Kyrgyzstan has chance not to be missed to implement rights of persons with disabilities, says UN expert

BISHKEK/GENEVA  – A UN expert said new legislative proposals and Kyrgyzstan’s law and policy reforms since ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities show momentum to significantly improve the lives of those with disabilities.

“Positive steps have been taken in terms of law and policy reforms, initial efforts to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities, and to introduce the concept of inclusive education,” Heba Hagrass, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, said in a statement at the end of her official visit to the country.

“For now, reforms remain disjointed but proposals to bring in new legislation on the rights of persons with disabilities offer an outstanding opportunity to have a comprehensive plan of action aligned with the Convention.”

Hagrass said it was crucial to include persons with disabilities, and their representative organisations, in the process and in the drafting, implementation and monitoring of laws and policies in general. Meaningful participation is a requirement under the Convention, she said, expressing concern about shrinking civic space for human rights advocacy, particularly following the adoption of the Law on Foreign Representatives earlier in 2024.

The Special Rapporteur acknowledged increasing amounts of disability benefits and payments for personal assistants as important measures towards ensuring an adequate standard of living for persons with disabilities.  

“I urge the Government to use the current economic growth to design and implement inclusive, accessible, quality and community-based services for persons with disabilities that promote independent living,” Hagrass said. An overarching strategy was needed to implement all the rights of persons with disabilities, including effective monitoring and coordination mechanisms underpinned by adequate resources and expertise.

The Special Rapporteur said she was concerned by the lack of clarity and plans to move away from perceiving disability mainly as a medical issue, starting with how disability is assessed. “Kyrgyzstan urgently needs to engage in a deinstitutionalisation reform and overhaul legislation and practice on legal capacity in line with international human rights standards.”

Hagrass said community inclusion rather than isolation in institutions or at home is the best way to combat prevailing stigma against persons with disabilities. “I learned about the particularly vulnerable situation of women and girls, persons in remote and rural areas, and persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, including in terms of violence, abuse, and neglect. Special attention must be paid to the protection of their rights.”

The Special Rapporteur will present a detailed report of her findings and recommendations at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2025.