Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Palau stakeholder dialogue

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Alii,

Thank you for inviting me to make a few remarks at the start of today’s stakeholder dialogue on disability and to reflect upon the importance of viewing persons with disabilities as full and equal members of society. The latter is not always the case and too often persons with disabilities are seen as objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection.

To change our perception and to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, a new UN Human Rights Convention was adopted on 12 December 2006 during the 61st session of the General Assembly. It is entitled Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and it was the first UN Human Rights treaty of the twenty-first century. It also served as a major catalyst in the global disability rights movement. 

Palau ratified this Convention on 11 June 2013 and acceded to its Optional Protocol that establishes an individual complaints mechanism for persons of disability, who allege that their rights under the Convention have been denied. With this ratification in place, Palau is now required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities. It should also ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy full equality under the law. Palau submitted its initial CRPD report in 2018 and submitted a shadow CRPD report highlighting health, education and employment in 2022.

The global recognition that persons with disabilities are entitled to all human rights and freedoms is also visible in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which explicitly includes disability in the Sustainable Development Goals, targets and indicators supporting a more inclusive and equitable world for persons with disabilities.

According to 2023 statistics from WHO, approximately 16 per cent of the world’s population have a form of disability – that is 1 in 6 of us. This statistic is suspected to be higher with the prevalence of NCD related disabilities and non-visible disabilities, including learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and psychosocial disabilities. 

Unfortunately, health inequities arise from unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities, including stigma, discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and barriers faced in the health system itself. For instance, persons with disabilities can incur higher costs, such as costs for assistive devices, personal care costs and transportation costs whilst being disadvantaged in employment opportunities. 

Circling back to Palau, I would like to share my appreciation for its launching of the first accessible ramp at long island in 2023. This ramp used the Pacific Disability Forum’s access audit toolkit, which is aligned with international CRPD standards. 

Last but not least, Palau is currently completing its Voluntary National Review (VNR) report in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the “Leave No One Behind” indicators. Indicators that measure disability inclusion across the different sectors. When it comes to our “Leave No One Behind” commitment, it is important that we continue to support those furthest left behind, especially those living in the most remote and isolated areas.

In concluding, I would like to thank Palau for its continued commitment to fulfill its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Thank you