Opening Social Forum 2016

African Disability Forum, Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities, Down Syndrome International, European Disability Forum, Inclusion International, International Federation of Hard of Hearing People, International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, Latin American Network of Non-Governmental Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and their Families, Pacific Disability Forum, World Blind Union, World Federation of the Deaf, World Federation of the DeafBlind, World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry

Opening Social Forum 2016 03 October 2016 Palais des Nations, Geneva

Presentation of Mr Colin Allen, IDA Chair

Distinguished Ambassadors Lomónaco, of Mexico, and Kyong-Lim, President of the Human Rights Council, High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, excellences, delegates and colleagues,

I am speaking today on behalf of the International Disability Alliance.

2016 marks the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We do have reasons to celebrate this instrument that - in a very unique way - combining human rights and development. To celebrate the CRPD is also to celebrate the instrumental role persons with disabilities and their representative organisations played during its negotiation process. Never before has the UN hosted a process so inclusive of the rights-holders it concerned. Indeed, the drafting journey was an achievement in and of itself! Many of us present here today participated in that process fifteen years ago and we have reasons to be proud and to celebrate! We also celebrate the leading role of the co-sponsors - Mexico and New Zealand - and the continuous leadership of the Group of Friends to the CRPD both in Geneva and in New York.

10 years have passed from the adoption of the CRPD, and we do have many reasons to celebrate, and alongside the CRPD itself: - IDA and IDDC were born from the CRPD negotiation process, - Rio +20 was crucial to the recognition of persons with disabilities as relevant stakeholders, the - Addis Abbas Action Agenda that called for a multi-stakeholder, people-centered and inclusive approach, recognizing the links between poverty, vulnerability and disability as a specific dimension, and as we also applaud the - Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

IDA particularly wants to acclaim the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, its Goals and targets that address the omission made by the MDGs and which bring a human dimension of development: ‘by the people, for the people, and with the people’. The 2030 Agenda not only widely includes persons with disabilities, it also recognizes that 80% of our people worldwide live in poverty; and urges states to empower persons with disabilities, placing us in the centre of poverty eradication strategies.

We have also to commend the reinforcement of the CRPD Committee that has increased the annual working time as well as the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities becoming a member of the Special Procedure’s family under the auspices of the Human Rights Council.

IDA also applauds the work of several UN agencies such as OHCHR, UNDP, ILO, UNICEF, and many others, as well as different UN mainstream bodies and mechanisms such as the treaty bodies, UPR and Special Procedures that are mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities into their work.

All these advances represent important opportunities for prioritizing the rights and needs of persons with disabilities, including women and children with disabilities, into the international, regional and national human rights and development agendas.

However, despite all we have to celebrate, we also have remaining concerns that were not fixed in these past 10 years. We are living in a challenging time - as we all know too well. We are seeing repeated attacks against persons with disabilities; laws and practices still proscribe some groups of persons with disabilities to marry, constitute family or keep their children, forcing some of us to be sterilized, to live in segregated settings or obliged to be medicated, as well as forbidden to have or use a bank account, or even to sign a contract.

Resuming, after these 10 years that the CRPD brightens the human rights world with its light, we still see persons with disabilities being hindered from full inclusion and participation in society on an equal basis with others; even in accessing the very basic services such as education, health, safe drinking water and sanitation. After 10 years of progress in the recognition that disability is both matter of human rights and development, these barriers are no longer excusable.

We, persons with disabilities, and our representative organisations are here today to share our knowledge, expertise and concrete experiences with you all, member states, UN agencies, colleagues from NGOs and academics, and to learn from you as well. We are here to reinforce our partnerships, alliances and collaboration. We are long overdue for measures that will ensure the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities. Our societies have to do more and do better to eliminate these barriers - in both law and practice - to ensure the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities. Attitudinal, legal, judicial, administrative and physical barriers as well as barriers to information and communication, all have to be removed. Our societies must embrace our diversity in order for us to live and develop together. No single right that is allowed to other persons should be denied to persons with disabilities, including the exercise of our legal capacity - in respect of our inherent dignity. The CRPD is there to pave the way to this promise, including towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, its Goals and targets - and we are here to journey together in this shared future.

We need and want to ensure concrete steps to the full implementation of the CRPD and the SDGs from the global to the grassroots levels. I invite you all to make the most of this human rights’ forum to constructively propose social innovations, share of experiences, views and recommendations, and to take concrete steps for effectively guaranteeing that no one, including persons with disabilities, is left behind!

I thank you!