We call on the United Nations and Member States to ensure the work of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is fully funded.
We regret that the United Nations has discontinued the provision of accessibility services, including international sign interpretation and captioning for experts of the Committee and during some sessions of the Committee. While we welcome the reversal of the decision not to fund accessibility services during the upcoming Session of this Committee, ongoing doubt on accessibility measures available risks excluding persons with disabilities from fully engaging with its work. This doubt is compounded by the discontinuation of national sign language interpretation during dialogues with States and the lack of provision of reasonable accommodation for UN Committee Member Mr Hiroshi Tamon.
We understand that the United Nations faces an unprecedented liquidity crisis, mainly due to Member States’ failure to pay their contributions. However, accessibility is not an optional cost. It cannot be sacrificed in the name of savings.
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been instrumental in advancing disability rights across the world. Its work has contributed to improving the United Nations’ reputation and importance among over 1 billion people with disabilities. The United Nations must recognise it and keep properly funding it, and comply with its own Disability Inclusion Strategy.
At the same time, we stand in solidarity with the United Nations and underline the importance of Member States properly financing its work.
We reaffirm the statements of the CRPD Committee and of the International Disability Alliance and call for:
- The United Nations’ Secretary-General to fulfil the duty to provide all necessary support for the effective performance of the functions of the Committee, including the effective provision of accessibility arrangements
- Member States to properly fund the United Nations, including by paying all contributions in arrears and devising a sustainable financial framework to ensure future activities.