Interactive Dialogue with the chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

UNGA77

Third Committee

Helen Inga S von Ernst

Thank you, Chair. 

Iceland would like to thank the chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for her briefing to the Third Committee of the General Assembly.

As a member of the CRPD, Iceland is honoured to reiterate its steadfast support for the Committee and its work. 

The Icelandic Government is committed to further advance the rights of persons with disabilities and work towards full implementation of the Convention, with the central goal being the self-determination and full participation of all persons with disabilities in our society.

Since the ratification of the CRPD in 2016 various amendments have been made to implement the Convention into Icelandic legislation. An example is the Act on Services for Persons with Disabilities with Long-term Support Needs, implemented in 2018, which aims to give people with disabilities the support they need to lead their lives independently on their own terms, and to fully enjoy their human rights on an equal basis with others in our society.

To further strengthen the status of the Convention, the decision has been made to incorporate it directly into Icelandic legislation and extensive work been undertaken to identify the opportunities and challenges in achieving this goal. 

Work has also started for the preparation of a new national plan until 2030 on the rights of persons with disabilities with a clear vision and targets for the future, based on the previously mentioned mapping of services. 

Mr. Chair. 

The members of CRPD have a crucial role in ensuring that the rights of persons with disabilities are fully taken into consideration when finding human rights-based solutions to new challenges, such as climate change and the effects of a global pandemic. 

We would like to ask Ms. Kayess; where do you believe there is the widest protection gap when countering these different challenges?