeting

of the tenth session of the conference of states parties to the convention on the rights of persons can disabilities. In accordance with agenda item six, this meeting is dedicated to an interactive session with members of the U.N. family as well as with the chair of the committee on the rights of persons with disabilities, the special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities and the representative from organizations of persons with disabilities. We will start the first segment with an interactive dialogue with the U.N. family. I recognize the presence of five panelists at the podium. We shall hear presentations of the department of economic and social affairs, the office of the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, the United Nations human settlements program-habitat, the World Health Organization, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the environment of U.N. women and economic and social commission for Asia and the Pacific.

The panelists will be briefing us on key initiatives and progress being made in their work as they are playing notable roles in supporting member states and major stakeholders in the endeavors to promote inclusive development and realize the rights of persons with disabilities. Delegation will be able to pose questions to the panelists before we move to the second segment of this interactive dialogue. We'll hear presentations from the chair of the committee on the rights of persons with disabilities, the special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities and the representative of the organizations of persons with disabilities. Delegations will also be able to pose questions or provide comments to the speakers.

Now, I would like to invite to the floor chief of social perspective on development branch of DESA.

>> Thank you. Thank you, your Honor. It is my honor and privilege to join this important dialogue to deliver the statements of Mr. Wu Hongbo under-secretary general of the department of economic and social affairs. His statement has been distributed. I will highlight his statement in view of time. Here is the statements of Mr. Wu Hongbo. As the focal point on disability in the U.N. system has been entrusted with the mandates to advance the status of persons with disabilities in all aspects of the society and development. Our work has the focus of promoting goals and objectives of the convention and of supporting its implementation in tandem with other global commitments. Our activities target six key areas. Providing substantive and technical support to the intergovernmental processes concerning disability matters, conduct research and analysis and building expert knowledge base. Build and strengthen networks of experts and practitioners on emerging global issues pertaining to disability and development. Maintain -- mainstream disability issues in the U.N., and technical cooperation and capacity development on disability-relating matters and promote awareness of the convention and other disability issues worldwide.

In the past year, our efforts have focused on identifying and building up the inter-linkages across the convention and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. For example, at 55th session of the commission for social development the past February, a high level panel discussion leaving no one behind poverty and disability address the nexus between disability and poverty and underscored the need to incorporate disability in all future development efforts. In addition to its analytical work in support of intergovernmental processes, DESA has been leading the preparation of the first ever U.N. flag ship report on disability and development scheduled to be released in

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2018. This report will provide evidence base for making further progress towards disability inclusive development implementation of the 2030 agenda.

At the third U.N. conference on housing and sustainable urban development of habitat three in Quito last year October, DESA organized with the partners a high-level forum on disability inclusion and accessible urban development. As a global platform for disaster risk reduction, DESA also organized a stakeholder forum under the theme global strategy for disability inclusive DRR next steps for the Sendai commitments. In conjunction with the commission on the status of women, DESA in close collaboration with U.N. women, my colleague sitting over by the chair, we organized several site events on women with disabilities and their role in advancing the implementation of the 2030 agenda. With regard to disability mainstreaming with the U.N. system, DESA as the co-hair of the U.N. interagency support group for the CRPD promotes coordination among almost 30 U.N. agencies, funds and programs in supporting the implementation of the convention. At the organizational level, DESA continues to lead the informal network of U.N. departments and offices to improve accessibility in their respective areas. These efforts led to a first ever U.N. policy on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the work of the United Nations and in 2016, the general assembly passed a resolution on this issue.

DESA also provides support to governments to implement disability inclusive legislation, policies, and programs in line with the CRPD. We also provide training for government officials, policymakers, and representatives of DPOs. Another key area of technical cooperation in the past year focus on disability statistics. The statistic division of DESA conducted five regional workshops across the world. These meetings have brought together 82 countries engaging experts from national statistics offices and government agencies in charge of disability policies. It also started this work to update the U.N. guidelines and principles for the development of disability statistics.

Through multi-stakeholder partnerships and enhanced communication strategies, DESA expanded its outreach in 2016. Our monthly newsletter on disability issues reaches more than 15,000 readers worldwide in many languages. DESA dedicated official website of the secretary for the convention on the rights for person with disability and U.N. enable and Facebook and Twitter accounts continue to serve as global information hubs on disability. We continue to update with the latest information concerning the ongoing activities on disability and the 2030 agenda.

Ladies and gentlemen, in the upcoming year, DESA's work will continue to support member states and other stake holders to make progress in disability inclusive development in line with the convention and the 2030 agenda. The Addis Ababa action agenda, the new urban agenda, and other relevant global commitments. We will increasingly take action based on the synergies among these commitments. Thank you. This conclude the statement of Mr. Wu. Thank you for your attention.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I'd like to thank you for your presentation on the

DESA efforts to support member states and other stakeholders for the implementation of CRPD. Now, I would like to give the floor to Ms. Lakshmi Puri, deputy executive director of U.N. women.

>> LAKSHMI PURI: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and excellencies, distinguished participants, dear friends. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to participate in this interactive dialogue and provide an update on the initiatives and achievements, if I may call them that, because of course this is a journey, but still we have some milestones to report on by U.N. women in supporting state parties and stakeholders in implementing the CRPD. As many of us know, not only is disability the

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most universal factor of intersectionality across countries and regions, but for women and girls whether countries are rich or poor, every country has this issue of intersectionality of women and girls with disability. And being left behind in the context of also agenda 2030.

And its prevalence is higher amongst women than men. Nearly 20% for women as against 12% for men. And it is also prevalent -- more prevalent due to lower economic and social status, violence which is a global pandemic. Violence against women and girls, which both causes and also results in violence against women and dangers, violence against women. And also harmful gender discriminatory practices and demographic aging. Furthermore, women with disabilities face multiple and compounded discrimination because they are women and have a disability to boot. So this intersection lays to role especially in the global south where needs and barriers seem to be stronger. From a gender equality and women’s empowerment perspective, disability expects and therefore calls for addressing the entire spectrum of human rights of women and girls, including political and civil rights, social and economic rights, sexual and reproductive rights, and the fundamental right to live a life free of violence.

As such, gender equality and empowerment of women and girls with disabilities is grounded in the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, CRPD, and in the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and convention on the rights of children amongst others. So there is this interface between these different conventions and human rights treaty -- treaties. And their monitoring and their monitoring bodies and there has to be that interface because it's also about not only signing and ratifying these conventions, but it's also about the monitoring bodies, the reporting by member states being linked to each other. Now, U.N women’s work has evolved and we are now at a stage when we want -- we are a young organization. Just turned six this year. And we are now wanting to put our work on disability on a systematic footing and systemic footing. That's what is now going to be reflected in our strategic plan for 2018, 2021. And we are also trying to develop disability marker in -- that will inform all our program and our investment.

So what are the key areas of U.N. women’s work? First and foremost, it has been and it will continue to be about bringing about normative change, norms and standards setting at the intergovernmental level, at the global level, at the regional level, and at the national level. This is something that will be about our prioritizing or getting member states for them to make the political commitments and prioritizing on one hand, this is this two-track approach to this kind of normative standard set setting. Prioritizing disability and gender equality and the nexus between it in the larger discourses of gender equality on women’s empowerment on one hand and disability on the other. And it is about mainstreaming of disability into gender discourses and of gender equality and women's empowerment into disability discourses in known setting and political commitments So this is something that we have been doing. My colleague mentioned our cooperation in the commission on status of women which we have been mainstreaming and we have been highlighting in every commission including 57 session on ending violence against women and the latest one on women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work.

And we are doing this throughout. In fact, we want to make sure that the historic gender equality contact that has been achieved in these last five years, including to agenda 2030 for sustainable development SDG five on gender equality and women's -- achieving the gender equality and empowering all women and girls and gender responsive implementation of agenda 2030 is also disability responsive. So this is our pledge. The other aspect is our adequate work. It's about movement building as much

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as the disability mission is about movement building. The gender equality movement, solidarity movement, and the advocacy campaigns around that, we wish to very much highlight the disability issues including in relation to equal access to physical infrastructure, cultural openness for inclusion and protection against violence and discrimination. Equally, we want these campaigns and this movement building to emphasize that empowerment discourse relates to the realization of the full potential of all women and girls with disabilities and as opposed to a more traditional discourse of the protection, guardianship concepts and cultural norms and practices. Which are, by the way, mirrored also in the gender discrimination discourse.

So we have to eliminate in both cases these concepts. And we have to emphasize the agency and subject hood of women and girls with disability and how we can provide the equal system for realization of that. The other aspect is data, statistics, and the knowledge -- the evidence and knowledge revolution that we need to bring both in the context of gender statistics as well as in relation to disability. This is our pledge that in our work on driving that revolution, we will encourage the use of the Washington group's questions, we support data available reprocessing to desegregate by sex and disability and platforms and efforts to include the quality of gender and disability statistics and the global monitoring of SDG goals and targets for women and girls with disability. As somebody said the other day, we have to make sure whether it is data, whether it is actual implementation of SDG and achievement of SDGs, it is about -- you know, the GPS is leaving no one behind principle. And that principle cannot but apply to women and girls with disabilities.

Programming, our U.N. women country offices promote synergies between the gender equality and disability inclusion agendas and support the leadership of women with disabilities. And examples include supporting in Ecuador, the development of a survey to inform participation of women and girls in Morocco and gender specific indicators in a national plan on the rights of persons with disabilities, election for the first report on the CRPD. So even the reporting process is being supported by us. Then the interagency support group for the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, we have contributed to the inclusion of gender equality in the charter on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action. We support, promote collaboration and partnerships. We want to also learn from other agencies, our elder sisters who have been working on these -- some of these on a longer term, the best practices. And also do joint programming wherever we can.

Planning, reporting, monitoring and management is the other area. And also supporting women's leadership and participation in decision-making. In that context, I want to particularly welcome and encourage the nomination and election of women to the 2018 election of members of the committee on the rights of persons with disabilities. This is something that I would really like to urge all member states who are putting up candidates for the next round of elections for disability committee to really prioritize the nomination of women so that we can have gender parity achieved sooner rather than later in the CRPD committee.

Now, we must address the specific needs and priorities of women and girls with disabilities to adhere to the principles of leaving no one behind. And the it is rightly said that human spirit is about ability, perseverance and courage, that no disability can steal away. Women and girls, 720 million of them around the world both live this, act this, and need to be supported in this. And it is the supreme responsibility of the U.N. system to support member states and work with the disability and gender equality constituencies in every sector and in the areas of sustainable development, in peace and security, in human rights, in humanitarian response and resilience building in every way to really

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realize the rights of women and girls with disability. And we need to do and we have to remember that what is -- we have to do what is necessary. We have to do what is possible. And when we do that, it is said that what is impossible will become possible. And we at U.N. women are ready to do what is seen as impossible, but we'll make it possible. Thank you.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank Ms. Puri for her insights on the nexus

between disability and gender equality. I permit myself to humbly appeal to all the panelists to structure their statements in a way so as to have fruitful and deep interactive discussion after that.

Now I'd like to give the floor to Ms. Michelle Fink of the WHO office of the U.N. in New York to make her statement.

>> Thank you very much. Our excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. I'm delivering this statement on behalf of the interagency support group to the convention on the rights for persons with disabilities, referred to as the IASG. It's a network that is tasked with advancing the implementation of the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and increasing the scale and effectiveness of the United Nations involvement in disability issues. It is made up of over 30 U.N. agencies along with other major stake holders. This year, the World Health Organization is acting as the chair to this group.

Over the past year, the IASG has collectively promoted the inclusion of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations and the implementation of the CRPD through its four established working groups. Two of the working groups align directly with the subthemes of this year's conference of state parties focusing on Article I 1, upholding the rights of persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies and on women and girls with disabilities concentrating on the human rights and the multiple and intersecting discriminations they face.

In addition to these, a working group on community initiatives was recently established to define mechanisms that contribute to mainstreaming disability in existing community strategies and to coordinate initiative amongst U.N. agencies and disabled persons organizations in the community that help to advance implementation of the CRPD. A working group on the U.N. system-wide action plan on disability was also established this year to explore options for potentially using swap to promote a joint approach to disability rights issues in the U.N. system. The IASG acknowledges the discrimination and barriers to participation that persons with disabilities face in all areas of life, including employment, education, access to health as well as information services and technology and decision-making among others.

We also recognize the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that an individual with disability can face as a result of their sex, ethnicity, gender identity, origin, religion, migrant or refugee status to name a few. In order to ensure no one is left behind and indeed that we target support to those who are furthest behind, the IASG works at the national, regional, and global levels promoting a nondiscrimination approach and facilitating dialogue among U.N. agencies and policy coordination and capacity development. Our working group on women and girls with disabilities provides a platform for collaboration aiming to mainstream gender and the rights of persons with disabilities in U.N. system efforts and support leadership and participation of women and girls with disabilities.

With respect to humanitarian action, the IASG has had much success during the world humanitarian summit on inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian response was endorsed by more than 140 humanitarian actors and stakeholders

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including states, U.N. agencies, civil society organizations, and also organizations of persons with disabilities. I want to recognize the work of the former IASG chair which led this process on the side of U.N. agencies under the guidance of the disability advisor. The working group under article 11 is now contributing to the work of a task team created by the interagency standing committee and co-led by the disability alliance, UNICEF and handicap international on the development of the guidelines on inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action. To ensure full inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in their communities, equitable and affordable access to physical and social infrastructure is essential without barriers or discrimination. The IASG acknowledges the profound barriers often faced by persons with disabilities in accessing how environment transport basic services as well as information and communication in both rural and urban areas.

We therefore celebrate the new urban agenda and work to raise awareness and promote universal design and inclusive urban development in order to achieve SDG11 making cities inclusive, resilient and sustainable. We look forward to continuing to work together with partners to ensure the full inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities can be realized in the implementation of the CRPD and support member states as they seek to achieve their sustainable development goals. Thank you.

[ Applause ]. >> I thank you for your briefing on the initiatives of the WHO and including

persons with disabilities in the implementation of CRPD. Now I give the floor to Mr. Craig Mokhiber, director and deputy to the assistance scare general for human rights from the office of high commissioner for human rights.

>> It's great to be a part of this interactive dialogue this year on a subject so central to our work and the broader international human rights movement for so many years. The dignity, power, agency, and human rights of all persons with disabilities. No doubt, the challenges are many. But then, too, progress has been quite inspiring. In the past year since this conference met, so much has happened. The convention on the rights of persons with disabilities now achieved the remarkable number of ratifications of 175. The efforts to increase the number of ratifications have advanced also through peer strategies including periodic review of the human rights council for that purpose. We encourage states to continue with this practice. We would add as well, though, that a lot more efforts are necessary in order for the CRPD's optional protocol to reach the same level of ratification.

We now also look forward to increased collaboration with states parties here in New York, not least to ensure that all of the New York

-based processes connected to the 2030 agenda involve persons with disabilities and their representative organizations as experts in this field. And of course we have offered and reiterate the collaboration to support the inclusion of the rights of persons with disabilities in the discussions connected to the 2030 agenda including processes of high level political forum. Ladies and gentlemen, we are also on the verge of the 2020 round of national censuses. In keeping with the data revolution proposed for the 2030 agenda and its call for desegregation by disability, OHCHR together with a number of development agencies, U.N. partners and civil society partners expressed the need to better use the tools currently available for data desegregation at the census and survey levels. So during the last meeting of the interagency and expert group on the sustainable development goal indicators held in Ottawa, we recommended the use of the short set of questions developed by the Washington group and UNICEF Washington group module and child functioning.

Both instruments can be easily and cost effectively inserted in all national data

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collection efforts. Currently, the only available tools tested and proven to deliver camp ever comparable data across regions. We urge state parties to exceed the 2020 round in order to establish the baseline for measuring the implementation of disability goals and targets under the SDGs as well as to advance their obligations under article 41 on statistics and data collection. In November of 2016, OHCHR initiate add project with generous funding from the European Union to develop human rights indicators on the convention for the persons with disabilities as well as policy guidelines connecting sustainable development goals with human rights obligations under the treaty. We're convinced these tools will be of great value for states and partners as they facilitate CRPD implementation that is aligned with international commitments under the 2030 agenda. I'd like to recognize the commitments made by Ethiopia, Jordan, Nepal, Moldova. We expect to have the first results of this year which we'll share at the next conference of states parties.

This year's focus on the annual debate of human rights of persons with disabilities was on equality and nondiscrimination. OHCHR's annual study was also dedicated to this issue. Allow all states parties to make use of the study to guide development of relevant policies and law reform. In particular, the study provides comparative analysis of national practices on reasonable accommodation as well as the legal frameworks in place to support these practices. Currently, OHCHR is working on its next annual study, this time on the theme of the right to access to justice submitted to human rights council for the 2018 March session. We would welcome contributions to the study from all states and other partners. Excellencies, the committee on the rights of persons with disabilities is in many ways a groundbreaking human rights body with so much to be proud of. To claim the banner of a truly 21st century human rights body, we must first make every effort to increase the regional and gender balance among the expert members of the committee. OHCHR would like to strongly encourage states parties to address the current gender imbalance within the committee by proposing a majority of women candidates to next year's elections.

We would also like to take the opportunity to call on all international Constitutions to ensure the continuation of dedicated capacities including disability focal points, to continue the important work that is the subject of this week's conference. Ladies and gentlemen, during the past three days, the international community has been discussing a fundamental principle of the human rights approach to disability. That is the participation of persons with disabilities and the representative organizations in the implementation of the convention. I'd like to commend the efforts of the president and the vice presidents of the conference of states parties to increase the involvement of persons with disabilities in its preparations by reflecting their perspectives in background papers to the panels and by enabling their contribution to the appointment of panelists with disabilities. I'd also like to encourage them to institutionalize these very good practicing through adopting rules on the participation of persons with disabilities in this context.

Today, we also have appealed to member states to commit actively to including persons with disabilities in the process of negotiations toward the adoption of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration and the comprehensive refugee response framework. We know that persons with disabilities and their families represent a significance proportion of those on the move, particularly among those who are forcibly displaced by conflict and disaster. The international community must therefore not fail this population, must not leave them behind by ignoring their crucial voice and denying them to participate on the equal basis of others. I thank you, chair.

[ Applause ].

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>> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: Thank you for your briefing on the efforts of the OHCHR to implement CRPD including for outlining data and indicators for the implementation of the convention. Now I would like to give the floor to Ms. Grainne O'Hara, deputy director of the New York office of the high commissioner for refugees to make a statement.

>> Thank you very much Mr. Chair and thank you for the invitation to participate here today. Given the time crush I will do my best to be brief and to avoid repetition.

Distinguished delegates, colleagues, partners and friends in this common endeavor that we share to ensure that full respect for the rights of persons with disabilities is achieved, I'm very pleased to be here with you today to share with you some perspective from the vantage point of the office of the high commissioner for refugees. We're on the slightly older end of the age scale that our colleague from U.N. women referred to their organization as being young. We complete 67 years, but I think we can be somewhat self-critical about whether those 67 years have actually brought us the maturity and the wisdom and to the point we need to be at in order to be fully engaged on the agenda of the rights of persons with disabilities. As we all know and as we hear many times, we hear the words come from our own mouth frequently, the consensus and rallying cry driving all of our collective action around the sustainable development goals is to leave no one behind. In situations of forced displacement, particularly those in the context of active conflict such as those described by the colleagues from ICRC, persons with disabilities continue to be left behind. Sometimes this is as real and as damaging to them as being physically left behind because in the moment of slight when families and communities are shattered because of the impact of conflict, very often people with disabilities because of the challenges of the journeys, the terrain, the cost of undertaking flight to reach safety literally persons with disabilities are left behind. And this should not happen.

For those that are brave enough, able enough with the assistance of others through their own determination manage to reach to safety, this is neither the end of their -- of the challenges that they face because very often in response to refugee and displacement situations, the way we go about programming through shortages of funding, through very many and different challenges, mean that persons with disabilities continue to be left behind in the context of the fairness of planning and how much planning and program delivery is designed to meet their specific needs. UNHCR for example is an agency where frequently faced with a shortcomings in our funding, we plan on the basis of vulnerabilities. This means that we never reach the full extent of the persons in need that we respond to. When I speak of vulnerabilities, I speak of it in the sense not of weaknesses, but in recognition of people's specific needs and the importance that programming identify, acknowledges and responds to specific needs.

Persons with disabilities do face barriers in accessing essential protection and assistance even after they manage to reach places of relative safety and lack access to the services they need. By failing to fully respect the rights of persons with disabilities by comprehensively meeting their needs, we undercut their potential. In doing so, we weaken the families and the communities to which they belong and to which they make very positive contributions. Our work in UNHCR is grounded in the U.N. convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and we attempt through our internal planning processes through an age, gender and diversity approach to ensure that we do speak to communicates of our concern and we listen to what they have to say to us so that our programming is accordingly adjusted to specific needs.

We're grateful for the donor support we have received for the programs that we are able to run, but we are always acutely aware when it at the point of delivery of

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services how much shortcomings in funding and staffing can result in not being able to fully meet needs. We did take an active role in the world humanitarian summit in championing the charter on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action. This was referred to by some of the panelists that have gone before me. And we remain as an organization committed to continuing to promote the spirit, the letter, the content and the intention of that document. We actively participate in the task team, that's the interagency standing committee, which is one of the foremost and coordinating bodies for humanitarian response. We participate there in follow-up to some of the outcomes from the world humanitarian summit in an effort to continue to coordinate global guidelines for the full and respectful inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action.

The New York declaration which was adopted here in this city last year by the general assembly and its annex, the comprehensive refugee response framework and the work on going to lead to the adoption of a compact on refugees and its sister compact on migrants by the general assembly in 2018 as referred to by my colleague from the office of high commissioner for human rights is a platform that we believe can be used effectively to leverage for greater inclusion of persons with disabilities, in specific aspects of the response to displacement. I'll close my comments now on this last point which I want to very much underline. UNHCR considers itself a leader when it comes to knowledge about disability -- I beg your pardon, about displacement. When it comes to dealing, responding to the specificities of the needs of persons with disability within a displacement context, we acknowledge with humility that we have a lot to learn and that we will only make positive progress through working directly with persons with disabilities and the organizations that they have formed to represent their own interests. And this is something that we are fully committed to and want to incorporate further in our work moving forward. Thank you very much for your attention.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank Ms. O'Hara for raising the alarming issue of

underfunding regarding refugees with disabilities. Now, I would like to give the floor to Mr. Filiep Decorte, acting director and officer in charge of the New York office of the United Nations human settlement program to make a statement.

>> Chairman, excellencies, colleagues and participants, happy to be part of this interactive discussion. As we are in the process of admitting our age, we are 40. So at risk of a midlife crisis. But we have a new commitment, a new urban agenda. As our members said in Quito last year, a 20-year program on your ban which is giving us, I would say, a new life. Allow me to focus my comments exactly on what in the urban agenda offers us in terms of possibilities. The sustainable development goals are very clear, leaving no one behind. We also know that our built environments around us has a very strong impact on the quality of life and the opportunities of everybody, but specifically of people with disabilities. The new urban agenda gives us the house, the goals gives us the targets. The urban agenda gives the us how. I must say, the document if you look at it, there's a strong participation of civil society, and you can see the impact in the document. It's throughout the document represented and the document will also be translated -- it's in the process of being printed including with braille versions coming up.

Now, allow me to pick up on of course a few of the key challenges when it comes to people with disabilities and urbanization. We all know that a lot of our cities are badly planned and badly managed. Retrofitting those environments to address the needs of people with disabilities is extremely difficult, costly, and always takes a very long time. The urban agenda is very clear, well-planned, well-managed urbanization from the start

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takes us a long way in transformative environment, addressing needs but also creating opportunities for everyone including for people with disabilities. We do need to be aware of course that when it comes to people with disabilities, their representation in the urban pool is higher than other groups. They also know that also prevent from participation in the urbanization including taking part in the processes to develop policies and implement initiatives addressing some of the concerns.

Now, evidently, I will restate the obvious, people with disabilities are not a homogenous group. There's a wide range of possibilities to be taken into act. There's a lot in the agenda for us to work with, for us to take forward. It talks about addressing the needs, avoiding discrimination in all the office areas. Access to jobs, access to public space, mobility and transport, access to basic services, access to adequate housing. And it's very clear that it's not just about addressing the needs, but also ensuring their participation. A very important point. When it comes to our work we have been trying to take some of this forward. I would say we have to commit more. We have to do much more than we have been doing in the past with just a few very interesting guidance and handbooks. One on physical access housing, one on accessibility to cities. Start with taking agenda one step further. Very complete examples and advice on how this can be done. We're also trying to work in concrete pilot initiatives. Nairobi, we are working with small private bus operators to see how they can improve access to transport for people with disabilities and also showing how it will deliver benefits for all.

The urban agenda is calling upon us to and habit in particular as a focal point to develop guidelines. Take this again one step further. We're looking very much further to working with you and our colleagues to develop those guidelines. Take it one step further, how do we deliver on the urban agenda, how do we make it concrete and workable and show results in a couple years' time. Thank you for your attention.

>> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank Mr. Decorte for his comments about inter-linkage between urbanization and accessibility. Now I'd like to give the floor to Mr. Nagesh Kumar, director of social development division of the economic and social commission for Asia and the Pacific to make a statement.

>> NAGESH KUMAR: Thank you. It's an honor to have this community to share efforts taken by UNESCAP. We have been promoting implementation of the convention among 53 member states and nine associate members in Asia Pacific in particular through a unique initiative taken in the form of the initial strategy adopted in 2012. Mr. Chairman, persons with disabilities face a number of challenges which begin from the early age. Many countries in our region lack the appropriate early childhood disability detection and intervention and disability inclusive education management. SCAP survey shows a hired rate of children with disabilities at the secondary school level. Persons with disabilities are also likely to be employed -- to be less likely to be employed than those without disabilities. SCAP analysis shows that when employed persons with disabilities tend to work in formal sector without any social security or protection.

Exclusion of persons with disabilities from label force participation cost economy up to 7% of GDP. Reliable and internationally comparable data on disability prevalence are also scarce due to variations in definitions of disability among the -- you know, among other differences. In order to address the challenges, SCAP had launched the Asia Pacific decades of persons with disabilities. The current one being the third successive decade running during 2013 to 2022. The guiding document for the current decade is the strategy adopted in 2012, as I said earlier, in republic of Korea. The strategy represents the world's first regionally agreed set of disability inclusive goals. The strategy's ten interrelated goals cover key issues starting one on poverty reduction and employment for persons with disabilities to political participation, accessibility,

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social protection, early intervention, education, gender equality, disability inclusive disaster risk reduction, disability data, acceleration of the CRPD implementation and advancement of regional and international -- interregional accomplish.

The strategy is not only closely linked with the CRPD but also has specific targets on expediting ratification of CRPD and implementation through national legislation, anti-discrimination provisions, technical standards and other measures to uphold and protect the rights of persons with disabilities. It also promotes sharing of good practices across the region. To set a target to have ratification by 37 state parties in the region by the end of 2017, the midpoint of the Asia Pacific decade of persons with disabilities. This target was already achieved two years ahead of the schedule in 2015. By now, 42 state parties in Asia Pacific have ratified the convention.

What is more encouraging is the fact that a number of governments in the region -- Asia Pacific region have adopted national legislations, action plans and policies to promote and uphold the rights of citizens with disabilities. These include legislations providing rights of person with disability adopted by for instance, Japan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia. Disability inclusive action plans adopted by Indonesia, Cambodia and Georgia. The new Pacific framework for the rights of persons with disability 2016-2025 was adopted in 2016. The ASEAN human rights commission has an ongoing effort to develop a plan to maintain disability perspectives into the ASEAN social, public, and political community.

Mr. Chairman, the year 2017 also marks the midpoint of the current Asia Pacific decade of persons with disabilities. As a part of this decides conducting a survey of implementation of the strategy and data collection, SCAP is organizing a high-level intergovernmental meeting at the end of November this year in Beijing hosted by the government of China. This meeting is expected to provide an impetus.

The regional mission has been effective in expediting the CRPD implementation in the region, rights and aspirations of 650 million people with disability in Asia Pacific without which achieving the goal of leaving no one behind enshrined in the 2030 agenda will not be possible. SCAP will continue to work together with the member states in Asia and the Pacific to assist them in the implementation of CRPD and the strategy along with other U.N. agencies. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank Mr. Kumar for his statement and about

information how SCAP addresses the challenges related to the implementation of CRPD. And now I would like to thank all the participants who just talk in the interactive dialogue with the U.N. family. We, the conference of the states parties, look forward to continuing to receive progress reports from agencies in the future this this regard. Ladies and gentlemen, I hate to inform you that we are running out of time. So I made a very unpleasant decision to allow only two questions or comments from the floor. So please -- yeah. I would like to give the floor to New Zealand.

>> Thank you very much and thank you to all of the panelists for their presentations. They were very informative. I have delivered a statement on behalf of the group of countries, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican republic, Finland, Iceland, Jamaica, Jordan, Norway, Panama, Poland, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, United States, and New Zealand. We strongly recommend the Washington group questions to be used as a tool to segregate data by disability, particularly in household surveys and national agendas. It requires member states to desegregate data by disability. The Washington group short list of questions is an appropriate and broadly tested methodology already in place to desegregate data by disability. We urge the United Nations statistical division to utilize

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the Washington group's short seed of questions and recommend this tool to national statistical officers and the interagency and expert group on the sustainable development goals indicators. Delays in doing so could have detrimental consequences to the implementation processes of the SDGs which will leave persons with disabilities uncounted and behind.

We call for the continued establishment on focal points on persons with disabilities and U.N. agencies as well as the inclusion of persons with disabilities and strategic plans and reporting an indicator framework for U.N. agencies in line with the CRPD and 2030 agenda. The rights of persons with disabilities by states, parties and the U.N. cannot be achieved in the rights of persons with disabilities are not mainstreamed across the U.N. system. Despite commitments contained in the CRPD and agenda 2030, we understand that some U.N. agencies may be preparing to scale down or have not established focal points on persons with disabilities. These roles are crucial to mainstream of disability issues across the agenda and leaving no one behind.

We wish to commend the COSP bureau, the full and meaningful participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations and the preparation and official program of conference. We urge member states to maintain this practice in the future. Thank you.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank New Zealand for their comments. I would like

to give the floor to Mexico. >> Translator: Thank you very much, Mr. President. Mexico is grateful for these

statements made by the panelists representing various bodies of the U.N. system. Mexico would like to take advantage of this opportunity to join with the statements to the effect that it is important to use the Washington group's brief questionnaire on disability and any national inquiry. This has been the case in Mexico since 2001 so that we are able then to compare data internationally. The government of Mexico once again calls for the addition of statistics to the department of economic affairs to ensure that this tool be recommended to the statistical offices of member states and the institutional experts group on indicators of sustainable development. And this is as quickly as possible. Statistical commission must heed what the member states have said in resolution 7175 of the GA in order to include these pointers from the Washington group. Thank you.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank Mexico for their comments. Only one speaker

who requested the floor, please, Namibia has the floor. Thank you. >> Thank you, chair, for the floor. First of all, let me just congratulate the

speakers who have just spoken of their AU -- of the U.N. agencies. Disability is in its nature a cross-cutting nature. Requires the commitment not just to signature, but resources should be channels to us programs. While our country Namibia is rated as one of the middle earning countries, we still face challenges with regard to costing disability. However, my question would be could the U.N. agencies work with member states to sensitize them on disability costing in order to simply pull numbers from the eight and sense disability issues are costly and need to be considered in their own parameters. For instance, I would like to pose a question to the U.N. habitant, now could they maybe use accessibility, a parameter of rating cities and municipalities and continue to use that as a standard for development of disability issues. Thank you.

>> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: Thank you very much. Mr. Decorte? >> FILIEP DECORTE: Very brief. We are trying to develop the comprehensive

set of indicators including taking into account people with disabilities as part of our city prosperity index. That's something we hope to take forward and develop further with our

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colleagues and sister agencies. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: Well, thank you, very, very much. I would like once

again to thank all the participants in the interactive dialogue with the U.N. family. And now I request a brief two-minute for the panelists to leave the podium and invite our speakers for the second segment to come to the podium. Thank you very much.

[ Break taken ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: We continue with the next segment. I would like to

invite Ms. Degener, the chair on the committee of the rights of persons with disabilities to make a statement.

>> Thank you, excellencies and participants of the tenth conference of state parties. I'm grateful to the presidency for including the CRPD committee in the preparation and implementation of the conference of state parties. At the beginning of the second decade of the CRPD, we can assess and collect our knowledge from the first decade One learning lesson has been that the conference of state parties and the CRPD committee are two pillars of the same international mechanism. The success of each pillar will reflect on the other. When both of us carry the house, it will not fall. This is why it is important that the CRPD taken as the legal framework for all access to implement SDGs and vice versa. It is important that the rights of persons with disabilities are mainstreamed in state parties reporting to the high level political forum. The committee is strongly committed to continue including the linkages between CRPD and SDGs in its dialogues with state parties in Geneva. Since the ninth conference of state parties, held its 16th and 17th session. It adopted concluding observation in this regard including recommendation as the to implementation of the SDGs.

The committee adopted two general comments. One on women and girls with disabilities and the others on the right to inclusive education. We are currently working on two more general comments on the right to live independently in the community, article 19, and the other will be on nondiscrimination and equality. For both vast general comments, we are happy to receive written submissions and the deadline for that is the 30th of June this month. The committee will further hold a day of general discussion on nondiscrimination and equality at its next session. All state parties are welcome to participate in that day of general discussion which will be held on the 25th of August. The committee has received over 300 communications and so far registered 37 cases. The committee has taken final decisions, eight views with violations, two views without violations, and five inability decisions. The committee cooperated actively with a great number of United Nations organizations and civil societies and nongovernmental organizations most notably the rights of persons with disabilities, the independent effort of enjoyment by persons with disability, the OHCHR, regional human rights organizations and the global alliance of NHRIs and international disability elects.

Regarding accessibility, the committee identified the need for including plain language text in order to ensure equal participation of all members into the committee of its session. We call upon state parties to consider make an earmark contribution to the committee in this regard. During the 17th session, a new drill was elected. The only one left in the committee, me, was elected chair of the committee. Adopted statement on advancing and restoring gender parity and equitable geographic distribution and calls on state parties for the nomination of candidates for the 2018 elections of members of the committees to be mindful of the committee's recommendation therein. Thank you for your attention.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank Ms. Degener for her briefing on the rights of

people with disabilities. Now I give the floor to Ms. Devandas, special Rapporteur on the

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rights of persons with disabilities to deliver a statement. >> Translator: Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen and delegates. May I

start by saying how pleased I am to see the many agencies that have played a part in this panel. Couple of years ago, we observe that there was no opportunity for accountability from the various agencies of the U.N. bodies and offices working on persons with disabilities. So echoing the discussions dealing with the CRPD, we wanted to see the U.N. system having more of an opportunity for accountability during the states parties conference and I welcome the fact that this is happening in a substantial way.

I believe that this is vital in order to allow for an exchange of views and prospects from all parties, all actors. And to ensure that civil society, too, can follow-up the actions that the various actors in the system are carrying out. Ladies and gentlemen and delegates, as you're aware, as special rapporteur, my interest has been on three particular issues, strategic nature, assessing diversity and inclusiveness, two of them. I have produce the four reports on special protection, participation in decision-making on inclusive policies and the last has been on support services. I have also carried out four official visits to countries, to the republic -- I should like to express my thanks to their states as I carry out my remit. I would like to welcome the action taken by them in the community development and social services in Zambia who told me about the specific actions taken by her government over the last year in response to the recommendations made as a result of my visit.

All reports on my visit and the thematic reports have also been published in an easy read format. This is a practice which I trust other experts and agencies in the system will follow. I have am closely following up very regional matters, national projects permitting the exchange of knowledge and good practice within the U.N. system and states and civil society. This week, to give you an example, as I came to this conference, I held a consultation meeting on sexual reproductive health for disabled girls. I had various agencies from civil society and representatives of disabled people and obviously women who are disabled. I also cooperate are other human rights mechanisms and human bodies in order to promote the rights of people with disabilities. And then the committee on the rights of people with disabled -- with disabilities is working and I would also like to indicate the initiative we took with a special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people as we organized an experts meeting on indigenous people with disabilities. It made it possible for the expert mechanism on indigenous people's issues to include disability as an agenda. This year, we're organizing a similar meeting with the independent expert on the rights of elder people. We trust there we shall be able to explore the rights of the elderly with disability.

A meeting is being organized with the various experts on treaty bodies and human rights mandate in order no see how it is possible to include the rights of people with disabilities in cross-cutting fashion in what they do. Mr. President, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, certainly much work remains to be done in order to implement the CRPD fully. And therefore, we need to step up our cooperation and coordination amongst the U.N. system, states and civil society. Here I should like to conclude as I thank countries and agencies who have come forward with such enthusiasm on the one hand clearly to call for the need and urgency to disaggregate statistics on disability using the Washington group efforts. I also like to commend an action plan for the entire U.N. system so include people with disabilities, a U.N. system wide action plan as it's dubbed in English.

The support group for the convention ISD has also established a working group in order to analyze is potential system wide action plan. I trust that when the time comes

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we shall enjoy the necessary political support from all states present here. My office is resolutely working to ensure that states agencies and the community of people with disabilities will be able to enjoy tools facilitating and rendering easier accountability and consistency in the work done by states and the U.N. system on the right of people with disability. Thank you very much, sir.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank you for your statement and information of

your efforts on preparing reports. Now I give the floor to Ms. Fefoame, international disability and development of consortium, representative of organizations of persons with disabilities to deliver a statement.

>> Welcome. On behalf of civil society on this occasion. I'd like to thank you for this opportunity to present views of so many and thank you civil society for electing people to speak on your behalf. I'd also want Bulgaria, but inclusion of civil society in this year's conference. We have a society forum and we count on you. Thank you. With the first anniversary of the induction of the CRPD and with this remarkable celebration, look at how far we've advanced disabilities in society and development. In the second decade, I am delighted that so many governments are showing in this area. And they are asking how to effectively implement the CRPD. My friends, while there are many, I feel that we need to constructively challenge others and work with them to implement the CRPD. One particular area that progress is needed and as you mention by many others earlier is the method by which disability data is collected.

Put simply, public can never be truly responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities, nor can we hold governments accountable if we don't have data on disability. And also use that data effectively. Clearly say that data is needed so that we can monitor progress effectively. So we are recommending the Washington group and we urge member states and all to use them. Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I have an important point of reflection. Who is at the table with us? Who are we intentionally or unintentionally through action, political practices and we are actually for inclusion, then we need additional change. And this conference has given us guidance. This guidance, inclusion of people with disabilities by governments, private sector, civil society and developing agencies. Needs to be reflected more systematically in the U.N. development system. And this is an agenda and geographic balance. To this aim, we again call for meaningful gender balance in the election and we pledge to work together to achieve this goal.

Full inclusion of all the 1 billion people with disabilities. But as the former president of this great country, President Obama once said, change will not come. It will wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we have been waiting for. Friends, we are the change that we seek. Thank you very much.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank you for the perspectives she laid out of the

organizations of persons with disabilities for the implementation of CRPD. I would like also once again to thank all the representatives who just spoke. Once again, we are running critically out of time. Again, I would like to inform you that we have time for only two questions or comments. I would like to give the floor to Brazil.

>> Translator: Greeting to the president -- I'm sorry, the president committee and representative of U.N. women. I would like to remark on what they very well commented which is the lack of representative women in the committee and also extent of this where we had a regional meeting of the Latin American countries also the lack of representative in the Latin American countries in the committee. This is a concern that we have in Brazil. We have this in Brazil to have in our model nothing without us. We

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have this as a theme. That's why I would like to offer the candidates here, congresswoman, federal congresswoman, young leadership with disability that is totally capable of this work. She became a reference, a great leader in the country because she was able to lead a very important policy that has been guiding policies that have been extremely important for our countries. She has the help, staff, and mobility to exert this with propriety. I would like to thank the table and conclude here greeting all of you for the excellent work done today. Thank you so much.

>> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: Thank you very much for their comment. And just a second. I would like to give the floor to a representative of the people with disabilities. Could you please identify yourself?

>> Thank you very much. National organization of disability advocates Nigeria. Thank you panelists and thank you, chair. I would like to bring to our memory the statement of Gandhi which says a way to assess how government is doing is to see how he treats the sick, the weak, and the vulnerable. And our general secretary -- former general secretary 2012 Ban Ki-Moon said issue of disability that moved -- we had paradigm shift from medical charity to that which is rooted in human right. Mindful of all this, the question is that how can we help the committee, how can we work with this CRPD committee to create awareness around the world among the politicians of the world that there is a political capital to be derived from instituting a disability policy? Because before now, and the one of the big problems we have is our politicians tend to think that issues of disabilities are simply a black hole in their economy. They do not understand that it can be a political asset, not economic liability. They think it's all about give me, do for me. But we need to let them know that it is all about allow us to give you and do for you.

And if we can do this, if we can generate this awareness among the politicians of the world, that issues of disability, disability policies can win election, can generate vote, then they will compete for it. Then we will be able to move the issues of disability from shop to act shop, from enlightenment to indictment and from injection to production. Thank you.

>> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: Thank you very much the representative of international association of disability advocates of Nigeria. We have only one speaker who requested the floor. So I give the floor once again to Mexico.

>> Translator: Thank you very much, president, for giving us the floor once more. Mexico welcomes the presentations made by the panelists with regards to special procedures and the treaty bodies. We would like to take the opportunity again to reiterate our willingness to cooperate with the all those on the rights on persons with disabilities and the civil society organizations of and for persons with disabilities in implementation of the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Currently, the governments of Mexico and New Zealand are promoting this year in the initiative to renew the mandate on the rights of persons with disabilities. Three years, initiative that we trust will enjoy the support of the member states and the council. Finally, Mexico would like to find out about the experience of panelists in terms of international cooperation in the field at hand and their proposals to make more effective that cooperation. Thank you very much.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank Mexico for their comments. And I would like

to conclude now by thanking all the participants in the interactive dialogue with the U.N. agencies and relevant treaty bodies, special mandate holders and civil society. I would like now to request a brief two-minute pause for the speakers to leave the podium and I am inviting the vice presidents of the bureau to proceed to take their seat at the podium.

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[ Recess taken ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: Ladies and gentlemen, I now move onto the next

agenda item. That is item seven, decisions to be considered for adoption by the conference of state parties. The bureau, in consultation with our regional groups, proposed to this conference three decisions of procedural nature. The draft text of these three decisions was shared with delegations by your regional representatives in the bureau and a copy of this was circulated in the room.

In my capacity as the president of the conference, may I invite states parties to take action to endorse these proposed decisions, by which we would decide: That the 11th session will take place from 12 to 14th of June, 2018, that we recommend to the secretary-general that future sessions of the conference be provided be adequate support for six meetings. And to further request the secretary-general to transmit the report of this session of the conference to all states parties and observers in due course.

I see no objection. May I take it that the conference would wish to adopt the decisions as proposed by the bureau? It is to decided. I thank colleagues --

[ Applause ] I thank all the colleagues for their cooperation and support for this matter. No

other matters have been brought to the attention of the chair or bureau. It is therefore understood that this item is now concluded.

Before we move to the closing segment of the meeting, I would like to check in the secretariat would like to make any announcement. Scare, you have the floor.

>> Thank you very much Mr. President. I would like to make the following announcement. Delegations are kindly requested to forward their full text of their statement under the agenda item 5A, general debate, for posting the statements in the paper smart portal of the conference of states parties so that official report of the conference will include those statements. Thank you very much.

>> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank the secretary for this announcement. And now I invite the four vice presidents to make brief and final remarks. I would like to invite his excellency, the permanent representative of Ecuador to the United Nations to make his statement.

>> Translator: Thank you very much, President. Distinguished friend and colleague, ambassador Georgi Panayotov, we want to convey all our congratulations at the excellent way that you've steered our work at this tenth conference. And we'd like to congratulate you, but also from everybody, all the delegates for the constructive positive conclusions that we've reached at this tenth session of the conference of state parties to the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. For the delegation of Ecuador, it was a particular honor to be presided by the first lady of the nation who at the very highest political level is responsible for public policy in my country on issues of inclusion and on guarantees for compliance with the rights of persons with disabilities at national level.

We have maintained throughout these days a fruitful exchange of experiences that will serve to make our action more effective in the future. Working for the 2 million people with disabilities throughout the world is for us delivering on a basic principle of social justice. It's to respect the most fundamental human rights. It's a matter of enjoying the contribution of the most valuable elements of society to make sustainable development possible. Thank you very much, President.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: Thank you very much your excellency. And now I

would like to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Tunisia.

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>> Translator: Thank you, Mr. President. In closing, I'd like to thank on behalf of Tunisia all the panelists and civil society for their very valuable interventions and interactions in exchanging on best practices, gaps and challenges that need to be addressed for better implementation of the convention. We will probably endorse all the calls that were made by the panelists, but also by civil society, particularly for combatting poverty amongst persons with disabilities taking into account specific needs of children and women with disabilities calling for more reliable data to better identify all the needs of persons with disabilities. Thank you for your comments, remarks, suggestions. Thanks for your interaction. Leaving no one behind is more than ever has its full meaning so that persons with disabilities can become an integral part of the SDGs. This year, we are pleased to have beaten the record when it comes to speakers list and this only heightened and reflects the heightened interest that we have in the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Thank you. Thank you very much. And congratulations to civil society for your efforts, your very positive commitment and participation that have left an indelible mark on these three days. Thank you to the Bulgarian and vice presidents. I want to thank also my groups, the group that I represent, the African group, for supporting the efforts of the bureau. Thank you for the trust in me, your commitment and your unwavering support. Thank you to the secretariat who is with us here at the table and also our friend Eric who should be somewhere finalizing the success of this meeting. Allow me this time also to convey to you friends present in here in the room. I want to applaud you. Thank you for being with us here and thank you for supporting us.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I'd like to thank Tunisia. To thank the vice president

of the conference Tunisia. Now, I would like to give the floor to another vice president of the conference, distinguished representative of Sri Lanka.

>> Thank you, President, and good afternoon, colleagues. It's an honor to be associated with Bulgaria, Ecuador, Germany and Tunisia, my fellow members of the bureau in organizing this event. This meeting of the state parties, 12 decision, one of the keywords that we heard was the inclusivity, particularly about situations. Almost all participants, the member states, the DPOs, NGOs, express concern and that is something encouraging. At the same time, we all agreed now we have reached to a critical phase that we need to transfer from policies into concrete action and keeping with the goals in the 2030 agenda. We are also very much encouraged by the wide participation of this event as explained by our bureau colleagues. Also a number of side events and it has grown by year.

And this growth has also given us some unique challenges, unique situations to deal with. So organizing this particular meeting of state parties was a learning experience for me, and as well as I will share whatever we have learned, whatever I have learned with the coming group members. Singapore has already been nominated as the incoming vice chair for our group. So my colleague is very keen to know what is going on here. So I will brief her. The 11th COSP would be much more informed and better working process, I would hope.

So finally, I would like to thank all the member states, the DPOs, NGOs, and CRPD secretary members. I can see Fred, but not Eric. And the team of interpreters who really supported us throughout to make this event a success. And there's the one person behind us who is the force behind in every step that you made. Her name had not come up, but she's always had been there. And last of all, I would like to quote one word, word of wisdom, a wish that I want to say that means the whole humanity, whole people, every one of us should be free of all suffering, anger and anxiety and all. That's

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my wish and we all hope that we would -- we could reach to that level. Thank you so much and have a good day. Thank you.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank Sri Lanka and I thank you. Now, I give the

floor to the next vice president, Germany, the distinguished representative of Germany. >> Thank you, chair. And then I think we will have exhausted the list of vice

presidents. But first of all, thank you to you and to Sri Lanka, to Tunisia, to Ecuador for the excellent cooperation and, yes, also to those behind the conference. I would like to start by mentioning a point that Germany is very proud of and a point that should be self-evident, but that is not self-evident and has not been self-evident until now unfortunately. That is that civil society participates throughout this conference. I think consider this the first conference of state parties at which civil society has been able to participate at the opening, at the closing, through co-chairing the roundtables and by actively contributing to the interactive discussions in the roundtables. And that is something that we've worked very hard on as a bureau and that we as Germany are very proud of that this has materialized this year.

This leads me to the second point which is that this is not a success that we can rest on, but that is something that we need to build on in preparation of next year's conference of states parties. Maybe the conference of states parties is a bit of a misnomer as well because it's not just a conference. It's more of a process. And as we all now go home or in our case stay in New York, we hopefully can continue this exchange, the discussions that we had here and of course the implementation of the CRPD. With that, I'd like to also thank my New York colleagues were if the excellent cooperation, coordination and advance of the conference. The secretariat, again, the chairmanship and the other members of the bureau, but most of all, all of you who traveled and come here and made this conference really a very vibrant forum that sticks out among what is happening here in New York and among the many other that take place here. I think this conference is really a vibrant exchange of ideas and experiences and we will work hard to continue to keep it that way. Thank you very much.

[ Applause ]. >> GEORGI PANAYOTOV: I thank Germany and I would like to thank you

personally. I avail myself of this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to Eric, to Fred, to all the representative of the secretariat. And I would like to express special gratitude to my third committee expert who is sitting here behind me who is really one of the driving forces between -- behind this conference.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, we are coming to the end of this session. Once again, I would like to express my thanks to all states parties for the confidence entrusted in us to organize and convene this important session. We are grateful to DESA, OHCRH as well as to DGACM and the U.N. secretariat as a whole for all the assistance they rendered to the bureau in the course of the last three days. Special thanks goes to the interpreters as well for their professional work often after hours for which we do apologize. We have a very rich program and the record numbers speak in your general debate this year. Around 113 total. In the ministerial segment we heard from the first lady of Ecuador who opened the general debate. The three roundtable discussions during this year's conference focused on some of the most pertinent issues for persons with disabilities with regard to the implementation of major global agreements of the last couple of years.

The 2030 agenda for sustainable development, commitments in the humanitarian area and the new urban agenda. We had a very informative and useful exchange of the convention with the U.N. system, the chair of the CRPD committee and the chair of the

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rights with persons with disabilities. The civil society forum provided valuable input to our deliberations and contributed to a more comprehensive overview and in-depth analysis of the topics addressed by this conference. We witness more than 80 site events, performances and receptions during the tenth session. This year, for the first time member states and other stakeholders who are given opportunity to also present exhibitions within the framework of the conference.

Our tenth session was a particular importance as it formally started the second decade of the CRPD. And in line with our overarching team, states parties committed to a more inclusive implementation of the convention in close cooperation with persons with disabilities themselves and their representative organizations. In this regard, I believe our tenth session has set the norm for a more meaningful implementation of article 4.3 which should lead to the next decade and beyond.

It was in this period that the bureau of this conference under leadership of Bulgaria has put a stronger emphasis on the participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations as well as national human rights institutions and other stakeholders in all deliberations related to the implementation of the CRPD. More prominent role was accorded also to the CRPD committee and the rights on persons with disabilities whose profound knowledge and valuable expertise is instrumental for further strengthening the implementation of the convention.

Our deliberations during the tenth session had an added value for strengthening inclusive implementation of the 2030 agenda and assuring the achieving of the SDG would lead to the realization of all human rights with persons with disabilities and their empowerment and inclusion on society on an equal basis with others. During our discussions, a number of important issues were highlighted that need more attention and concrete action both on part of the states parties and the U.N. system as well in order to ensure that the commitments with regard to the CRPD and the 2030 agenda are fulfilled. One of the most pressing issues that needs immediate attention is to ensure desegregation of data by disability. In order to deliver on the promise of the 2030 agenda to leave no one behind and reach the furthest behind first, which applies mainly to persons with disabilities who are often the most vulnerable and difficult in different circumstances, we need to make sure that we collect quality date desegregated by disability.

I believe ladies and gentlemen that the tenth session of the conference was successful in delivering on is main goal as outlined in the overarching theme, to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in implementation of the convention. I would like to ensure you that the bureau remains committed on building on the success of this conference when we start on the 11th session next year. Thank you very much.

[ Applause ] I would like once again to thank all the states parties, observers, and other

stakeholders for the good cooperation and valuable contributions and to the secretariat for their support for the success of this conference. I am looking forward to working closely with all of you in the coming months for the preparation of the next 11th session of the conference.

With this, I hereby adjourn this meeting, the 10th session of the conference of states parties to the CRPD is thus officially closed.

[ Applause ] [ Concluded at 6:04 p.m. ET ]

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