Persons with Disabilities
Thank you, co-facilitators, for the opportunity to speak on behalf of persons with disabilities.
We have a few concrete recommendations:
PP3 we would like to voice previous speakers’ request to maintain the reference to accountability to citizens. The 2030 Agenda is about the people, for the people and with the people. We believe that the notion of accountability to citizens supports this and is also the guarantee for the overarching principle of leave no one behind. Only if mechanisms are put in place, that provide opportunity for citizens to raise their voice and to participate, will the SDGs be achieved. This is particularly important to persons with disabilities, who are left the furthest behind.
OP4 we welcome a more in depth discussion with regards the themes of the HLPF. We particular would like to support G77 in their proposal to include accessibility in the theme of 2018. The Theme: Making cities sustainable and building productive capacities without a reference to accessibility poses risks of exclusion for persons with disabilities and older persons. In addition, the reference to accessible cities is in line with the wording of goal 11 as well as with the ongoing negotiations on Habitat III.
OP12 while we recognize that the paragraph has been improved we feel an important key element of the reference to stakeholders is missing, which makes it unclear that this paragraph is actually about stakeholder participation.
OP16. While the paragraph is already very long, we have further two recommendations to be included:
- We would like to see a reference that additional spaces for issues related to marginalized groups and the furthest behind, including those not currently addressed, is facilitated by ECOSOC,
- We would like to see reference to that the HLPF also builds on already existing international human rights instruments and their monitoring bodies. Inputs from existing UN human rights monitoring bodies will enable coherence and coordination of sustainable development policies and programmes throughout the UN system. (They can actively input into thematic reviews; provide systematised quantitative and qualitative data through state, UN, civil society and NHRI reports; make recommendations for states; provide methodologies for innovative and participatory data collection; provide expertise on developing national monitoring systems consistent with global standards; share best practice on systematic engagement of stakeholders in monitoring, reporting and follow up, including transparency and access to information.)
OP16: Encourages coherence of the General Assembly and its main committees, the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council, international human rights instruments and their monitoring bodies and other intergovernmental bodies and forums with the work of the High-level Political Forum toward the follow-up and review of the implementation of the Agenda, and requests the Economic and Social Council to facilitate spaces for issues related to marginalized groups and the furthest behind, including those not currently addressed by its system, and in this context encourages that quadrennial comprehensive policy reviews take into account the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals;
Thank you.
We have a few concrete recommendations:
PP3 we would like to voice previous speakers’ request to maintain the reference to accountability to citizens. The 2030 Agenda is about the people, for the people and with the people. We believe that the notion of accountability to citizens supports this and is also the guarantee for the overarching principle of leave no one behind. Only if mechanisms are put in place, that provide opportunity for citizens to raise their voice and to participate, will the SDGs be achieved. This is particularly important to persons with disabilities, who are left the furthest behind.
OP4 we welcome a more in depth discussion with regards the themes of the HLPF. We particular would like to support G77 in their proposal to include accessibility in the theme of 2018. The Theme: Making cities sustainable and building productive capacities without a reference to accessibility poses risks of exclusion for persons with disabilities and older persons. In addition, the reference to accessible cities is in line with the wording of goal 11 as well as with the ongoing negotiations on Habitat III.
OP12 while we recognize that the paragraph has been improved we feel an important key element of the reference to stakeholders is missing, which makes it unclear that this paragraph is actually about stakeholder participation.
OP16. While the paragraph is already very long, we have further two recommendations to be included:
- We would like to see a reference that additional spaces for issues related to marginalized groups and the furthest behind, including those not currently addressed, is facilitated by ECOSOC,
- We would like to see reference to that the HLPF also builds on already existing international human rights instruments and their monitoring bodies. Inputs from existing UN human rights monitoring bodies will enable coherence and coordination of sustainable development policies and programmes throughout the UN system. (They can actively input into thematic reviews; provide systematised quantitative and qualitative data through state, UN, civil society and NHRI reports; make recommendations for states; provide methodologies for innovative and participatory data collection; provide expertise on developing national monitoring systems consistent with global standards; share best practice on systematic engagement of stakeholders in monitoring, reporting and follow up, including transparency and access to information.)
OP16: Encourages coherence of the General Assembly and its main committees, the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council, international human rights instruments and their monitoring bodies and other intergovernmental bodies and forums with the work of the High-level Political Forum toward the follow-up and review of the implementation of the Agenda, and requests the Economic and Social Council to facilitate spaces for issues related to marginalized groups and the furthest behind, including those not currently addressed by its system, and in this context encourages that quadrennial comprehensive policy reviews take into account the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals;
Thank you.