DISCORSO PRONUNCIATO DAL VICE RAPPRESENTANTE PERMANENTE ED INCARICATO D’AFFARI, A.I. DELL’ITALIA PRESSO LE NAZIONI UNITE, AMBASCIATORE INIGO LAMBERTINI, ALLA 8A CONFERENZA DEGLI STATI PARTE ALLA CONVENZIONE SUI DIRITTI DELLE PERSONE CON DISABILITA’ (CRPD) (9 giugno 2015) 

Mr. President, Deputy Secretary General, Excellencies, Distinguished colleagues,



Italy aligns itself with the comprehensive statement to be made by the European Union and wishes to add a few remarks in a national capacity on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities and on Italy’s endeavors with regard to the themes on the agenda of this relevant meeting.

According to the last World Report on Disability (WRD), published in 2011, more than one billion people, approximately 15% of the world population, experience some form of disability, and 80% of these people live in developing countries. Persons with disabilities face innumerable barriers preventing them from fully participating in society on an equal basis with others, and are more likely to suffer from poverty and exclusion than those without disabilities.

There can be no inclusive society or international sustainable development without the empowerment of persons with disabilities. Promoting their full and active participation in the economic, social and cultural development of societies is not only a moral imperative – it is also a smart choice. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is the cornerstone of all actions provided for and with disabled persons.

Italy remains strongly committed to the implementation of this fundamental instrument, which we signed in 2007 and ratified in 2009. Disability has been an area of great focus for the Italian Cooperation – a priority explicitly stated in the 2014-2016 Programming Guidelines for Italy’s Official Development Assistance.

Immediately after the ratification of the Convention, Italy established a National Observatory which calls on all of the main stakeholders to follow through with the Convention’s monitoring mechanisms. In close cooperation with civil society, the Italian Cooperation approved its first Guidelines on Disability in 2010 and soon after, in 2011, began working on its first Disability Action Plan, approved in 2013, in accordance with the CRPD. The Action Plan is the result of an inclusive process of intense consultations with civil society; DPOs; Government institutions – both central and local; academia and research centers; and identifies five main pillars: 1. Policies and Strategies; 2. Inclusive Project Planning & Design; 3. Accessible and Usable Environments, Goods and Services; 4. Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Situations including Persons with Disabilities; 5. Making the most of the experiences and best practices developed by civil society organizations and the private sector in the area of disability.

The Action Plan also identifies geographical priorities and puts special emphasis on knowledge and information sharing, as well as awareness in carrying out specific programs, seen as necessary conditions to make far-reaching and long-lasting changes.

It is with this approach that Italy – also as Vice President of this Conference of States Parties to the CRPD – is strongly committed to contributing to the international community’s efforts in drafting the Post-2015 Development Agenda and, in particular, to having the views and needs of persons with disabilities reflected in the outcome document to be adopted in September. We will work diligently to empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of whether they have a disability or not, so as to shape a world that is just, equitable and inclusive for all human beings.


Thank you, Mr. President.