Centre Prepares Concept Paper on Disability Rights in the Pacific
The Human Rights Law Resource Centre has prepared a concept paper for the Open Society Institute Disability Rights Initiative regarding disability rights in the Pacific. The concept paper proposes a project to build capacity – and provide support, advice and expertise – to Pacific Island NGOs to:
- advocate for ratification and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and
- monitor and report on implementation of the CRPD through the treaty-specific periodic review undertaken by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Universal Period Review undertaken by the UN Human Rights Council.
Of the estimated 600 million people with disability worldwide, it is estimated that over 350 million live in
Asia or the Pacific. 20 per cent of the world’s poorest people have a disability, and tend to be regarded
in their own communities as the most disadvantaged.
Despite this, no Pacific Island countries have ratified or acceded to the CRPD. Indeed, the Pacific
region has the lowest ratification rate of the seven core international human rights treaties of any region
worldwide. There are a number of reasons for this low level of treaty ratification, including that in many
Pacific Island countries both governments and civil society:
- • have limited financial and human resources; and
- lack the technical capacity and expertise to fulfill treaty obligations, particularly monitoring and reporting requirements.
The Human Rights Law Resource Centre considers that promoting and supporting ratification of, and
reporting under, the CRPD in the Pacific would very practically improve the protection of the human
rights of people with disability in the region. In particular, civil society engagement with the CRPD could
play a vital role in matters such as human rights standard setting, implementation, monitoring and
scrutiny, and community education. The project should also mobilise disability and human rights
advocacy groups and create networks between similarly focused orgainsations in the Pacific region.
Phil Lynch is Director of the Human Rights Law Resource Centre
