Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Opens Thirty-Third Session
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities today opened its thirty-third session in Geneva, during which it will review the reports of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Finland, Kiribati and the Maldives under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and consider, under article 11 of the Convention, the situation of persons with disabilities affected by war in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Antti Korkeakivi, Chief, Human Rights Treaties Branch, Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, opening the session, said the 193 ratifications of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities showed the commitment of the international community to an inclusive and accessible world. Since the Committee’s last session in March, Lebanon had joined the ranks of States parties by ratifying both the Convention and its Optional Protocol, bringing the number of States parties to the Protocol to 108.
Mr. Korkeakivi presented some of the key events that had taken place since the last session of the Committee, including the Global Disability Summit, held in Berlin on 2 and 3 April, which marked a significant milestone with the launch of the Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion. He also stressed that the Office of the High Commissioner was continuing its work to strengthen the treaty bodies, in the context of the United Nations’ financial crisis, which was impacting the treaty bodies' ability to hold dialogues with States parties, adopt decisions on individual communications, and conduct capacity building activities.
Miyeon Kim, Committee Chairperson, in her opening remarks, also expressed concern about the United Nations’ liquidity crisis, due to which the current session had been reduced to just 12 working days, and the pre-sessional working group had been cancelled entirely. This situation affected the entire treaty body system, she said. Over 35 dialogues with States parties planned for this year had been cancelled, and more than 185 individual communications would go unprocessed.
Ms. Kim presented the activities she had undertaken since the last session, including preparations for the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Convention in 2026. She noted that, during the current session, the Committee would hold a special meeting on the experiences of persons with disabilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, whose testimony would remind the world that peace needed to be built with persons with disabilities.
The Committee then heard statements by States, United Nations entities, as well as civil society representatives. Representatives of Romania, as Head of the United Nations Human Rights Council Task Force on Accessibility, and Eritrea took the floor, as did representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization, United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy Secretariat, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Labour Organization, International Disability Alliance, United for Global Mental Health, ASPACE Badajoz Radio, and Citizens' Commission on Human Rights.
During the meeting, the Committee also adopted the programme of work for the session.
The Committee’s thirty-third session is being held until Tuesday, 26 August 2025. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here. The programme of work of the Committee’s session and other documents related to the session can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public on Tuesday, 12 August at 10 a.m. to consider the initial report of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (CRPD/C/PRK/1).
Opening Statements
ANTTI KORKEAKIVI, Chief, Human Rights Treaties Branch, Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, opening the session, said the 193 ratifications of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities showed the commitment of the international community to an inclusive and accessible world. Since the Committee’s last session in March, Lebanon had joined the ranks of States parties by ratifying both the Convention and its Optional Protocol, bringing the number of States parties to the Protocol to 108.
Reviewing key events that had taken place since the last session, Mr. Korkeakivi said the Global Disability Summit, held in Berlin on 2 and 3 April, marked a significant milestone with the launch of the Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion. This landmark declaration, already endorsed by over 100 governments and organizations, set out strong commitments to making all international development programmes inclusive and accessible for persons with disabilities. It aimed to ensure that at least 15 per cent of these programmes specifically focused on disability inclusion, reflecting the 15 per cent of the world’s population living with disabilities.
The eighteenth session of the Conference of States parties to the Convention, held in New York from 10 to 12 June, emphasised raising awareness of the rights and contributions of persons with disabilities, vital for social development ahead of the Second World Summit for Social Development. Discussions focused on innovative financing for empowerment, leveraging artificial intelligence to support inclusivity, and indigenous peoples' rights.
Since March, the General Assembly had adopted several resolutions also relevant to the rights of persons with disabilities. On 4 March 2025, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on “Education for Democracy”, which called for increased investment in inclusive and quality education. On 6 March, the General Assembly scheduled a high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases and mental health for 25 September 2025, which would involve persons with disabilities as key stakeholders in discussions and preparations. Additionally, a General Assembly resolution adopted on 16 June 2025 proclaimed 27 June as the International Day of Deaf-Blindness, recognising it as a distinct disability and calling for awareness and integration into policies, beginning in 2025.
During the fifty-eighth session of the Human Rights Council, held in March 2025, the Council adopted several relevant resolutions, including a resolution that addressed cultural rights and the protection of cultural heritage, which urged countries to make cultural digitalisation accessible to all persons with disabilities; a resolution establishing an intergovernmental working group to develop an international legal instrument on the rights of older people, which referenced the Convention; a resolution emphasising the right to a clean, healthy environment, which called for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in environmental decision-making and demanded access to information and remedies without discrimination; and a resolution focusing on the rights of people with disabilities regarding digital technologies and assistive devices.
A resolution adopted at the fifty-ninth session of the Council in June 2025 aimed to eliminate violence against women and girls, particularly those with disabilities, who faced greater risks. It urged countries to adopt inclusive policies and provide equal access to housing, education, health and employment, and called for the full participation of women and girls with disabilities in the policymaking process.
Introducing upcoming events at the United Nations, Mr. Korkeakivi said the Second World Summit for Social Development would be held from 4 to 6 November 2025 in Doha, Qatar. The Summit would be particularly important for persons with disabilities, providing a crucial opportunity to promote inclusive policies that ensured accessibility, participation, and rights protections across the 2030 Agenda.
The 2025 United Nations Social Forum would be held on 30 and 31 October at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, focusing on the role of education in the respect, promotion, protection and fulfilment of all human rights for all. Discussions would highlight how inclusive education could be a powerful driver for equality. For persons with disabilities, it offered an opportunity to spotlight barriers to education and advocate for accessible, rights-based learning systems.
Mr. Korkeakivi said the Office of the High Commissioner continued its work to support the strengthening of the treaty bodies, but resources available for staff and non-staff costs were inadequate. The liquidity situation was a system-wide crisis. Reductions in allotments were impacting the treaty bodies' ability to hold dialogues with States parties and to take decisions on individual communications, resulting in further delays and backlogs.
Another area where cuts were being made was in treaty body capacity building activities. Regions where the needs were greatest were also those where a lack of reliable Internet connectivity and equipment for civil servants prevented online capacity building activities. All this caused real damage to the predictability of the reporting cycle. Mr. Korkeakivi said the Office was doing its utmost to ensure that the treaty bodies could implement their mandates, including by highlighting the direct impact that resource limitations had on human rights protection on the ground. Nevertheless, all indications pointed to a continuation of the difficult liquidity situation for the foreseeable future.
The treaty body strengthening process remained active. The High Commissioner had also engaged with treaty bodies in connection with the UN80 process. The Office of the High Commissioner would continue to work alongside the Chairs and all the treaty body experts to strengthen the system, using all the opportunities at its disposal to advance this essential work. However, given the overall reduction in funds and available support services, business as usual was no longer possible.
Mr. Korkeakivi expressed appreciation for the Committee members, the States parties to the Convention, and all stakeholders who had actively prepared their work in advance of the session. Noting the Committee’s heavy programme for the next three weeks, he concluded by wishing it a successful and productive session.
MIYEON KIM, Committee Chairperson, said that, due to the United Nations’ liquidity crisis, the session had been reduced to just 12 working days, and the pre-sessional working group had been cancelled entirely. This situation affected the entire treaty body system. Over 35 dialogues with States parties planned for this year had been cancelled, more than 185 individual communications would go unprocessed, and consideration of inquires under article six of the Convention had been postponed due to a lack of funds. Most concerningly, nine of the Committee’s 14 newly approved staff positions remained unfilled.
This was a human rights crisis, and its consequences most severely affected those most marginalised, including the 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide. Ms. Kim said since the last session, she had represented the Committee at several events that directly addressed the challenges facing persons with disabilities. She had attended the Global Disability Summit in Berlin and welcomed the adoption of the Amman-Berlin Declaration, endorsed by over 100 stakeholders. The Declaration set an ambitious agenda, including a target that 15 per cent of all international development programmes addressed disability inclusion.
In June, together with 10 members of the Committee, the Chair participated in the Conference of States Parties to the Convention in New York. The members engaged in over 20 bilateral dialogues with States parties and witnessed a growing commitment to implement the Convention worldwide. Discussions focused on issues such as governance of artificial intelligence, which needed to be inclusive of persons with disabilities. Disability rights needed to be integrated across all global agendas, and persons with disabilities needed to lead processes and guide actions.
Ms. Kim noted that 2026 would mark the twentieth anniversary of the Convention. The Committee would ensure that the legacy of the Convention remained vibrant and grounded in the lived experiences of persons with disabilities. The Chair had met with the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations to plan commemorations of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention.
At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Committee Experts had co-organised a workshop on disability-inclusive budgeting and investment. However, the broader framework agreed upon remained silent on disability. Upcoming discussions at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha would be a critical opportunity to discuss disability rights, which needed to be a cross-cutting priority in all areas of global development, so as to leave no one behind.
Ms. Kim expressed concern that Committee Expert Hiroshi Tamon was not being provided with national sign language interpretation. Accessibility was a human right. The Committee called on all stakeholders to meet the Committee’s accessibility obligations.
During the current session, in addition to reviewing State party reports and adopting concluding observations, the Committee would also publish findings on communications and inquiries, continue work on general comments under articles 11 and 29, and advance the work of the working groups on institutionalisation, women and girls with disabilities, and humanitarian emergencies. The Committee would also hold a special session on the experiences of persons with disabilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, who continued to face incredible suffering. Their testimony would remind the world that peace needed to be built with persons with disabilities.
Ms. Kim said the Committee would work to amplify the voices of persons with disabilities and uphold their dignity, rights and freedom.
Statements by States, United Nations Bodies and Civil Society Representatives
In the discussion, speakers, among other things, said the work of the Committee was essential in advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities. Several speakers expressed concern regarding the financial constraints on the United Nations and the multilateral system. States needed to provide sustained financing to the treaty body system to address the financial crisis, and the Committee needed to push back against regressive national developments, one speaker said.
Many speakers reaffirmed their commitment to the rights of persons with disabilities. Over one billion individuals lived with some form of disability, and many continued to face systemic discrimination, they said. Speakers presented initiatives to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in education. Persons with disabilities needed to be supported to participate actively in public life.
One speaker welcomed the Committee’s plan to hold a dialogue on the situation of persons with disabilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. They called for full respect for international law, an immediate ceasefire, for Isreal to provide immediate humanitarian access, and for the implementation of the Committee’s general comment nine.
Romania, speaking in its capacity as Head of the United Nations Human Rights Council Task Force on Accessibility, said accessibility needed to be considered non-negotiable in the work of the treaty bodies. The Human Rights Council had passed a decision on accessible services for hybrid meetings and was collecting data on the needs of persons with disabilities who attended Council sessions. It had also released a mapping tool that would help understanding of its work, and work was underway to allow for voice commands to make the tool more accessible for persons with disabilities. The Council had last year held 13 panel discussions with mandated accessibility measures, and more would be held this year. Last year, 29 resolutions were adopted that mandated accessibility measures. The Council also adopted a new resolution that promoted accessibility for the full enjoyment of human rights by all. It would continue to advocate for the effective participation of persons with disabilities in all discussions at the United Nations.
One speaker said that artificial intelligence could perpetrate discrimination and exclusion against persons with disabilities. Algorithms trained on biased data would replicate discrimination of persons with disabilities embedded in societies. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization had adopted a declaration on ethical artificial intelligence, which asserted that innovation needed to serve all, not just a privileged few. Another declaration was planned on neurotechnology, which promoted the protection of human rights and dignity and addressed the specific rights and needs of persons with disabilities. The Organization was also developing a disability inclusion strategy, and was committed to promoting disability inclusion in all its actions.
Another speaker addressed disability rights in global health systems, saying that the 2021 resolution of the World Health Organization on the rights of persons with disabilities to an adequate standard of health was a milestone achievement. Persons with disabilities continued to face barriers within health systems that inhibited this right. The Organization had developed a guide for health ministries that offered practical steps to ensure disability inclusion in the development of health policies. Its “disability health equity” project had also been launched, which aimed to ensure that health equity for persons with disabilities was included in global health policies and would work to deliver tangible outcomes for persons with disabilities. The Committee’s continued support would be essential in obtaining the highest standard of health for persons with disabilities.
One speaker presented a report on violations of the human rights of children in armed conflict that would be submitted by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Human Rights Council in September. The speaker said that the report could inform preparation of the Committee’s forthcoming general comment on article 11 of the Convention on situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies. The report showed how article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child provided a model for assisting States parties to strengthen the protection of children and persons with disabilities in armed conflict.
One speaker presented efforts at the International Labour Organization to include persons with disabilities in the workforce. The Organization was collaborating with stakeholders to address the impact of tariffs on access to assistive technologies and had also been promoting disability-inclusive climate action.
Some speakers presented efforts to promote disability rights at the Global Disability Summit and the right to inclusive development at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville. At the latter, discussions were held on a United Nations Convention on International Taxation, which would consider the rights of persons with disabilities in the international taxation system. The Committee needed to consider the rights of persons with disabilities in the context of taxation, one speaker said.
One speaker said some 8.4 million people were admitted to mental health institutions each year, and institutionalised people had been subjected to heart-breaking violations of dignity and rights. Laws that allowed for institutionalisation needed to be reformed, and persons who had been institutionalised needed to be included in policymaking on deinstitutionalisation. People in institutions should not be treated like persons in custody. Psychiatric practices needed to be aligned with international human rights law.
Some speakers expressed concerns about the application of electroshock therapy on children in several Western countries, and the growing trend of diagnosing minors with mental health conditions such as attention deficit disorder, which often led to dangerous, early and prolonged drug treatments. They recommended that laws that allowed for the placement of people with mental health problems in institutions be reformed and that government budgets for institutions be redirected to community-based mental health care.
One speaker presented the work of the Spanish radio station “ASPACE Badajoz Radio”, which aimed to give a voice to persons with cerebral palsy. The station had, since 1979, broadcast cultural programmes, as well as news and children’s programmes, and trained university students to create inclusive radio programmes.
A representative of Eritrea said that Eritrea had advocated for the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in society, including in the national liberation movement. The State promoted accessible services for persons with disabilities and ensured that no citizens were left behind, including persons with disabilities. The fact that Eritrea had not signed the Convention did not reflect a lack of effort to respect the rights of persons with disabilities. Ratifying international instruments required respecting sustained institutional capacity for respecting reporting obligations, which remained difficult for Eritrea as a young nation. Eritrea was now moving to formally ratifying the Convention and respecting its reporting obligations. This was an opportunity to strengthen national systems in a manner that reflected national realities.
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