Giovane Delegato all’ONU Andrea Granata
Thank you Mr. / Madame Chair,
As Youth Delegates of Italy, we welcome the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and we gladly embrace its perspective envisioning the enhancement of persons with disabilities’ rights in terms of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
As we are approaching the 18th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we are deeply conscious that people with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by the latest global crises. For this reason, we fundamentally agree with the Report in emphasizing that persons with disabilities should be consulted on all issues aecting their lives, not only on sector-specic social issues; in particular, it is our responsibility to ensure that persons with disabilities are meaningfully and systematically included in the review and follow-up processes of all of the SDGs.
We essentially appreciate the positive examples and good practices presented in the Report regarding inclusive mechanisms of policy making, coordination and review on sustainable development, as well as the increasing role civil society and organizations of persons with disabilities are playing to facilitate outreach, collect information and elaborate solutions. In this concern, we would ask the Special Rapporteur what are the main barriers still hindering CSOs’ impact in fostering meaningful participation for persons with disabilities in the implementation of the SDGs and how can already existing guidelines be upheld more eectively at national and local level?
At the same time, we must make the most of the momentum set by the adoption of the Pact for the Future. Recalling Action 30 of the Pact, we must seize on opportunities provided by new and emerging technologies to empower and advance equity for persons with disabilities, including through promoting the availability of assistive technologies. Still, digital inclusion and accessibility remain a signicant challenge in many countries. Indeed, could you share guidelines on a more accessible and aordable use of innovative digital means to accelerate inclusion of persons with disabilities?
Thank you.
