August 17, 2015
UN headquarters, Geneva
Distinguished Members of the Committee, Colleagues,
We appreciate the opportunity to participate in the opening session of the CRPD Committee’s 14th session.
We would like to focus our statement on the importance of increasing the spotlight on the needs and rights of persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies, particularly in light of the growing number of crises around the world and global developments in the lead up to the World Humanitarian Summit next May. Human Rights Watch believes that further examination of Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is important to ensuring the rights of this often neglected and invisible group, and welcomes the initiative of the Committee to prepare a statement on Article 11.
We hope that this statement addresses the following issues:
- Recognition of the compounded challenges and unique vulnerabilities of persons with disabilities
- The need to address the knowledge and capacity gap
- Participation of persons with disabilities in developing a more inclusive humanitarian response
- Responsibility of donors, humanitarian organizations and governments to “build back better”
1. Recognition of the compounded challenges and unique vulnerability of persons with disabilities
People with disabilities are often particularly vulnerable in situations of risk and humanitarian crises due to war, natural disasters, and other situations of risks, which compound the physical, communication and attitudinal barriers they experience.
Human Rights Watch documented the challenges people with disabilities faced in escaping attacks on their communities during the crisis in Central African Republic. People with sensory or physical disabilities, for example, were abandoned in their homes in deserted villages for days or weeks, with little access to food or water. In one case, a man in Bangui with a mental health condition was shot and killed by the rebel group because he continued to work at his shop in the market while everyone else fled. As an eyewitness explained, “He just didn’t understand.”
People with disabilities who reach sites for internally displaced people or refugees often face difficulties accessing sanitation, food, and medical assistance. Several people with physical disabilities in Central African Republic told us that they had no choice but to crawl on the ground to enter the latrines, exposing them to potential health risks on a daily basis. This is not a case of special access for special services: but about equal access to all services in camps and communities, based on the principle of non-discrimination.
2. The need to address the knowledge and capacity gap
In light of the multiple challenges and priorities and limited financial support during a crisis, aid agencies have often been unable to address the specific challenges faced by people with disabilities, lacking the knowledge and capacity to assist people with disabilities. In Central African Republic, for example, of the eight UN and nongovernmental aid agencies Human Rights Watch interviewed, none were systematically collecting data on people with disabilities, and their needs were not fully included in the agencies’ programming. One senior UN official familiar with the emergency response in Central African Republic told Human Rights Watch: “We don’t pay enough attention to the issue of disability. We should be doing more. There is no place for discrimination in humanitarian action.”
In addition to more systemic data collection and increased training and expertise on the needs of people with disabilities in situations of risk, the United Nations, nongovernmental aid agencies, donors and governments need to address this knowledge and capacity gap through the participation of people with disabilities, bringing me to my third point.
3. Participation of persons with disabilities in developing a more inclusive humanitarian response
In the planning and implementation of humanitarian responses, it is critical to include the voices of those affected. The challenges of developing a fully inclusive response can be mitigated by including representation from affected groups in decision-making processes. This is especially true for persons with disabilities, as they can provide the expertise to address their specific and sometimes unique needs. One concrete recommendation, in the context of refugee or IDP camps, is for the appointment of people with disabilities to camp management committees to ensure that their concerns are represented.
Moreover, it is crucial that the “lessons-learned” about the ways that responses have failed persons with disabilities in humanitarian emergencies in the past are not repeated in the future. There is a responsibility on governments, humanitarian organizations, and donors to listen to the stories of people in conflict and to translate these experiences into specialized and targeted efforts.
4. Responsibility of donors, humanitarian organizations and governments to “build back better”
For this critical work to take place, it is also essential for donors to ensure that humanitarian efforts they invest in are disability-inclusive. In that regard, donors should ensure that new money they provide for infrastructure requires such infrastructure to be accessible for people with disabilities and that other barriers to the participation of persons with disabilities in their communities are also avoided. International donors and governments should ensure that development assistance strategies and policies observe the principles of non-discrimination, inclusion and equality articulated in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other treaties.
We appreciate the Committee’s engagement with civil society and your consideration of our comments today. We wish you a productive session.
