Summary

In the present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 53/14, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Heba Hagrass, examines how persons with disabilities have been included and consulted in the review and follow-up processes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Meaningful participation is a human rights imperative under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities. The Sustainable Development Goals could be a catalyst for the practical implementation of the Convention, yet with six years left until 2030, progress has been slow and persons with disabilities are being left behind. Ensuring that their voices are heard is therefore critical to make good on the commitment to leave no one behind and to design and review policies and measures that can effectively accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Strong and inclusive review and follow-up processes are further important as discussions that will shape future international cooperation and the post-2030 Agenda are taking place in the next years.

The Special Rapporteur identifies different entry points at the national, regional and international levels for persons with disabilities and their representative organizations to share their experiences, challenges and barriers to benefit effectively from sustainable development. Multiple spaces for consultation and participation exist but are not always accessible and inclusive of persons with disabilities. The report includes some of the key obstacles to meaningful participation, on the basis of inputs received from different stakeholders, as well as conclusions and recommendations on how to overcome existing barriers.